Movement Education

Approach
Movement education provides the basis for educating
students to live healthy and physical lives.
What is Movement Education?
Movement education is an approach to teaching students
to develop and improve their fine and gross motor skills.
Aim of Movement Education:
The aim of movement education approach is to encourage
childrens self-responsibility while developing their skills
through problem solving and cooperation (Chen, 2002).

Movement Education
Approach
What are fundamental movement skills?
The resource Get Skilled: Get Active (NSW Department of
Education and Training, 2000) details essential movement
skills that students strive to achieve across the stages.
Examples of fundamental movement skills include static
balance, sprint run and vertical jump.
Teaching fundamental movement skills supports sequential
learning stages, whereby students begin on developmentally
appropriate learning stages (initial, formative or mature) and
expand their skill set.
As students progress, their competence and confidence
increase, promoting a healthy physical activity mindset
(Mazzardo, 2008).

Rationale for teaching movement

skills
Movement education approach demands a student-led
focus. Student-led lessons reflect a constructivist
approach, and are engaging for students, encouraging
active exploration and creative experiences, selfresponsibility and development, and flexibility to build
relationships with peer work (Chen, 2002).

Movement is recognised as a skill outcome within the

NSW PDHPE Syllabus (Board of Studies, 2007). As a
movement education approach recognises the
importance of advancing skills across the
developmental stages, the syllabus reflects the
enhancement of fundamental movement skills.
Motor skill ability is essential in providing the key skills
to being physically active (Mazzardo, 2008).

Rationale for teaching movement

skills
Performance in sport-specific skills relies on
the ability to utilise fundamental movement
skills (Harvey, Reid, Grizenko, Mbekou, TerStepanian & Joober, 2007). As such, in
students
learning fundamental movement skills, their
accuracy and capabilities in sports are
improved.
Fundamental movement skills provide
students with a specific success criteria,
which allow the students to work towards
their individual learning needs (Harvey et al.,
2007). Moreover, fundamental movement
skills encourage students to self-develop and
improve through commitment and training.

Why I am using Movement Education

approach for 5/6O
Encourages active participation in lessons.
Motivates students to achieve their
personal best.
Focuses on skill mastery.
Promotes achievement across
developmental stages.
Works across students diverse learning
styles.
Improves students performance in sport.

References
Board of Studies. (2007). Personal Development Health and Physical Education K-6
Syllabus. Sydney, Australia: Author
Chen, W. (2002). Six expert and student teachers views and implementation of
constructivist teaching using a movement approach to physical education. The
Elementary School Journal, 102(3), 255-272. doi:10203-0005505.00
Harvey, W. J., Reid, G., Grizenko, N., Mbekou, V., Ter-Stepanian, M., & Joober, R. (2007).
Fundamental movement skills and children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder:
Peer comparisons and stimulant effects. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 35, 871882. doi: 10.1007/s10802-007-9140-5
Mazzardo, O. (2008). The relationship of fundamental movement skills and level of
physical activity in second grade children. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. Published
PHD Thesis, University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/docview/219982908/abstract/85049B56
826642C2PQ/1?accountid=36155
NSW Department of Education and Training. (2000). Get skilled: Get active: A K-6
resource to support the teaching of fundamental movement skills. Ryde, Australia:
Author.