PHYL2530 - Foundations of Physical Literacy

Philosophy/Aims of the Alberta Education Curriculums

• Consists of the 2000 versus 2022 Curriculums

  • 2000 Curriculum: “…develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to lead an active and healthy style” — AB Education

  • 2022 Curriculum: “…to promote the development of the whole individual and nurture students in the pursuit of a healthy and active lifestyle” — PEW

• Shift from a focus on “active living”, fundamental skills, and general activity (2000) to a consolidated, holistic approach, merging health and PE to emphasize broader wellness, encompassing physical literacy, mental health, and social-emotional learning

  • The 2000 curriculum separated Physical Education (K-12) and Health (K-9) whereas the 2022 curriculum combines them into a single “Physical Education and Wellness” subject

Alberta Education — PE Competencies

• Competencies: combinations of attitudes, skills, and knowledge that students develop and apply for learning, living, and working

• Alberta’s curriculum promotes development of the following competencies: critical thinking, problem-solving, managing information, creativity and innovation, communication, collaboration, cultural and global citizenship, and personal growth/well-being

Alberta Education — ABCD’s

• Physical activity key to — cognitive, physical, social, and affective development

• Positive experiences support active behaviours

• K-12 program inclusive

• Has 4 general outcomes, each with specific outcomes

  • Activity

  • Benefits of Health

  • Cooperation

  • Do It Daily

• General Outcomes B, C, and D are interrelated and interdependent and are achieved through involvement in movement activities identified in General Outcome A

ABCD’s — A

• Activity

• Involves acquisition of basic skills and application of basic skills

• Students acquire Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) which is categorized into three categories:

  • Locomotor

  • Stability Skills (Non-Locomotor)

  • Objective Manipulation (Manipulative)

• The outcomes (ABCD’s) are organized into 5 dimensions:

  • Games

  • Dance

  • Individual Activities

  • Gymnastics

  • Alternative Environments

ABCD’s — B

• Benefits of Health

• Considered an opportune time to introduce physical activity (PA) to children

• Inactive children = inactive adults

• Organized into three categories:

  • Functional Fitness

  • Body Image

  • Well-Being

ABCD’s — C

• Cooperation

• Cooperation is considered a learned skill

• Children are mixed up during activities

• Organized into four categories:

  • Communication

  • Fair Play

  • Leadership

  • Teamwork

ABCD’s — D

• Do It Daily

• Physical activity experiences need to be positive and motivating, safe, and pose realistic challenges

• Experiences create a desire to participate and community

• Organized into four categories:

  • Effort: commitment to lead an active lifestyle

  • Safety: safe participation

  • Setting: motivation (intrinsic/extrinsic)

  • Active living in the community

Physical Education and Wellness (PEW — 2022)

• K-6 curriculum focusing on holistic health to foster active, healthy lives

• Promotes the development of the whole individual and aims to nurture students in their pursuit of a healthy and active life

  • Promotes holistic development of students in eight dimensions: physical, social, emotional, spiritual, environmental, financial, intellectual, and occupational

Daily Physical Activity (DPA) — Goal

• To increase student’s physical activity levels

• Healthy students = healthy learners

• Schools should provide environments and opportunities for students to develop positive healthy habits needed for an active lifestyle

Daily Physical Activity (DPA) — Policy

• School authorities will ensure all students in grades 1-9 are physically active for at least 30 minutes each day through activities organized by the school

  • Should vary in form and intensity

  • Take each students’ ability into account

  • Take resources into account that are available within the school and larger community

  • Allow for student choice

Daily Physical Activity (DPA) — Procedures

• Can use instructional or non-instructional hours to implement DPA

• P.E. classes are appropriate to meet DPA

• DPA should be offered in as large a block as possible but can be in 2-15 minute blocks

• Can be incorporated throughout the day and integrated into other subjects

Physical Literacy (PL)

• The motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge, and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life

• Term coined by Dr. Margaret Whitehead in 1993, who identified philosophy underpinnings of Physical Literacy

Cornerstones of Physical Literacy

1. Everyone can be physically literate and it is appropriate to each individual’s endowment or qualities/attributes (i.e., a person with a physical disability being physically literate may appear different compared to a person without a physical disability)

