If you’re eager to unlock the true meaning of physical literacy, this three-part series summarises Liz’s published works so that you can take a deep dive into the concept. Part 1 explored Liz’s articles on the philosophy of physical literacy, Part 3 delves into research and practice. Today’s insight will look at how this philosophy can be put into practice.

Part 2: Philosophy into Practice

The Value of Fostering Physical Literacy

The article challenges the traditional perception of physical activity as merely maintaining bodily function, highlighting the intrinsic value of physical literacy. It criticises the secondary status of physical education and advocates for recognising its holistic impact on learners, discouraging justification based on external outcomes. Various perspectives, including philosophical, neurological, social justice, human development, and psychological, collectively underscore the multifaceted value of physical literacy. Philosophically, monism, existentialism, and phenomenology challenge historical dualistic views, while neuroscience highlights the interdependence of intellectual development on embodiment. Social justice frames physical literacy as a human capability and right, aligning with recognised capabilities. In human development, early physical activity crucially influences brain development and cognitive growth. Psychological theories endorse physical literacy for fostering self-esteem and intrinsic motivation. Together, these perspectives underscore the importance of physical literacy in education and human well-being.

Developing physical literacy in students involves connecting theory and practice, with motivation playing a key role through mastery-oriented goals. These include developmentally appropriate activities, making activities enjoyable, setting challenging yet attainable goals, empowering students in decision-making, focusing on the learning process, and providing encouragement. The TARGET principles (Task, Authority, Recognition, Grouping, Evaluation, Timing) further guide educators in fostering mastery-oriented goal adoption. Physical literacy holds significance in countering societal pressure for a specific bodily form, fostering self-respect, and challenging stereotypical gender norms perpetuated by sports. In schools, physical literacy contributes to participants’ embodied potential, fosters a commitment to an active lifestyle, builds confidence to explore various activities, enhances knowledge of movement and activity structure, promotes holistic health understanding, and encourages personal responsibility for well-being.

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Physical Literacy From Philosophy to Practice

Physical literacy, defined as the motivation, confidence, physical competence, and knowledge to engage in physical activities for life, is gaining traction in fields like sports, health, education, and recreation worldwide. However, there is a lack of consensus on its definition, leading to diverse interpretations. This article focuses on the philosophical foundations of physical literacy, emphasising monism, existentialism, and phenomenology.

Monism, rejecting Cartesian dualism, views reality as a whole without independent parts. In education, it advocates appreciating the embodied dimension as crucial, challenging the traditional separation of physical and cognitive activities. Existentialism asserts that interactions with the environment shape individuals, and humans create themselves through varied interactions. This philosophy calls for meaningful experiences in physical education, aligning activities with real-life contexts to enhance engagement. Phenomenology emphasises unique perspectives and rejects objective standards. It calls for differentiation in activities, recognising individual abilities and preferences. Assessment should focus on charting individual progress in the physical literacy journey rather than achieving predefined proficiency levels. Co-constructing learning objectives and assessment criteria enhances learner involvement.

Applying these philosophies in physical education requires recognising the inseparability of physical and cognitive aspects, creating meaningful learning experiences, and tailoring activities to individual needs. It also involves acknowledging the impact of social and economic factors on physical activity engagement. Overall, the goal is to foster a holistic and meaningful experience, encouraging a lifelong appreciation for physical activity. The role of physical education teachers is crucial in shaping positive learning environments that contribute to a lifetime of engagement in physical activity.

