Games-based movement education: developing a sense of self, belonging, and community through games

Abstract

Background: For many years, skill learning has been an important component of primary school physical education (PE) with most lessons focused on the teaching of fundamental movement skills (FMS) or sports techniques (Kirk 2010). Increasingly, the generalist primary school teachers who are responsible for delivering the PE curriculum are facing multiple constraints that impact the quality of their children's skill learning experiences. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the context on which this paper reports, primary school Health and Physical Education (HPE) is dominated by a focus on sports skills and fitness lessons (Dyson, Landi, and Gordon 2018a) taught through teacher directed approaches (Petrie 2008; 2016), and often delivered by external organisations. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the philosophy, content, and trialling of a new movement education resource, titled ‘Movewell’, which is being developed for Aotearoa New Zealand primary teachers. The resource focuses on learning through games and has been designed to support and educate teachers to think differently about the purposes and pedagogies of movement education. The underpinning philosophy of the resource is that through interactive play in inclusive game environments, children not only develop physical skill but also a positive sense of self, sense of belonging and sense of community. Framework: The Movewell resource is based on contemporary skill learning theory, which proposes that learning needs to be situated in well-structured games experiences that are appropriate to the learners’ interests and capabilities. The resource promotes a more encompassing definition of skill and outcomes from movement education than is the norm in Aotearoa New Zealand primary school HPE at present. It promotes the view that playing games offers children opportunities to develop their ‘imagination of possibilities’ as games players as an integral part of skill learning. Importantly, a core design principle is that ‘learning to be skilful is not about learning fundamental movement skills’. Conclusion: The process of designing the resource has demonstrated overwhelmingly that ‘ease of use’ is a primary consideration for teachers and that issues such as access to equipment, access to novel learning activities and their suitability for learners, play a significant role in the uptake and acceptance of the resource. ‘Movewell’ is an initiative that signals a shift from teaching fundamental movement skills to a focus on solving the situational problems inherent in games. It seeks to encourage teachers to reflect on the nature and potential of HPE and ultimately change their practice.