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Bulletin 65 Pdf

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| Feature | No.65 October 2013 |

Creating learning experiences to foster physical literacy

Margaret Whitehead & Len Almond

Abstract

This paper* builds from the previous paper (3.1) and translates broad recommendations concerning pedagogy into specific elements of practitioner practice. It aims to provide some answers the question ‘How is physical literacy nurtured?’ All the recommendations are pertinent to all practitioners including teachers, coaches and those working in the leisure industry.

Introduction

All practitioners working to promote physical literacy should adopt a common pedagogical framework. This framework should ensure that learners of all ages have experiences that:-

- are rewarding and enjoyable, thus enhancing motivation

- have a positive effect on their self confidence and self worth

- enable them to experience progress and success in a wide range of purposeful physical pursuits and in the effective employment of specific movement patterns

- empower them to make decisions in respect of their involvement in purposeful physical pursuits

- enable them to appreciate the value of physical activity for lifelong health and well-being

- energise them to be proactive in their participation in physical activity

Taken together it is suggested that the characteristic that unites all these experiences is a sense of an enabling engagement in physical activity. In the sections below we set out practical suggestions that should ensure that learners make progress on their individual physical literacy journey.

Experiences that are rewarding and enjoyable and thus enhance motivation

To provide learners with experiences that are rewarding and enjoyable and thus enhance motivation, practitionerss create a positive and encouraging ethos throughout all sessions. The learning environment is stimulating and attractive. Wall displays engender interest in physical activities, include a wide variety of examples of performers and performances, and are changed regularly. Good organization, the sharing of the intentions of the session and clear instructions throughout, engender a feeling of security. Appropriately varied tasks and expectations, together with supportive praise and guidance that differentiates between the needs of learners, confirms that all learners can succeed. The practitioner’s presentation is lively and varied, thus engaging learners’ interest. Learners look forward to sessions, anticipating positive experiences. Carefully plannedsessioins and enthusiastic teaching ensures that all learners can experience the satisfaction of success – which is key to fostering motivation.

  This experience is likely to be realised where practitioners: are enthusiastic and encourage all learners conduct sessions that are purposeful, lively and varied adopt a ‘can do’ approach with each learner ensure tasks are within reach of learners use praise as appropriate with all learners select and use the most appropriate feedback to each individual facilitate learning by e.g. good organisation, clearly explained learning episodes, differentiation, thus giving sufficient time for progress to be made by all

Experiences that have a positive effect on learners’ self confidence and self-worth

To provide learners with experiences that have a positive effect on their self confidence and self-worth, practitioners provide opportunities for all learners to come to terms with their individual potential and to have their achievements recognized by the practitioner. The practitioner has high but realistic standards. Above all the learners feel secure in the situation, knowing that challenges will be within in their grasp and that the practitioner will acknowledge their efforts and their progress, however small. Importantly learners feel included at all times and know that they are valued. They have experiences that endorse their self-worth and develop their self awareness and pride in their personal performance and potential. This requires that the practitioner knows every learner well and takes time to interact with each learner. The practitioner judges learners’ progress from the standpoint of an individual’s previous achievements, rather than in comparison with the performance of others. Progress will be celebrated alongside achievement.

To promote learners’ ability to empathise and work other learners, the practitioner provides opportunities for learners to engage in a variety of group situations. Such work, demanding particular sensitivities and social skills is carefully planned, perceptively supervised and as appropriate, is subject to feedback that re-enforces effective interaction. The respect shown to all learners by the practitioner sets the example to the learners in their interaction with each other. Mutual support and constructive help is the norm. The atmosphere of sessions shows care and trust between all involved. Behaviour that is insensitive, demeaning, selfish or aggressive is totally unacceptable, while behaviour that shows a co-operative spirit and a caring, supportive attitude to others is re-enforced and praised. Practitioners establish an ethos of fairness and trust in all aspects of sessions.

  This experience is likely to be realised where practitioners: ensure that they know all learners as individuals, both by name and in respect of where they are on their physical literacy journey adopt a caring, empathetic approach with all learners ensure that each learner feels valued and is included at all times ensure that all learners experience success, being challenged as appropriate are optimistic and have high, but realistic standards recognise and reward effort, progress and achievement enable learners to develop self awareness and pride in their personal performance adopt ipsative (see note at the end of the paper)* assessment ensure that learners respect each other and are encouraging and supportive of other class members

Experiences that enable learners to make progress and have success in a wide range of purposeful physical pursuits with the effective employment of specific movement patterns

To provide learners with experiences that enable them to make progress and have success in a wide range of purposeful physical pursuits, demands careful thought and planning on the part of the practitioner. Essential to the promotion of learners’ progress in achieving the attribute of physical literacy that refers to their ability to ‘read’ the environment and respond with fluency and intelligence, requires practitioners in the school setting, to ensure that learners are able to participate effectively in activities that cover all Movement Forms (See Bulletin paper 3.4 for more detail concerning material to be covered)

Attention to promoting physical competence and confidence is at the heart of practitioners’ interaction with learners. Through the use of a range of imaginative challenges, tasks, situations, practices and applications the practitioner guides the learners to be ever more secure in their employment of movement patterns. (See Whitehead et al 2010) Learners need time to practise and refine what they are learning, thus providing the opportunity for real progress and for movement patterns to be established, remembered and applied on future occasions. The practitioner is observant and skilful in articulating meaningful and productive feedback to learners. Assessment for learning is used.