2. Everyone’s physical literacy journey is unique

3. The skills that make up physical literacy can vary by location and culture

4. Physical literacy is relevant and valuable at all stages of life

5. The concept embraces much more than physical competence

6. At the heart of the concept is the motivation and commitment to be active (an individual may be physically competent, but having motivation/commitment in order to complete those physical activities is vital in order to receive the most benefits)

7. The disposition is evidenced by a love of being active, born out of pleasure and satisfaction that individuals experience in participation

8. A physically literate individual values and takes responsibility for maintaining purposeful physical pursuits throughout their lifecourse

9. Charting of progress of an individual’s personal journey must be judged against previous achievement and not against any form of national benchmarks (achievements should be held to personal standards)

Philosophy Underpinnings of Physical Literacy

• Identified by Dr. Margaret Whitehead

  • Monism: mind/body as one

  • Phenomenology: specific to individual (personal experience)

  • Existentialism: environment and individual (physical literacy is based on what external experiences or opportunities that an individual was given and their interactions with the environment)

Indigenous Perspective(s) on Physical Literacy

• Large emphasis on culture and spirituality as part of being active for life

• Wisdom is shared through mindful teachings

• Integrates physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental health aspects through meaningful movement, land connection, traditional activities, cultural significance, and community relationships — holistic approach

Physical Literacy Consensus Statement — Why?

• A consensus term was developed in 2015 due to misuse of the term by interchangeably using it with “physical activity”, “physical education”, “fundamental movement skills”, or “motor skill development”

• A broad consultation between sector leaders in Canada suggested that a common definition with consistent language was needed to provide clarity for the development of policy, practice, and research

PL Consensus Statement — Purpose

• Promote the value of physical literacy and preserve the integrity of the concept

• Advocate for the use of a common definition of physical literacy, as defined by the International Physical Literacy Association

• Facilitate alignment within and between the multiple sectors in the physical literacy community

• Improve the consistency and clarity of communications relating to physical literacy

• Inform the consistent and coordinated development of physical literacy tools and resources created by various stakeholders

PL — Core Principles of Definition

• Inclusive concept to all

• Represents a unique journey to each individual

• Can be enhanced through a variety of experiences in different environments or contexts

• Needs to be valued and nurtured throughout life

• Contributes to the development of the whole person

Elements of Physical Literacy

• Motivation and Confidence (Affective/Attitudes/Knowledge)

• Physical Competence (Physical/Psychomotor/Skills)

• Knowledge and Understanding (Cognitive/Knowledge)

• Engagement in physical activities for life (Behavioural/Attitudes/Knowledge/Skills)

4 Dimensions of Physical Literacy

• Physical: Focuses on movement competence, fundamental movement skills, physical fitness, and the development of strength and the manipulation of the body with different objects or in different environments

• Cognitive: Involves knowledge, understanding, and critical thinking about how, why, and when to move, and having the ability to reason and make appropriate decisions in regards to movement

• Emotional: Relates to motivation, self-confidence, self-efficacy, and the joy derived from physical activity, as well as the ability to manage physical responses (such as fatigue and pain) and understand emotional responses during movement

• Social: Encompasses interaction, communication, developing teamwork, and finding a sense of belonging within communities or groups, as well as exhibiting fair play, ethical behaviour, and utilizing the environment for connection with others

Why is Physical Literacy Important to Sport Development?

• If a child misses out on learning Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) or has a negative PE experience, they are unlikely to choose to take part in a sport activity that requires expertise in that skill

• Physical Education (PE) acts as the practical, structured venue for developing physical literacy — it provides the essential environment to foster the skills needed to be physically literate, which is where many children tend to learn physical literacy skills first

Recreation

• Experience that results from freely chosen participation in physical, social, intellectual, creative, and spiritual pursuits that enhance individual and community well-being

• Recreational experiences include participation in physical activity and sport, and in artistic, cultural, social, and intellectual activities

  • Can be structured and unstructured — many are done with other people while others are done alone

Barriers to Recreation

• Economic (certain recreational activities, equipment, admission, and transportation may be too expensive for individuals to pursue)

• Environmental (weather, lack of safe environmental spaces available, etc.)

