No.47 May 2006 |
|||
print view |
The motivation to develop the concept of Physical Literacy arose as
a result of my philosophical study and my perception of the trends that
were evident in physical education work in schools in many countries.
Research into the areas of phenomenology and existentialism revealed
views of highly respected philosophers that championed our embodiment
as absolutely fundamental to very many aspects of life as we know it.
These philosophers all contested Cartesian dualism and advocated a monist
approach. In their different ways they argued cogently in advocating
the indispensable contribution made by our embodiment in, for example,
self-realisation, perception, concept development, language formulation,
rationality, emotion and the development of interpersonal relationships.
None of these philosophers addressed the implications of these views
to how we might so nurture our embodied dimension to further enrich
the human attributes mentioned above. This was in no way part of their
agenda. However the respect they showed for our embodied dimension was
clear to see and authoritatively argued. From the perspective of a physical
educationalist, this was exciting as well as reassuring as in many ways
these views put into words much that the profession has been trying
to articulate for many years.
From studying these 20th century philosophers,
as well as 21st century philosophers, sociologists and psychologists
who have developed these ideas, my reasoning took the following form:-
What I had in mind, as I continued with my study, was both to grasp
fully the insights of these philosophers with reference to the way our
embodiment is the foundation of, and continued axis around which, the
development of many aspects of our humanness is realised, and, just
as importantly, to make a case for appropriate attention being given
to our motile potential in education, in order for us to become more
fully human, in the widest possible sense.
Papers on the website physical-literacy.org.uk
record the development of my thinking over the last fifteen years. Different
papers take up issues such as monism, our nature as essentially beings-in–the-world,
the role of our embodiment in perception, cognition, reasoning and emotion.
Other papers look at the contribution of our embodiment to self-realisation
and to developing effective relationships with others.
At the same time as studying the views of others, I began to formulate
a definition of a human attribute capitalising on our embodiment that
would both contribute to our human nature as a whole and also offer
every individual the opportunity to enrich their lives through capitalising
on their motile potential. This development can also be seen from the
papers in the evolution of the concept identified as Physical Literacy.
This study has also been supported by reference back to the aforementioned
philosophers. Their insights were drawn on in discussing such problematic
areas as the universality of the concept and the place of propositional
knowledge for an individual attaining Physical Literacy. I am continuing
to work both to understand philosophical thought and to refine and clarify
the concept. My current concerns are related to gender considerations
and expressive movement.
As of March 2006 the short definition of Physical Literacy is:-
The motivation, confidence, physical competence, understanding
and knowledge to maintain physical activity at an individually appropriate
level, throughout life.
While the current full definition is:-
Physical literacy can be described as the
ability and motivation to capitalise on our motile potential to make a
significant contribution to the quality of life. As humans we all exhibit
this potential, however its specific expression will be particular to
the culture in which we live and the motile capacities with which we are
endowed.
An individual who is physically literate
moves with poise, economy and confidence in a wide variety of physically
challenging situations. Furthermore the individual is perceptive in ‘reading’
all aspects of the physical environment, anticipating movement needs or
possibilities and responding appropriately to these, with intelligence
and imagination.
A physically literate individual has a well
established sense of self as embodied in the world. This, together with
an articulate interaction with the environment, engenders positive self-esteem
and self-confidence. Furthermore, sensitivity to and awareness of our
embodied capacities leads to fluent self-expression through non-verbal
communication and to perceptive and empathetic interaction with others.
In addition, the individual has the ability
to identify and articulate the essential qualities that influence the
effectiveness of his/her own movement performance, and has an understanding
of the principles of embodied health, with respect to basic aspects such
as exercise, sleep and nutrition.
As indicated in the opening remark, my study related to the concept
of Physical Literacy has also been motivated by a perception that while
advances in the establishment of high quality physical education have
been made in some areas, there seems to be a drift towards teaching
competitive sport and catering particularly for those with the most
potential in the physical domain. All my study points towards the situation
that attention given to the embodiment is of enormous value, whatever
level of physical competence an individual can achieve. Hence I am developing
the concept of Physical Literacy with the intent of persuading those
with responsibility for education, that every young person has the right
to become physically literate.
The most recent work on the concept has been the collaboration with
colleagues to develop a curriculum that would deliver Physical Literacy
and to create a conceptual map that shows the relationship between Physical
Education and Physical Literacy. Generic proposals related to the former
can be found on the website and a paper detailing the latter is shortly
to be added.
The website is intended to be a meeting ground for all those with an
interest in the concept of Physical Literacy and I would be delighted
for papers from across the world to be included. Contact:
Dr. Margaret Whitehead PEA UK Building L25 London Road RH1 5AQ Reading United Kingdom whitehead67@aol.com ![]() http://www.icsspe.org/portal/index.php?w=1&z=5 |