This experience is likely to be realised where practitioners: provide opportunities for learners, within the curriculum and in extra-curricular time, to engage in purposeful physical pursuits that exemplify all Movement Forms involve learners in progressive challenges both in respect of reaching personal movement goals and in working with others in co-operative and competitive movement contexts devote sufficient time to any purposeful physical pursuit for learners to make progress work with learners as individuals, using a mastery approach in developing specific movement patterns use an assessment for learning approach in their feedback deploy astute observation skills and the ability to describe movement, this founded on a sound knowledge of the constituents of movement and the way these combine to form movement patterns

Experiences that empower learners to make decisions in respect of their involvement in purposeful physical pursuits

To provide learners with experiences that empower them to make decisions in respect of their involvement in purposeful physical pursuits practitioners establish an ethos of shared learning in all sessions. While the practitioner remains responsible for the work every opportunity is taken, as appropriate, for the learners, to play a part in selecting tasks within sessions, including evaluating their own movement learning and in planning sessions and units of work. The practitioner encourages learners to ask questions and to engage in discussion concerning the learning challenges. Open ended tasks are set, as appropriate, giving learners freedom to explore in their own way, and calling on them to think for themselves. Opportunities are provided, as appropriate, for learners to select the level of challenge they take up. Practitioners share with learners the constituents of movement and how these are combined to create effective performance. Using this understanding learners are encouraged to evaluate their own performance, in other words to take ownership of their own learning, setting their own targets and engaging in self-evaluation. Learners begin to appreciate that it is ultimately their responsibility to monitor and improve their work. In this way, they are learning to be more independent and take responsibility for their own progress – both abilities that are important for all learners to acquire.

Practitioners involve learners, as appropriate, in discussion concerning the goals to be achieved in a session or unit and how these goals might be realised. Learners are also involved in reflective debate about the effectiveness of these plans in reaching the intended goals. In this way learners are to be given opportunities to make choices and exercise their independence, secure in the knowledge that the practitioner will respect their contributions and ideas, and guide them as appropriate.

  This experience is likely to be realised where practitioners: encourage learners to ask questions engage in discussion with learners present open ended tasks and problem solving situations which require learners to think for themselves work to enable learners to self-assess and thus enable them to take responsibility for their own learning allow learners to select tasks and challenges on which to work involve learners in planning aspects of sessions involve learners in planning Units or work involve learners in reflecting on the outcomes of sessions and units of work respect and act on learners’ views

Experiences that enable learners to appreciate the value of physical activity for lifelong health and well-being

To provide learners with experiences that enable them to appreciate the value of physical activity for lifelong health and well-being, practitioners take the opportunity to highlight the effects of exercise on the body and to discuss the wide health benefits of exercise. Appropriate situations are created in which learners are called on to recognise, reflect on and discuss the way that movement challenges draw on and develop the functioning of their body systems. Learners are involved in reflective debate concerning the wide range of positive effects of an active lifestyle with reference to their flourishing in the broadest sense. Learners may keep a dairy which both records their involvement in physical activity and encourages them to reflect on these experiences. Topics such as the importance of appropriate eating habits and sleeping patterns are also addressed, as appropriate.

The knowledge and understanding gained in these experiences ensures that learners recognize that being active is an important priority. Furthermore learners appreciate that the benefits of exercise extend beyond their embodied dimension such as its impact on mental health, social well being, as well as on the overall quality of life.

Practitioners interact with sensitivity with learners, helping individuals indentify where their interests might be in relation to participation in purposeful physical pursuits. Class discussion could also cover the availability of local facilities where different purposeful physical pursuits are taking place.

  This experience is likely to be realised where practitioners: plan sessions so that learners can experience and recognise the wide ranging health benefits of activities encourage learners to reflect on and discus the effect of exercise on their various body systems encourage learners, as appropriate, to be alert to current medical thinking on the benefits of exercise, such as the concept of ‘exercise as medicine’ engage learners in debates that re-enforce the wide ranging benefits of an active lifestyle listen to and respond sensitively to learners’ views and experiences

Experiences that energise learners to be proactive in their participation in physical activity

  We suggest that if learners have the foregoing five experiences that they will be energised to take part with drive and enthusiasm in purposeful physical pursuits within the school and beyond. Practitioner encouragement will ensure learners are motivated to be involved. Practitioner attention to the learners as individuals will promote their movement competence and self confidence. Discussion of key areas of knowledge and understanding, as well as the opportunities given to learners to make decisions and to take responsibility for their own participation and progress, will lay the ground for thoughtful and constructive consideration concerning future participation on the part of each individual.

  Learners are likely to be energised to participate in the future where practitioners: ensure that involvement in purposeful physical pursuits is a positive and rewarding experience ensure each individual makes progress engage learners in lively/dynamic movement challenges encourage learners to reflect on their experiences and discuss approaches to maintaining active participation throughout life

Conclusion

We suggest that where practitioners have followed the suggestions above, learners will have been given the opportunity to make progress on their individual physical literacy journey. This mode of pedagogy has the learner at its heart and involves the practitioner in critical reflection of their own teaching. This is the goal of all physical activity experiences – to ensure that every learner has the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding to value physical activity and to take the responsibility to develop and establish an active lifestyle, in other words to be physically literate.

A pedagogy of engagement is a practitioner’s tool to achieve this goal.

The heart of this enterprise is to provide those experiences that engender a love of being active: an attitude that sees participation as a rewarding, fulfilling and enriching experience. While this attitude is informed by knowledge and understanding of the far reaching benefits of an active lifestyle, the profound satisfaction of participation is founded, crucially, on the quality of experience of each learner.

References

1. Capel, S. and Whitehead, M.. (Eds) 2013 Debates in Physical Education. London, Routledge.

2. Whitehead, M. (Ed) (2010) Physical Literacy: Throughout the Lifecourse. London, Routledge.

Contact

Margaret Whitehead
4 Veranzerou Str. 10677
Athens
Greece
E-mail: whitehead67@aol.com

Len Almond
6 Cottesmore Drive
Loughborough
LE11 2RL
United Kingdom

http://www.icsspe.org/