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The What?i) What is Literacy? The United Nations General Assembly (2002) passed resolution 56/116: United Nations Literacy Decade:

Education for All: Literacy is crucial to the acquisition, by every child, youth and adult, of essential life skills that enable them to address the challenges they can face in life, and represents an essential step in basic education, which is an indispensable means for effective participation in the societies and economies of the twenty-first century.

Literacy is concerned with how we communicate in society and the social practices and relation-ships, about knowledge, language and culture. (United Nations

Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, 2003)

The concept of literacy within an educational setting goes well beyond the acquisition of knowledge and understanding. It is the application of foundational knowledge and understanding in ethical and productive ways across a wide range of environ-ments, tasks, and situations that makes someone truly literate.

Being “literate” includes the use of critical and creative thinking skills and/or processes, conveying information through various forms of communication and applying knowledge and skills to make connections within and between various contexts.

As a result, physical literacy goes

What is theRelationship between

PHYSICAL LITERACY &PHYSICAL EDUCATION?

Working definition of Physical Literacy within an educational setting:

* Individuals who are physically literate move with competence in a wide variety of physical activities that benefit the development of the whole person.

well beyond the development of just physical skills. It is concerned with the development of the whole child.

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complex link between physical competence and the affective domain.(Hayden-Davies, 2008, p. 23)

Why Physical Literacy?Physical Education and Physical LiteracyPhysical Education is a curricular subject within schools designed to help children and youth develop the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for partic-ipating in active, healthy living. Physical Education programs are an integral component of the total school experience for students.

Quality Physical Education programs encompass a wide variety of carefully planned learning experiences from sport skills to outdoor skills, to dance and gymnastics. Attention to developmentally appropriate curricular goals and learning outcomes will ensure that children of all abilities and interests are able to build a foundation of movement experiences and knowledge.

Quality Physical Education programs provide the best opportunities to develop physi-cally literate students who are able to make healthy and active choices now and throughout their lifespan.

Although each province has their own Physical Education curriculum, the concept of physical literacy is becoming a central focus in each of them. For example, the revised Health and Physical Education

ii) Physical Literacy through a Physical Educator’s lensProviding a solid foundation where children and youth develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes across a wide variety of activities so that they might engage with poise and confidence is at the heart of physical literacy. (Whitehead, 2007)

Physical Literacy is more than just being proficient in one, or a small number of physical activities. It encompasses principles of both lifelong and life-wide learning. It is developed through a complex interplay between the individual, their peers and their community, society and world. Most impor-tantly, it is encapsulated by the

curriculum in Ontario identifies the development of physically literate students as the foundation of student learning from grades 1 to 12. In Saskatchewan, physical literacy is considered a critical characteristic of an effective Physical Education program within its renewed curriculum. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the development of physically literate students is a key outcome in the newly revised Inter-mediate program. It is only a matter of time until all Minis-tries of Education in Canada identify physical literacy as a foundation of Physical Education curriculum.

The Role of Physical Education to Support the Development of Physical Literacy to Enhance Youth Sport ParticipationPhysical Literacy serves as the foundation for not only partici-pation in sport, but also for lifelong participation in physical activities and recreation (see Figure #1).

The Canadian Sport Centre’s Long Term Athlete Development Plan (LTAD) recognizes physical literacy as the foundation for devel-oping the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed for Canadians to lead healthy active lives.

The LTAD defines physical literacy as: “...the development of fundamental movement skills

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and fundamental sport skills that permit a child to move confidently and with control, in a wide range of physical activity, rhythmic (dance) and sport situations.

Physical literacy also includes the ability to “read” what is going on around them in an activity setting and react appropriately to those events”. (Higgs et al., 2008, p. 5).

The LTAD promotes physical activity for all based upon a devel-opmental progression (see Figure #2). By encouraging a positive physical activity experience at a young age through active play and games (i.e., Active Start) and fostering the development of a variety of well-structured activ-ities that develop basic skills (i.e., FUNdamentals), children begin

to develop the physical literacy skills that will enable them to move with poise and confidence across and within a wide variety of physical activities.These basic skills then form a solid platform to learn overall sport skills which can be transferred across a number of different types of sports in the Learning to Train phase. By the time adolescents (12 – 16 yrs for Males / 11 – 15 yrs for Females) reach the Train to Train stage, they are ready to consolidate their basic sport-specific skills and tactics into more specialized forms of physical activity. For those who choose to remain in the competitive stream and have developed a high level of ability, athletes can then specialize in one sport and Train to Compete

and subsequently Train to Win at major national and interna-tional competitions.

