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| Feature | No.65 October 2013 |

About Physical Literacy in Venezuela

Rosa López de D’Amico

Abstract

This essay presents a short view of how the term physical literacy is perceived in Venezuela, a country in which this term has not been used, nonetheless it seems that there have been elements in place that look at the objectives of physical literacy. So in order to present the information there is a review of the historical development of Venezuelan society in connection with its evolution and later its education, mostly physical education. At the end there is a short reflection as more discussion needs to be conducted.

Key Words: Physical literacy, Venezuela, indigenous people

It will be very easy and simple to indicate that we do not work with the term physical literacy in Venezuela, and indeed it is a term that has not been used or discussed in the national literature. Nevertheless as we analyze this term we observe that in the national education system there are objectives and there is a vision that could be compared with the principles that aligns with the concept of physical literacy (Whitehead & Murdoch, 2006)

To be fair we would need to start by acknowledging the indigenous people of this region in the piece of land known as Venezuela after the arrival of the of the Spaniards colonizers in 1548. Before the colonizers arrived, the natives considered work and exercise as two inter-related elements in their culture. They were connected as physical exercise was needed to work, in order to fulfill the basic natural needs. So in order to satisfy hunger and protection everybody had to work without discrimination by sex or age; everybody participated in the daily activities and shared what was taken from nature. A characteristic of this period is that physical activity and work were closely related, this attitude is also found in their education because it was necessary to the daily life and tradition to have physical abilities and to respect particular animistic religious beliefs. Young people learnt physical-labour activities from adults in a uniform social pattern, as well as from the other members of the tribe. We could say that it is an applied physical education; there is a teaching process in which young people assimilate the necessary skills for their lifetime and they become an efficient members of the tribe (Mizrahi & Lopez de D’Amico, 2012). Indigenous people were very good swimmers, horse riders, canoeists and wrestlers, as well as adept with arrows and had natural abilities to walk long distances and to run (Mizrahi, 2013)

With the arrival of the Spaniard Colonizers the characteristic and number of the original indigenous inhabitants varied, due to the miscegenation (Spaniard, Indians and blacks) and the killing of indigenous people by the colonizers and the evangelization process.

The Conquer and Colonization period lasted between XV to XVIII century. The Colonizers prohibited the indigenous games, songs and dances as they were considered profane and they have to dedicate all their time to work. In the ‘Colonial society’ only the highest class had the privilege to practice physical activities (games and ‘sports’). The Conquerors imposed their own culture, so besides education and weapons, they also brought their own entertainments such as: tournaments, rods, bullfighting, quintain, that incorporated physical activity, in addition they also brought artistic activity such as comedies, prologues, merry dances and theatrical representations (Flamerich, 2005). The independence period lasted from 1810 to 1830, but at the end of it most indigenous inhabitants were killed.

In 1819 the first legal document can be found that mentions the importance of physical exercise; Simón Bolívar (national hero) included it as he understood the importance of corporal training and the importance of knowing the human body (Ramírez, 2009); and in 1897, ‘gymnastics’ was first included in the Code of Public Instruction as a compulsory subject (López de D’Amico, 2012). Physical education has evolved following the sociocultural and political changes in the country; for more than a century it has been a compulsory subject in the education system although referred to by different names. In Venezuela, as in many other places it started as a disciplinary subject that looked to hygiene. Later it looked at sport performance, then it changed to be more focus in psychomotor development, and nowadays it looks at an individual with active corporal movement in which the professional teacher has to combine knowledge and life experiences of the student in order to promote his/her holistic and harmonic development in order to promote a healthy wellbeing. Through the different historical documents as far as late XIX century it is observed there was acknowledgement of the importance of physical exercise for the development of the human being as a whole (e.g., Ramírez, 2013)

In 1999 a new constitution came in place and it has provoked systematic changes in the education system which finally was legally expressed in the Organic Education Law in 2009 (LOE). The education system is divided in: initial education (0 – 6 years old), primary school (grades 1 – 6), secondary school (years 1 – 5 or 6), and university level. PE, sport and recreation are present throughout the education system. At initial education PE and Recreation are present in the learning area named: Personal, Social and Communication Education. The main purpose at this stage is to acquire the basic motor abilities.

