Physical Literacy
DEFINITION #1
Physical literacy is defined by Physical and Health Education Canada as, “Individuals who are physically literate move with competence and confidence in a wide variety of physical activities in multiple environments that benefit the healthy development of the whole person” (PHE Canada, 2010).
This very definition is also included in the Ontario Healthy and Physical Education Curriculum as follows:
DEFINITION #1
Physical literacy is defined by Physical and Health Education Canada as, “Individuals who are physically literate move with competence and confidence in a wide variety of physical activities in multiple environments that benefit the healthy development of the whole person” (PHE Canada, 2010).
This very definition is also included in the Ontario Healthy and Physical Education Curriculum as follows:
DEFINITION #2
Another definition of physical literacy from Mandigo is, “ the development of fundamental movement skills and fundamental sport skills that permit a child to move confidently and with control, in a wide range of physical activity, rhythmic (dance) and sport situations.” (Mandigo, p.27).
These definitions really do generate the idea that physical literacy helps children develop a sense of confidence to control their movement whether it is tip-toeing across a quiet room, running through a soccer field, or practicing cosmic yoga for DPA. These are all important skills that students develop during their years in school and beyond. It is vital to teach primary/junior students physical literacy at the young and tender ages so that children are learning how to develop a healthy body and mind.
I believe that improvements in cognition can be impacted by the body’s exposure to physical activity and physical literacy. I argue that physical literacy is essential for students because it helps to deepen knowledge across all areas, including language literacy. I think that physical literacy and language literacy should be given equal importance in schools because as suggested by Berg, the physical body and the mind work together where having a healthy body can encourage healthy mind (Berg, 2010). While students are learning physical literacy and engaging in physical activity, Berg argues that their cognitive abilities can be strengthen (Berg, 2010). By teaching students to be physically literate, we are teaching them to lead healthy lifestyles through educating them with the knowledge, skill and attitudes about physical education as suggested by Mandigo (Mandigo et al., 2009).
I think that teaching physical literacy is very important in today’s world with the rise in technology among youth and the increase of child obesity. So, not only is it important to make students more aware of physical literacy in relation to their physical body but it is also important for their mental body as well.
Health Literacy
According to the Ontario Health and Physical Education Curriculum Health is defined as:
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared in the preamble to its constitution, which came into force in 1948, that health is “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. Today, Health Canada includes the following in its list of “determinants of health” (that is, factors and conditions that can have a significant influence on a person’s health): income and social status, social support networks, education and literacy, employment and working conditions, physical and social environments, biology and genetic endowment, personal health practices and coping skills, healthy child development, availability and quality of health services, gender, culture, and other factors. Other recent models describe and group the factors differently and include additional factors, such as stress, food insecurity, care in early life, and Aboriginal status.
Together, such factors affect an individual’s overall state of physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being. They influence not only whether a person stays healthy or becomes ill but also the extent to which the person possesses the physical, social, and personal resources needed to identify and achieve personal aspirations, satisfy needs, and cope with the environment. These factors also have an impact on student learning as a whole, and are strongly connected to learning in health and physical education. Although students have varying degrees of control over these factors, it is important to be aware of them as contributing factors in student performance. It is also important to recognize the value of personal strategies that can be learned and practised to foster well-being in the face of stressful and challenging life circumstances
Components of an Effective Physical and Health Education Program
In the Primary/Junior division we want to keep in mind…
- The physical developmental stage of these students. OPHEA does a fantastic job of providing age appropriate activity to target students in the developmental abilities. This provides an opportunity to learn at an appropriate level.
- Students should be given appropriate content to learn that reaches a range of motor skills, social and collaborative skills, and physical activity. This can be provided through OPHEA lesson plans, which also align with the Ontario Physical and Health Education Curriculum
- Teacher should be given instruction that is direct, inclusive, and provides maximum opportunity for all. OPHEA lesson plans give direct instructions that may have to be altered depending on your classroom and students (e.g. for inclusive reasons)
- Assessment must be included for an effective program. OPHEA gives assessment tools that are practical to use in the gym with your students. Find more about assessment on the ‘Assessing learners in health and physical education’
For example:
The Fundamental Motor Skills (FMS) teacher manual suggests that 5 to 7 year olds (grade 1) should be able to catch a tennis ball thrown underhand from a distance of 5 metres. This statement has taken into consideration the physical development and ability students this age is at
The following is an OPHEA Grade 1 lesson plan for sending and receiving which focuses on catching and throwing. Students will also be practicing cooperation skills by working in pairs and triads.
The following is an OPHEA Grade 1 lesson plan for sending and receiving which focuses on catching and throwing. Students will also be practicing cooperation skills by working in pairs and triads.