Quality Physical Education programs can play an important role to support the LTAD. Through quality Physical Education programs that implement provincial curriculum, students can develop the physical literacy skills that are necessary for the Active Start, Fundamental, Learning to Train, Training to Train and Active Life stages. A quality Physical Education program will also provide a solid foundation for students and provides further support for those who wish to continue into the Train to Compete and Train to Win stages.

Figure 1Canadian Sport Centre, Long TermAthlete Development, Resource Page, V2, p. 32.

How to fosterPhysicalLiteracy?Quality Physical Education programs offer the best oppor-tunity to foster the development of physical literacy. Quality Physical Education within schools is ideally positioned to help foster the development of physical literacy given its mandate to provide equal and equitable for students to access to the devel-opment of the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to become physically literate.

Although each province has its own unique Physical Education Curriculum, there are many common EDUCATION principles that are consistent with fostering Physical Literacy through a Quality Physical Education program. These principles are consistent with PHE Canada’s Quality Daily Physical Education (QDPE) program and are rooted in previous evidence-based research. PHE Canada

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launched Quality Daily Physical Education (QDPE) in 1988 as a way to define a program that is well-planned, taught by qualified and enthusiastic professionals, and offers a variety of learning opportunities to all students on a daily basis throughout the entire school year. For more information about QDPE, go to www.phecanada.ca

In addition to these EDUCATION principles being consistent with a QDPE program, they also form a foundation to create a positive learning environment which supports students in becoming physically literate. Much like literacy in language arts facilitates increased motivation to read a wide variety of literature, a physically literate student will be much more likely to participate compe-tently and confidently in a wide variety of physical activities. Not only will a physically literate individual be more motivated to participate competently, but they will do so in ways that are beneficial to themselves and to others around them. Such a foundation is not only important for students now, but serves as foundation for participation in lifelong physical activities.

Figure 2Canadian Sport Centre, Long TermAthlete Development, Resource Page, V2, p.8.

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What is the Call to Action?Physical Literacy is now a reality for educators and practitioners across Canada. In an era where physical literacy programs have become a priority for provincial Ministries of Education, National and Provincial Sport Organiza-tions and many Community and grassroots Recreation programs across Canada, it is vital for our

profession to demonstrate our role in helping to foster strong literacy skills for students now and into the future.

By fostering physical literacy through quality Physical Education programs, students continually develop the motivation and ability to understand, communicate, apply, and analyze different forms of movement. They are

able to demonstrate a variety of movements confidently, compe-tently, creatively and strategically across a wide range of health-related physical activities. These abilities enable individuals to make healthy, active choices throughout their life span that are both beneficial to and respectful of themselves and others.

graphic by James Mandigo, Brock University

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RESEARCH REFERENCESHayden-Davies, D. (2008, September). So what is physical literacy (and what use is it?). Paper presented at British Educational Research Association annual conference (September 4th). University of Edinburgh.

Higgs, C., Balyi, I., Way, R., Cardinal, C., Norris, S., Bluechardt, M. (2008). Developing physical literacy: A guide for parents of children ages 0 to 12. : Vancouver, BC: Canadian Sport Centres

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organi-zation (2003). Literacy, a UNESCO perspective. Assessed online March 26, 2007 at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001318/131817eo.pdf

United Nations (2002). 56/116. United Nations Literacy Decade: education for all. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly, Fifty-Sixth Session (January 18). New York. Accessed online May 19th, 2009 at: http://www.undemocracy.com/A-RES-56-116.pdf

Whitehead, M. (2007, February). Physical literacy and its importance to every individual. Presentation at the National Disability Association Ireland, Dublin, Ireland. Assessed online March 10, 2007 at http://www.physical-literacy.org.uk/dublin2007.php

PHE Canada301-2197 Riverside Drive

Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1H 7X3Tel. (613) 523-1348 Fax. (613) 523-1206

General email: info@phecanada.ca website: www.phecanada.ca

Written & Prepared bythe centre, Brock UniversityJames Mandigo, Ken Lodewyk, Nancy Francis, Ron Lopez

Design & LayoutHinterland Design - hinterland.ca

Quality Physical Education programs provide the best opportunities to develop

physically literate students who are able to make healthy and active choices now and throughout their lifespan.

PHE Canada also acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canadathrough the Department of Canadian Heritage (Sport Canada – Sport Support Program).