1. IN 4M WE LEARN THROUGH
MOVEMENT EDUCATION
Written by Miss Maunder
2. I BET YOU ARE WONDERING WHAT MOVEMENT
EDUCATION IS?
Movement education is an approach to teaching students physical education. This involves developing
students’ fundamental movement skills so that they are able to confidently participate in games and in other
activities within and outside of school. Below are some illustrations of the fundamental movement skills your
child will learn to master over the course of their time at school.
3. Teaching Movement Education
Abels, K.W. and Bridges, J.F. ( 2010 )
• The Movement Education Framework aims to educate students about how to perform the
fundamental skills, but also how the body works when performing these skills. This is important
because it means that students will be less likely to injure themselves and if they do, they will know
what to do about the injury.
• This approach to educating students also develops their vocabulary of different skills.
• Students learn to apply the skills they have learned. For example, if students are running through an
obstacle course, they will know when to leap, dodge or dive.
• Students are also given an opportunity to modify the games they are playing. This gives them a
sense of control over their own learning.
4. MOVEMENT EDUCATION
• During the process of movement education, students develop skills from initial to formative to mature. By
the end of year 4, your child will most likely have mastered the skills of static balancing, sprint running,
vertical jumping, catching, hopping, side galloping, skipping and overarm throwing.
• These skills will assist your child in participating in organised sports as well as navigating off the beaten
track (e.g when bushwalking).
5. THE BENEFITS OF A MOVEMENT
EDUCATION APPROACH
• As Stodden, Goodway, Langendorfer, Roberton, Rudisill, Garcia and Garcia (2008) point out, the
maintenance of fundamental skills throughout life is key to the amount of physical activity people
engage in. The movement education approach teaches children from a young age to enjoy physical
activity and develop the fundamental movement skills necessary for an active lifestyle. This aligns
strongly with the PDHPE syllabus which states that students must be taught the information necessary
for them to lead a healthy and active lifestyle (Board of Studies NSW, 2007).
• Furthermore, this approach to teaching aligns with the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals
for Young Australians (MCEETYA, 2008). In particular, it aligns with goal two as it facilitates the
development of confident and creative students as they are educated about not only how to perform
the fundamental movement skills, but how the body works when doing so.
6. FURTHER BENEFITS OF MOVEMENT EDUCATION
• When your child engages in movement education, you are likely to see an increase in confidence. Not only
in sports, but also in other areas such as communicating with peers.
• It is likely that your child will form stronger bonds with their peers, especially if they are engaged in sports
on the weekends. This will increase their self-esteem leading to an increased sense of well-being and
overall, a happier child.
• With an increased confidence, your child will also be more likely to take risks. For example, they will be more
likely to abseil, rock climb, or simply go on an adventure. In essence, it might just mean that your child is
less interested in video games and more interested in being outside, kicking a ball.
7. REFERENCES
Ables, K.W & Bridges, J.M. (2010). Teaching Movement Education: Foundations for
active lifestyles. Lower Mitcham, Australia: Human Kinetics.
Board of Studies NSW. (2007). Personal Development Health and Physical
Education. Canberra, Australia: Board of Studies NSW.
Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. (2008).
Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. Carlton,
Australia: MCEETYA
Stodden, D., Goodway, J., Langendorfer, S., Roberton, M., Rudisill, M., Garcia, C.,
&Garcia, L. (2008). A Developmental Perspective on the Role of Motor Skill
Competence in Physical Activity: An emergent relationship. Quest. 60 (2). 290-306
