Movement Education-Past-Present-Future.

Overview & Synopsis

Physical education in England at the secondary school level was dominated in the 1950's by a formal, disciplinary method of teaching known as the "Swedish Drill," developed from the remedial gymnastics of P. H. Ling. However, at the elementary education level, a change towards informality, discovery learning, learning environments, and individualized instruction was beginning to develop in music, art, and physical education. Known as "Movement Education' (ME), it was introduced into England in the thirties by Rudolph Labun as Modern Education Dance, mainly to women physical education and dance teachers. Resistance to the new ideas by male teachers existed because of the links to dance, women teachers, and women's physical education colleges. Gradually, attitudes changed and now, in the seventies, it is acknowledged that movement education can be presented as a total approach to physical education. Arguments still persist, but present approaches in physical education teaching stress respect for individual differences, individualized instruction, and problem-solving experiences. Much remains to be done in the fields of games, play, and theories of learning and teaching. The major goal should be to encourage children to become feeling, sharing, concerned individuals with a sense of worth, self-direction, and knowledge of what is essential to their survival. (MB)