• Education (lack of skill, knowledge, and exposure may prevent individuals from engaging in physical activity or other recreational pursuits)

• Social/Cognitive (negative social influences, pressure, lack or external encouragement or participation to build motivation)

• Language (newcomers and non-native speakers may find it difficult to participate in recreational activities due to difficulty in registering, understanding rules, or navigating safety instructions)

• Culture (certain recreational activities may not be culturally-appropriate for specific groups—such as immigrants, ethnic minorities, or women, as well as a lack of culturally-relevant recreational activities or facilities)

• Transportation

• Time

• Access (lack of access to recreational facilities, resources, or activities, such as rural or Indigenous communities)

Canada’s Recreation Framework

• Recreation is a fundamental need in all ages and stages of life. It is the pursuit of physical, social, intellectual, creative, and spiritual experiences that enhance individual and community well-being

• The Framework for Recreation in Canada was developed to guide public recreation providers in fostering improved health, well-being, and quality of life for all Canadians

  • It acts as a national, collaborative, and strategic document designed to address key societal challenges—such as sedentary living, inequity, and environment issues—by ensuring equitable access to, and participate in, meaningful recreational experiences

  • The framework fosters: individual well-being, natural and built environment well-being, and community well-being

Framework for Recreation — Why?

Exists to address or promote:

• Risks to mental and physical well-being

• Social isolation

• Family and community connectedness and resilience

• Economic development

• Disconnect with nature

• Integration of new immigrant population

Goals of Canada’s Recreation Framework

1. Active Living

2. Inclusive and Access

3. Connecting People with Nature

4. Supportive Environments

5. Recreation Capacity

Self-Determination Theory

• Suggests that all humans have three basic psychological needs — it exists on a continuum in which different external and internal factors can affect an individual’s motivation (extrinsic/intrinsic)

• Involves:

  • Intrinsic / Extrinsic Motivation which is formed through:

  • Autonomy: The feeling one has choice and willingly endorsing one’s behaviour

  • Competence: The experience of mastery and being effective in one’s activity

  • Relatedness: The need to feel connected and belonging with others

Classification of Movement — Rudolf Laban

• Pioneer (dance artist, choreographer, theorist)

• Categorized/analyzed movement (not just dance)

• Emphasized creativity and expression

Classification of Movement — Movement Education

1. Body

2. Space

3. Effort Quality

4. Relationships

Classification of Movement — Body

• Refers to the ‘what’ — what is the body doing?

  • Fundamental Movement Skills (body shape, body parts, locomotion, balance)

  • Expressive

  • Functional

• Objective is to understand and utilize locomotor (traveling), non-locomotor (balancing or hanging in a body shape) and object manipulative skills (stressing a body part) to improve the quality of a movement

Classification of Movement — Space

• Refers to the ‘where’ — where is the body moving?

• Directions, levels, pathways, planes (side to side, front/back, rotation), extensions

  • Personal space

  • General space

  • Equipment space

• Inside/Outside

• Objective is to understand and utilize personal and general space, directions, pathways, levels, planes, and extensions appropriately to improve the quality of the movement

Classification of Movement — Effort Quality/Quality (Effort)

• Refers to the ‘how’ — how is the body moving?

  • Fast/slow? Heavy/light?

  • Straight/flexible (space)?

  • Flow (ongoing/interrupted)?

• Objective is to understand and utilize time, weight, flow, and space appropriately to improve the quality of the movement

Classification of Movement — Relationships

• Refers to how the body ‘relates’ — to what or whom is the body relating when it moves?

  • With others

  • With equipment

  • With external objects/stimuli

• Objective is to understand and utilize awareness and skill in how the mover related to other individuals, groups, apparatuses, and objects

Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS)

• Basic building blocks of physical literacy

• Key to ensuring that children have the opportunity to participate in organized, structured, sporting activities

• The foundational movements or precursor patterns to more specialized, complex skills used in play, games, sports, dance, gymnastics, outdoor education, and physical recreation activities — involves teaching Fundamental Sport Skills (FSS)

• Important to develop as it builds self-esteem, self-confidence, and increases likelihood of lifelong participation in recreational activities, allowing individuals to take more risks and maintain an active and healthy lifestyle

Functional Movements

• Real world situational biomechanics involving multi-joint movements

  • Agility, Balance, Coordination, Speed (ABC’s)

  • FMS

Categories of FMS Skills

• Locomotor: refer to the body being transported in a horizontal or vertical direction from one point to another (i.e., walking, leaping, running, jumping, climbing, cycling, etc.)

