Physical Literacy-
After reading the articles on physical literacy I better understand how the current curriculum is trying to combine confidence and control in physical activities. It seems to be taking the whole person into consideration instead of just the activity they are doing. I could not remember how I was evaluated in physical education when I was younger but it is nice to see that the way they assess children is more about what the child is able to do and the long-term effects. I find the Passport to Life a very interesting assessment tool. Since no child is the same it is nice that they set individual goals that involve the parents. I think parents are very influential in a child’s physical life and the more teachers and parents can work together the more successful the child will be. I also like how it’s divided- active participation, living skills, life skill and movement skills. It evaluates how a child can move but also looks into how the child feels, what can be their motivation, what is their previous knowledge and how they interact with other children. They make it so it’s a building block that will be a long journey not just a subject they have to pass and then move on.
During class I was surprised to hear that letter grades are not used to measure students individual performance. However, I am glad that there has been a shift away from letter grades because as Sonya said “no child is the same”. I do feel that students should see their fitness level as part of a continuum so that they can really internalize the different ways one can be active outside of the school environment. I also do agree with the author that the notion of providing alternative activities such as hiking, climbing or hoola hoops invites a think outside of the box approach. In consequence, I feel this type of approach encourages the child to remember the positive emotions (feelings of happiness) they experienced which will increase the chances that they will be active as adults.
The definition of physical literacy in the text talks about being able to move with confidence and looks at the whole child. This made me question how I could ensure that my students in my class wouldn’t feel put on the spot for any of the activities. Although, I understand that I should frame the classroom in such a way so there are not groups of students watching a child doing one particular task; I still worry about ensuring all children enjoy the activities and don’t become discouraged or overwhelmed. One solution would be to control the difficulty of the particular activities to be suitable to age group in the gymnasium. Next, the development of the whole child is also important and I feel that I should bring some of the content of physical literacy into other subjects. One way of doing so would be to use science as a way to talk about muscles and the effect nutrition has on the brain.
I absolutely agree with you Sonia in regards to involvement at home. It is very important students are able to take what they learn at school and apply it at home. This way they can develop self regulation and maybe even provoke his/her family to be more active! I think that would be ideal.
It is nice to know that the grading scheme has changed. It is nice to know we are not grading a student by their physical ability as it might discourage someone to try. I remember some of my friends felt defeated that they were not able to run a lap within the “expected” time. Without the grading scheme, we can assess students in regards to their development throughout the school year. This ties with physical literacy. Any one who can jump, run and/or skip is considered physically literate. All students can be physical literate without the grading scheme labeling them in levels.