In primary school Physical Education there are two main purposes: From grade 1 to 3, it is a means to provide a comprehensive education to the individual and fundamental vehicle to promote general health and the development of ability and cognitive skills. From 4th to 6th grade it is a means to develop in each individual the perceptive, physical, socio-motor elements, besides his/her enjoyment and development of the personality.

In secondary education (high school) the area of learning presents four components: a) physical activity as a systematic element to optimize the integral health of the human being; b) recreation as a means of formal and non formal education; c) sport as a vehicle for the development of abilities and specific skills; and d) physical activity and recreation to educate towards a better quality of life. This last also refers the relationship between individuals and the environment.

At the moment the national syllabus is under review as dimensions as health and environment are elements that have to be reinforced in all areas of knowledge. At university level the sport credit has existed since long ago and in many career courses related with Physical education and Health are offered either as compulsory (e.g., in any teaching training career) or as an optional course.

When I started to write this article I discussed with many academics who at first hesitated to accept the term ‘physical literacy’ (alfabetización física in Spanish) basically for two reasons: there has been a view that we have always followed foreign models and secondly because there has already been much debate and discussion about many names and terms related to PE, without any agreement about which term is best. There is some consensus that the term physical literacy might be acceptable as it points towards creating lifelong habits related with an active life style, which is seen as a goal of PE. While that should be the case, the reality is that we have a population that is suffering the consequences of sedentary lifestyle. We also know that there has been good intention in some policies but their implementation has been weak and that more trained teachers are needed.

In the last years some programs have been implemented to promote physical activity. Barrio Adentro Deportivo (Sport within the suburb) as a program, later transformed into Mission, addressed to the sector of the population that historically has has less access to sport activity and health services (Ramírez & Bastardo, 2007). There are five fundamental aspects considered in this Mission: a) Physical activity for adults, people with different abilities and pregnant women; b) Mentoring in technical aspects to Bolivarian schools; c) Training sport monitors; d) Physical recreation for All; e) Development of the mass participation in sport. The Mission has spread into the 24 states and the capital district, offering the following programs: a) Grandparents circle; b) Dance aerobics; c) Physical culture; d) Laboral gymnastics; e) Gymnastics for kids; f) Physical preparation for pregnant women; g) Chess practice; h) Sport Talent Schools.

Within this project particular attention is given to the age group that has traditionally been more inactive, that is older people. So in some sectors now it is common to observe these people, called ‘grandparents’ doing their routine of exercises and even zumba classes (bailoterapia in Spanish). The program started in 2002 and it is still in place.

More discussion needs to be developed in order to point out that is not a new term but as we accepted e.g., ‘computer literate’, to mention the most known one in the last two decades. It has to be understood that to be ‘physical literate’ is a must for the well being of society.

References

1. Flamerich, G (2005) Diversiones en 4 siglos, en Venezuela 1500-1900. Caracas: Copryight Venezuela

2. López de D’Amico, R. (2012). Sport policy in Venezuela. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics 4(1), 139-151

3. Mizrahi, E. (2013). La Cultura Física de la Población Indígena “Jivi” del Estado Amazonas de Venezuela, a Través de la Reconstrucción Histórica-Oral. Unpublished doctoral thesis. Universidad de León – Spain.

4. Mizrahi, E. & López de D’Amico, R. (2012). La cultura física del aborigen venezolano: Una aproximación a la etnia Jivi. Proceedings of the 18th ISCPES Congress (pp. 153-166) (ISBN 978-980-11-1480-2). Mérida: Talleres Gráficos Universitarios.

5. Ramírez, E. (2013). Aproximación Histórica de la Educación Física en Venezuela. Electronic journal Actividad Física y Ciencias 5(1), Availabe at http://www.actividadfisicayciencias.com/

6. Ramírez E. & Bastardo, O. (2007). Barrio adentro deportivo. In J. Prado y V. González (Eds.) La educación física y el deporte en la República Bolivariana de Venezuela. Mérida: Sello editorial ULA

7. Ramírez, J., 2009. Fundamentos teóricos de la recreación, la educación física y el deporte. Caracas: Episteme.

8. Whitehead, M. & Murdoch, E. (2006, summer). Physical literacy and physical education conceptual mapping. Physical education matters 6-9

Contact

Rosa López de D’Amico
Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador
Maracay – Venezuela
Email lopezdedamico@yahoo.com

http://www.icsspe.org/