• Balance/Non-Locomotor (Stability): involve balancing the body in stillness and in motion (i.e., static/dynamic balancing, rolling, stopping, landing, bending, stretching, twisting, turning, etc.)

• (Object-) Manipulative: require controlling implements (i.e., bats, racquets, hoops) or objects (such as balls), either by hand or foot (i.e., throwing, catching, kicking, striking, bouncing, dribbling)

Stages of Development

• Stages of development are progressive

  • FMS

  • Fundamental Sport Skills (FSS) — skills specific to context/activity

• Children develop skills at different rates, stages, and time

• Optimal stages of development — Sport for Life (S4L)

  • Uses chronological age for 13 FMS (Walking, Running, Balance, Skating/Skiing, Jumping, Swimming, Cycling, Skipping, Throwing, Kicking, Striking, Catching, Trapping)

Functional Movements — ABC’s

• Agility, Balance, Coordination, Speed

• Valuable for almost all sports — developing the ABC’s is an important part of physical literacy, and there are a number of activities in which they can be learned and refined

• Different sports and activities are better at developing one or more of the ABC’s than others (i.e., Gymnastics can help children learn and develop their agility, balance, and coordination, while Athletics like track and field can develop speed and coordination)

Influences That Affect The Development of FMS

• A well-planned teaching program considers factors related to the child and the environment in the development of FMS

  • Child: age, physique, health, physical activities, interests, motivation to practice

  • Environment: familial/communal/cultural values, expectations, and support, opportunities to practice

Teaching Cues

• Short, 1-5 words or simple phrase triggers, or non-verbal signs used to help individuals focus on key techniques, reducing cognitive load and improving motor skill learning

• Effective cues are actionable, directly related to the skill, and often, though not always, externally focused to guide attention to the intended outcome rather than internal bodily movements

• Example: Walking is a locomotor skill that involves utilizing dynamic balance — an example cue would be saying ‘opposite arm, opposite leg’ to correct a ‘same arm, same leg’ error

Phases of Movement Skills (NCCP)

Breakdown of athletic skills to maximizing performance performance and minimize injury — ideally, all body parts that can be used are used and it involves using the greatest range of motion

1. Preparation: Involves setting up for the movement (i.e. footwork, grip, backswing) to align the body and prepare to generate power

2. Force Production: The action phase where energy is generated through weight transfer, core rotation, and muscles to increase speed and power

3. Critical Instant: The exact moment the skill is executed — this is the shortest phase but crucial for accuracy and control (i.e., the moment a ball leaves the hand [release] or the bat hitting the ball [contact])

4. Follow-Through/Recovery: The final, necessary motion that decelerates the body’s movement, ensuring balance and preventing injury by reducing stress on joints after the action

Phases of Movement Example — Kick

• Preparation: Running up in the proper position towards the ball, positioning leg backwards and preparing for the swing

• Force Production: The movement that occurs after the leg is positioned backwards, wherein force is created through swinging the kicking leg forwards

• Critical Instant: The moment the foot comes into contact with the ball, sending the ball flying in a specific direction with accuracy/control

• Follow-Through/Recovery: The movements made after the ball has been kicked to land and position yourself safely, and in preparation for the next movement

Where to Observe Movement Skills From

• Observing certain movement skills will differ depending on the skill that is being executed so more effective feedback or accurate assessment can be made

• For instance, observing a person’s running skill/technique may be more effective from the side view in order to gauge their opposite arm/leg movements or how high their knees are moving

Effective Feedback — Things to Consider

• Be specific

• Short and simple

• Tell them what you want them to do

• Make sure they understand what you want them to do

• Compliment sandwich approach

• Adjust feedback accordingly depending on participants’ age ranges or skill level

Assessment

• The collection of information about an individual’s performance — used to determine an individual’s learning and progress; assessments are necessary to ensure that learners are comprehending key concepts or aspects of a course, unit, or activity

• 2 types: Formative and Summative

  • Formative: assessments that take place while learning is ongoing to monitor current progress — can be Formative ‘For’ where the instructor does the assessments, or Formative ‘As’ where the learner does the assessments through self-reflections

  • Summative: used to evaluate student proficiency at the conclusion of learning activities (i.e., final exams)

Systematic Observation (S.O.)