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Implications for Promoting Physical Literacy

This study explores the implications of adopting physical literacy as a goal in education. It delves into the philosophical roots, drawing from monism, existentialism, and phenomenology. The monistic perspective involves treating individuals holistically, linking the affective, physical, and cognitive aspects; existentialism emphasises learning through interaction with diverse situations; and phenomenology underscores the uniqueness of each learner’s perspective based on cumulative experiences. Adherence to these philosophical underpinnings should lead to authentic teaching approaches that generate empathy, situational understanding, and acknowledge individual differences while fostering motivation, confidence, and physical competence to encourage a lifelong commitment to physical activity. The study discusses the crucial role of teachers’ understanding of physical competence in creating content that fosters physical literacy development. It explores movement patterns, categorising them into foundation, general, refined, and specific, emphasising the importance of providing varied contexts to expand learner development. Physical competence is highlighted as crucial, evolving from foundation patterns to specific patterns through varied movement capacities. Seven key instructional principles for physical education are presented, focusing on the individual, motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge, devolving responsibility, and using feedback. Curriculum planning is addressed, advocating a wide range of activities, sufficient time allocation, participant choice, and extracurricular opportunities for meaningful physical literacy development.

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Physical Literacy and Teacher Professional Development

The article discusses the recent emphasis on physical literacy. It advocates for a holistic approach to physical education, considering the whole person, lifespan, and diverse movement contexts beyond traditional sports. While there’s ongoing debate and exploration of physical literacy, there’s a lack of attention to training classroom teachers, especially those with minimal physical education background, to understand and promote physical literacy. The article highlights the challenges in defining and operationalising physical literacy, particularly for classroom teachers, who often lack training and confidence in incorporating it into their teaching.

The need for effective professional development for teachers in physical education is emphasised, citing the importance of aligning training with individual needs, developing pedagogical and content knowledge, and gaining support from school leadership. The article discusses the shift from normative assessment standards to a more personalised, qualitative approach in physical literacy assessment. It also calls for collaborative efforts between physical education academics and classroom teachers to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The article concludes that successful implementation of physical literacy requires well-informed and reflective teachers, and professional development plays a crucial role in this process.

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How Is Physical Literacy Defined? A Contemporary Update

This paper reviews and compares definitions of physical literacy from prominent organizations globally. In the United Kingdom, the International Physical Literacy Association (IPLA) focused on promoting physical literacy nationally. In Canada, consensus emerged around the IPLA definition, but conflicting approaches persisted, leading to confusion. The United States, through SHAPE America, adopted a definition similar to Canada but faced criticism for blurring lines with physical education. New Zealand embraced a holistic approach, including spiritual aspects in line with Maori culture. Australia’s efforts involved a comprehensive process resulting in four defining statements emphasising holistic development across physical, psychological, cognitive, and social domains. The review finds that, despite these global efforts, variations in definitions and interpretations persist, leading to ongoing challenges in aligning policies and interventions. The study emphasises the need for clarity and consensus to enhance the global understanding and promotion of physical literacy for meaningful collaboration.

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Operationalising Physical Literacy: Special Issue Editorial

This special issue explores the concept of physical literacy, an increasingly popular notion in sports, health, education, and recreation. Articles address various aspects, including international definitions, philosophical foundations, value, teacher implications, assessment, knowledge, understanding, teacher preparation, and the connection to human flourishing. Researchers emphasise the importance of clear definitions, philosophical alignment, and transparent practices in physical literacy research and programs. The issue seeks to bridge theory and practice, urging the operationalisation of physical literacy in diverse fields. Authors call for empirical evidence to support the impact of physical literacy, highlighting the need for ongoing research to promote its implementation in both theory and practical settings.

To read the full article click here

Want to find out more?

If you enjoyed this deep exploration into physical literacy, then take a look at:

• Part 3 on ‘Research and Practice’

Did you miss Part 1 on the Philosophy of Physical Literacy? If so, click here

If you would like to read more about the concept of physical literacy, Liz has also contributed to numerous books on the subject. Please click the links below for just a few examples:

Scholary:

• Physical literacy: a guide for educators
• Lifetime Contributions in Physical Education: Celebrating the lives and work of Len Almond (1938-2017) and Joy Butler (1957-2019)

Routledge:

• Researching Difference in Sport and Physical Activity

Learn more

PE Scholar provides a bitesize and short course on physical literacy. Each will help you to understand and embed physical literacy informed practice within your physical education, sport and physical activity offer.