Introduction
Physical Education in the early childhood years can lead to positive feelings of self-worth and a lifetime of physical activity. Although there are many methods of teaching physical education, an excellent way to start is to integrate movement education with simple group games. At Athletic Republic of North Louisiana: Monroe and Shreveport (ARNLA) our program is created to provide an exciting, enriching, educational program that has a positive impact on children.
ARNLA Fundamental Movement Education Defined:
Fundamental Movement Education is a method of teaching physical education using a problem solving or question's approach. For example: "How many different ways can you move from one side of the room to the other"? At ARNLA we are presenting movement problems in a logical progression beginning with exploratory questions that encourage experimentation. These are followed with guided discovery challenges that lead to some degree of refinement. During the training sessions our coaches observes, evaluates and encourages the child or children through activities that promote the learning of a concept or concepts. As the training session progresses the coaches will attempt to challenge the child or children with a series of movement questions; for an example:
- Can you keep your feet together and jump up and down?
- While jumping up and down, can you move around the room?
- Can you jump around the room as quietly as possible?
- How lightly can you jump up and down?
- How tall can you stand while jumping up and down?
After observing the children, our coaches can further refine the questions.
Advantages of ARNLA
Fundamental Movement Education:
- It builds the foundation for more complex and specialized skills required by children throughout their lives to competently and confidently play different games, sports and recreational activities.
- Children are using another sense - their kinesthetic sense to help understand a concept.
- It's fun.
- The evaluation of what you are teaching is immediate and easily observable.
- You may discover children with special needs or talents.
- Children learn by watching each other.
- The group setting is small with ratio of 5 athletes to 1 coach.
Fundamental Movement Education addressed:
1.) Locomotion skills - running, jumping, dodging, skipping, hopping, bounding, sprinting
2.) Stability skills - (ABC's of athleticism) agility, balance, coordination, speed, change of direction, disassociation
3.) Manipulative/Object Control skills - ABC's of athletics) throw, kick, strike, catch, dribble, dodge
4.) Awareness - spatial awareness, kinesthetic awareness, body awareness, rules
Program Objectives:
- Make sure fundamental movement skills are mastered, skill acquisition makes up 90% of the program.
- Perform fundamental pre and post screen to monitor progress in skill development.
- Utilize games to capitalize on the first speed window by encouraging agility, quickness, and change in direction activities.
- Physical fitness should be 10% of the program and focus on body weight exercises for stability and overall mobility.
Teaming up
ARNLA and Jesus Good Shepherd Catholic School in Monroe, LA have partnered up to but the FUN back into P.E. Click HERE to see our "New Take On P.E".
If you are a P.E. teacher or a Principal we would love to come to your school and implement our FUNdamental Challenge (video coming soon).
For more info please call:
318. 869.1600 AR Shreveport
or
318.323.1613 AR Monroe