• Observation that is conducted to measure specific, well-defined behaviours using structured recording procedures

• Involves inferences (casual observation)

• Components of S.O.

  • Structured

  • Formal

  • Scientific

Strengths of S.O.

• Variety of data

• Immediacy of findings (as opposed to a survey, for example, wherein results take time to obtain)

• Activities occur in natural environments

• Ability to compare environments (i.e., going to different soccer stadiums to observe a soccer practice to see how the environment impacts the same activity)

• Triangulate the data (data can be compared or corroborated by others’ data which can help make data more reliable, especially for research purposes)

Limitations of S.O.

• Observer interference

• Hawthorne effect (witnessing improved behaviour in subjects during observation due to having an observer present)

• Difficulties with categorization of data

• Reliability of data collection (observer can make mistakes, implicit biases, etc.)

System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT)

• Originally designed for P.E.

• Involves momentary time sampling to measure PA in children as they are active intermittently rather than in sustained bouts

• Broader examples:

  • SOPARC — System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities

  • SOHO — System for Observing Hockey Opportunities

SOFIT Protocols

• Multi-factor observation system designed to record several variables (physical activity intensity, lesson context, and instructor interaction) during a PA class in 20-second intervals

• Why do we care? Allows for observation of physical activity classes to target inactivity and address increasing number of children and adults who are overweight and obese

  • Many children do not meet the recommended 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily — SOFIT provides objective data on how much time students spend in MVPA, VPA (vigorous) and sedentary behaviours

Sport for Life (S4L)

Educates and informs sector leaders to enable them to better understand and deliver LTAD, quality sport, and physical literacy programming

Long-Term Development (LTD) in Sport and Physical Activity Framework — Why?

1. Development is a process that takes tme, and that sport and physical activity should look very different, based on the individual’s stage of development

2. To reinforce the idea that long-term development is important both in sport performance and for life-long engagement in physical activity for health

3. To broaden the focus. Effective development requires the alignment of ALL parts of the Canadian sport and physical activity ecosystem, from community programming through to targeted high-performance sport excellence, and this involves far more than just sport organizations

Long-Term Development (LTD)

Individuals develop Awareness and First Involvement at any stage of life — additionally, all individuals experience their own unique pathway within long-term develop of sports and physical literacy

• Physical Literacy: Active Start, FUNdamentals, Learn to Train

• Excellence: Train to Train, Train to Compete, Train to Win

• Active for Life: Competitive for Life, Fit for Life, Sport/Physical Activity Leaders

Key Factors of Long-Term Development (LTD)

• To help all Canadians enjoy and reach their potential in sport and physical activity, three factors are essential:

  • Personal Factors

  • Organizational Factors

  • System Factors

Key Factors of Long-Term Development (LTD) — Personal

• Factors for parents, caregivers, teachers, instructors, and coaches to consider as they plan quality programs for young participants and athletes

• Involves:

  • Developing Physical Literacy in the early stages which lays the foundation for later success and life-long engagement in PA

  • Providing Quality Environments to promote enhanced learning and training

  • Developing Age

  • Sensitive Periods

  • Predisposition

  • Excellence Takes Time

  • For Life

Key Factors of Long-Term Development (LTD) — Organizational

• Inform the ways that sport, recreation, education and other organizations create and deliver programs for their participants and athletes

• Involves ensuring that sports update their Long-Term Development framework to ensure they are incorporating the latest sport, societal, and science developments

• Ensuring that the LTD model is fully embedded

• Awareness and First Involvement: Ensuring that participants are made aware of a wide range of sporting/physical activity opportunities

• Providing different activities to meet different demands/pathways

• Appropriate Specialization, Periodization, Competition, Transitions

Key Factors of Long-Term Development (LTD) — System

• Important for policy-makers and organizations to consider in informing the ways organizations cooperate and collaborate to build an optimal system

• Involves:

  • Collaboration (establishing collaborations and connections with other organizations)

  • Alignment (content provided and language used is consistent across all documents to avoid confusion)

  • Safe and Welcoming

  • Diversification

  • LTD

  • Continuous Improvement

  • Evidence-Based

Potential Issues in Sports

• Coaches/Facilitators/Practitioners

  • Perpetuating old ways

  • Lack of PD/education

  • Hyperfocus on winning at all costs

  • Influenced by past experiences

• Parents/Guardians

  • Specialization (imbalanced FMS proficiency/development)

  • Overcompeting

• System

  • Lack of education/introduction to FMS in early years

  • Programming based on age

  • Lack of programming for equity-owed groups

Social Determinants of Health That Influence Sport Participation

• Income and/or Unemployment

• (Lack of) Awareness and/or Education

• Language Barriers

• Food Insecurity

• Community Environment and Safety

• Transportation

• Accessibility

• Parents/Guardians as Gatekeepers

Quality Sport

• Based on Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity

• Involves:

  • Good programs that are developmentally appropriate (participant-centred, progressive and challenging, well-planned, designed for meaningful competition)

  • Good places that have safe and inclusive programs (inclusive and welcoming, fun and fair, holistic, safe)

  • Good people who develop well-run programs (leaders, coaches, officials, instructors and teachers, parents and caregivers, partners)

• Leads to individual excellence and optimal health

Canadian Physical Literacy Assessment Tools

• Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (CAPL)

• Physical Literacy Assessment of Youth (PLAY)

Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (CAPL)

• Developed by Healthy Active Living Obesity Lab (HALO) at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO)

• First comprehensive protocol

• Includes 4 Areas of Measurement:

  • 1. Daily Behaviour (sedentary score, pedometer steps)

  • 2. Motivation and Confidence (adequacy, predilection, self-report PA, benefits:barriers)

  • 3. Knowledge and Understanding (sum of all questions)

  • 4. Physical Competence (PACER, plank, agility course, BMI z scores)

CAPL Scoring

• 4 Different Categories:

  • 1. Beginning: Limited PL compared to same-age peers — just starting to acquire the physical competence, knowledge, motivation, or daily behaviours needed for a physically active lifestyle

  • 2. Progressing: Similar to same-age peers — have the physical competence, knowledge, motivation, or daily behaviours that are typical for children of the same age; progress towards greater physical literacy enhances health benefits

  • 3. Achieving: Meets minimum level — have the physical competence, knowledge, motivation or daily behaviours that are usually associated with the health benefits of a physically active lifestyle

  • 4. Excelling: Exceeds minimum level — have the physical competence, knowledge, motivation or daily behaviours that are associated with substantial health benefits

• Snapshot in time

CAPL (1) — Daily Behaviour

• Measure of children’s total active and sedentary time daily

• 2 types of measurement used: pedometers and questionnaires (self-report)

CAPL (2) — Motivation and Confidence

• The motivation and confidence domain assesses a child’s confidence in their ability to be physically active

• Assesses their motivation to participate in physical activity

• Measured via 2 Questionnaires: Physical Activity Questionnaire and CSAPPA Questionnaire (Children’s Self-Perceptions of Adequacy in and Predilection for Physical Activity)

CAPL (3) — Knowledge and Understanding

• The knowledge and understanding domain assesses a child’s knowledge about physical activity, sedentary behaviour, physical fitness, and safety during activity

• A measure of a child’s understanding and knowledge base of being Physically Active (via questionnaires)

  • i.e., what pieces of equipment should you wear when ice skating? How active should I be on a daily basis?

CAPL (4) — Physical Competence

• Assesses a child’s ability to engage in physical activities

• Incorporates measures of physical fitness and motor performance

• Physical Activity Assessments:

  • 1. Shuttle Run (aerobic fitness)

  • 2. Obstacle Course (motor competence)

  • 3. Sit & Reach (flex)

  • 4. Plank (core strength)

• Anthropometric Measures

  • 1. Height (body composition)

  • 2. Weight

  • 3. Waist Circumference

  • 4. Grip Strength

Canadian Agility & Movement Skill Assessment (CAMSA)

• A measure of selected fundamental, complex, and combined movement skills, which are an important building block for childhood physical literacy

• Includes a scoring sheet (CAMSA Score Sheet) that assesses different movement skills

Future Directions

• Help inform the Active Healthy Kids Report Card for Canada

• Provides information for future direction for education/recreation sector

• Provides information for future direction for provincial and national sporting agendas

Physical Literacy Assessment for Youth (PLAY) Tools

• PLAYfun: tool used by trained professionals to observe 18 fundamental movement skills, such as running, throwing, and balancing

• PLAYself: simplified, quick-assessment version of PLAYfun focusing on 8 key tasks across four areas: locomotor, throwing, kicking, and balance

• PLAYbasic: assessment of key movement skills performed by the child

• PLAYcoach: used by coaches and professionals to record their professional perception of a child’s competence

• PLAYparent: allows parents to assess their child’s physical literacy level

• PLAYinventory: desgiend to track a child’s regularly participated-in leisure-time activities over the past year

Pre-Play (designed for educations observing children aged 18 months to kindergarten) & Adapted Play

PLAY Tools — Playbasic

• Locomotor: run there and back/hopping

• Throwing: overhand throw

• Kicking

• Balance: walk toe-to-heel backward

PLAY Tools: Assessment

• Assessment for PLAY is based on a scoring system (four-point rubric) in two different categories: Developing and Acquired

  • Developing

    • 1. Initial

    • 2. Emerging

  • Acquired

    • 3. Competent

    • 4. Proficient

• Confidence: Indicate whether the child had low confidence when performing each task

• Comprehension: Prompt, Mimic, Describe, Demo

PL — Multidisciplinary

• Physical competence, motivation, and confidence, knowledge and understanding create a physically literate child to be active for life

• All disciplines are necessary in order to be physically literate

FMS vs Fundamental Movement Patterns (FMPs)

• Fundamental Movement Patterns (FMPs) are essential, daily functional movements (squat, hinge, lunge, push, pull, carry, and rotate) that form the basis of safe, efficient physical activity and strength training

• Statics, springs, swings, locomotion, landings, rotations

Movement Safety — Types of Landings

• On feet

• On hands

• With rotation

• On back

Fundamentals: Landings

• Land like Cats

• 2 Mechanical Principles:

  • Absorb impact over greatest amount of time

  • Absorb impact over greatest amount of surface area

Landings on Feet

• Toe-Ball-Heel Action = Absorption

• Feet are shoulder width apart

• Arms are out for balance

Shaped Jumps

3 Basic Shapes

• Tuck: vertical jump in which the knees are raised to your chest as you rise into the air

• Pike: vertical jump where the body hinges at the waist to form an “L” shape mid-air; legs remain straight and parallel to the floor, while arms reach forward to touch toes

• Straddle: dynamic gymnastics and dance move requiring explosive power to jump high, lifting straight legs parallel to or above the floor in a wide, 180-degree side-split position, with toes pointed, hips rotated outwardly, and a secure landing

Landing on Hands

• Forwards (finger, palm, on heel of hand)

• Backwards: (from knees, from straddle, from stand)

Landings with Rotations

Shoulder Rolls

1. Forwards

2. Sideways

3. Backwards

Shoulder Rotations: roll occurs over shoulder (barrel position)

• Should not hurt or roll over head

• Forwards and backwards rotations occur on diagonal

Functional Gymnastics

• Combines gymnastics techniques with strength and conditioning to improve daily life, fitness, and body control

• Focuses on functional movement patterns like pushing, pulling, squatting, and core stability, often utilizing body weight to build strength, balance, and coordination

• Children who possess high levels of movement skill have been found to have increased health and physical activity benefits during childhood — as such, in the participation of gymnastics, children can develop FMS and achieve these benefits

FMS and Functional Gymnastics

• Functional Gymnastics involves several Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) — gymnastics develops several essential FMS (locomotor, stability, and manipulative skills) needed for overall physical literacy

• Gymnastics is considered a foundation sport, as it teaches children how to control their body in space, which is required for advanced sport-specific actions

Stability Skills

• Dynamic vs Static

  • Maintaining balance and control while the body is in motion or transitioning between positions (dynamic) and maintaining a desired body position or posture while remaining in place (static)

  • i.e., (dynamic) walking along a balance beam, riding a bike, running and (static) standing on one leg, holding a plank, sitting on a balance ball

• Stable (Static) vs Unstable (Dynamic)

• Centre of Mass: the average point of total body mass and its base of support — an object is considered stable when the vertical line drawn from its CoM falls within its base of support

Movement Sentences

• Used in physical education to help children combine different movements

• Includes a beginning, middle, and final movement

  • i.e., Run (start) → Jump (middle) → Land/Pose (end)

• Putting movements together can develop cognitive skills of movement

• Connected to Laban’s Classification of Movement

Object Manipulative Skills

1. Propulsive Skills (Sending)

2. Receptive Skills (Receiving)

3. Retentive Skills (Retaining)

• When assessing object manipulative skills for an individual with disability (i.e., someone in a wheelchair), their assessment should be adjusted accordingly to meet their capabilities

Object Manipulative Skills: Propulsive

• The ability to send an object away

• Two elements to consider when teaching (power + directional control/accuracy)

• Connected to Phases of Movement (Preparation, Force Production, Critical Instant, Recovery/Follow Through)

Object Manipulative Skills: Receptive

• Can receive objects with:

  • Hands

  • Feet

  • Implements

• Ideally, when receiving an object, an individual is focused, reaches for the object, but also protects their body while absorbing the object’s force

Object Manipulative Skills: Retentive Skills

• Ability to maintain control of an object while traveling

• Important in several different ball sports

Inclusion

• Full Inclusion: A child with a disability participates in the least restrictive environment

• Includes social opportunities and opportunities to participate in the same PA as others

Promoting Inclusion

• Encourage inclusive culture

• Facilitate social interactions

• Find areas of strength

• Opportunities to learn activities that are valued by other children

Tips for Inclusion

• Celebrate success

• Avoid looking for issues

• Involve the participant

• Provide opportunities for participants to shine

• Use instructional support

• Foster equal relationships

Adaptations for Inclusion

• Task/Curriculum: adjust tasks or lesson plan activities to be inclusive to all participants

• Equipment: adjust equipment to suit the abilities of all participants involved (size, difficulty, etc.)

• Environment: adjust environment to be inclusive for participants (i.e., increasing or decreasing activity areas, removing obstacles, etc.)

• Instructions: ensure instructions are understood by all participants and are appropriate for their age group

• Rules: adjust rules accordingly so all participants can participate an equal amount

Games

• Activities in which one or more children engage in cooperative, collaborative, or competitive play with or without an object, within the structure of certain rules and boundaries

• 4 Categories

  • Game Forms

  • Movement Skills

  • Basic Strategies/Tactics

  • Criteria for assessing the value of a game

• Games develop the Social and Emotional Development elements of PL by allowing participants to manage different emotions (i.e., happy, frustrated, angry) while developing self-esteem, teamwork, good sportsmanship, and understanding with others

Games: Game Forms

• Conventional games

• Original games

Games: Movement Skills

• Include FMS

  • Locomotor

  • Stability

  • Object Manipulative

Games: Basic Strategies/Tactics

• Rules, strategies

• Boundaries

• Basic elements that make a game

• Require participants to make decisions

Games can be modified (increase or decrease difficulty) based on changing rules or boundaries within the game

Games: Criteria for Assessing Value of the Game

• Are all participants included?

• Does the game work?

• Is learning occurring?

• Why are you playing the game?

Games: Things to Consider

• FUN

• Inclusion

• Elimination

• Safety (Walls)

• Progressive

• When to stop an activity

Class Management

• Establishing protocols and routines (4)

  • Entering physical activity space

  • Stop/Start signals

  • Equipment protocols

  • Partner protocols

Games: Hall of Shame

• Picking team ‘captains’

• Elimination games

• Waiting in line

• Fitness as punishment

• Focus on ‘star’ athletes