03 October 2010

Physical Education develop a primary school child to mature physically

This is believed that when pupils involved in learning physical activities is developed through ball games,athletics ,educational gymnastics ,aquatics ,creative dance and other outdoors education.They developed motor skills ,intellectually and emotionally.
Physical growth and development is functional fitness,organic of body fitness and be prepared to meet any activity organic or body fitness is composed of mascular power ,strength ,flexibility ,endurance and speed.
Girls mature faster than boys in their skeletal appearance as they grow up .The legs grow faster than the arms ,the arms faster than the trunk and trunk faster than the head.Therefore this faster growth demands use of physical activites as the need for constant development.Physical Characteristics of Children are rapid increase in strength especially in boys.They tend to be robust acting and noise .
By age of 10-13 there is better co-ordination and skills are becoming automatic.Some girls begin menstrurating ,developing breasts and pubic hairs around 10 years and above.
Around this age these girls show an increase in concern for their complexion ,appearance and figure.
They begin to develop skills in sports as they have imaginery and romantic attachment.
Social Development/Fitness relates to a man's relationship with others .There are many opportunities in Physical Education for the satisfication of social needs of children.There are many group and team games which require co-operation of the members to reach the desired goals ,for instances ralley ball,soccer or netball.
There is development of sportsmanship which means being humble in success (victory) and being gracious in defeat and considering a point to an opponent.
Peer activities equip pupils with skills and knowledge .They will use to persue leisure time activities and for recreation uses.For this purpose ,many sports that have a carryover value should be taught in elementary schools.These sports can also enjoyed by adults which are soccer,netball,tennis,cricket,basketball etc.
Knowledge of skills and rules in this sports will also make pupils appreciate the performance of those who are experts in their area,and become intelligent spectators of a broad sports events and activities in life or when persued in various media -fora.
Anold (1970) says Physical Education is an intergral part of the education process which enhances and harmonises the physical ,intellectuall,social ,emotional and moral aspects of an individual personality through physical activity. Stanley(1977) adds that Physical Education is through the physical activity of althletic nature as well as the Education of the physique .It is the curriculum that is followed in the school gymnasium and the school play ground.
Jewet and Nixon(1988)says Pphysical Education seeks to develop an individual totally ,that's physically ,socially ,morally ,emotionally through activities of an atheletic in nature.
Emotional Development relates to feeling of worth and basic of security .There are emotional needs for recognition ,belonging ,feelings of hostility ,agression .Physical Education contributes greatly in meeting all these emotional needs through participation in a number of activities ,a timid child learns to take place with others and his/her self esteem is enhanced.
The bold and selfish child learns that one can not monopolise opportunity .The neglected child gains the respect of others through some particular skills which s/he can exhibit.
The feelings of anger ,hostility can be satisfactorilly expressed through kicking a ball, running a race or bushing a squash ball.
Thus physical Education is an enhence of team spirit as children learn to work together in a mood of exercising to strengthen body muscles and reduce boredom.

CHILD PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS

Why is it necessary to study child development?
The more you learn about children 's physical development then you are in a position to deal with their physical needs.
We want to gain an insight into our own past and remind us to see how it shaped us in to adults. This is a provocative area of inquiry and as a teacher you can be interested in the wellbeing of the children in your class. It is also an interesting area for policy makers and implemeters like teachers to have an insight of child physical abuse and mental retardation.
Development is the growth and change of pattern forward movement that begins at conception and continues throughout the entire lifespan. It is quite complex and a product of several processes get involved.
Human physical development involves ,genes,environment ,motivation,gradual differentiation of the body and it influences other areas of human development.
Therefore physical development is the simple changes in the child's size,weight and quantitative changes that bring about other physical and anatomic changes.
Physical development hence involves weight gain ,height change,growth of limps ,head ,enlarging size of the brain ,lungs,heart,feets and hands .
This occurs in a predictable pattern,therefore any deviation to this pattern it is a cause of concern. The periodic phases of physical growth:
Infant 0-24 months,
Early childhood 24 months- 5/6 years,
Middle childhood 6- 11/12 years,
Adolesence 12-20 years
Adulthood 20 years++
Conception and prenatal development starts at the fusion of male sperm and woman ovum. When the two united then this is the conception in the fallopian tube.
Geminal period is then the multiplication of cells and the attachment to the embryo.
Embryonic (6-8 weeks) is characterised by differentiation and growth of anatomic featus.
Changes during this 8 weeks ,14 grammes to 3,2 kilogrammes on average at birth.
Physical after birth is characterised by periods relative attitudes and periods of busting growth of different components to human's general development -growth of muscles,liver ,kidney,heart etc.
Infancy and adolescency are the most fastest periods of growth and relative slow growth is ranging from 4-10 years old.
Body parts like brain and head growth are very sharp growth changes between birth to 3 years.
Reproductive organs growth are very little at infancy and very rapid at adolescence. This is influenced by hormones called androgens and estrogens.The growth of lympoid tissues ,for example apendics are relatively slow at birth to 6 years and very rapidly at adolescence.The physical development growth is sharply influenced by environment,nutrition,diseases and genetic formation.
The implications to the primary teacher is to give children enough physical activities to influence their growth. Naturally children are readly in need physical activities, which the teacher is required to plan in rhythmic patterns that improves the control of their muscles and the body. The activities must be varied to provide wide range to suit the loco-motor processes. In addition the the teacher should give children guidance and and counselling on areas of sex related attitudes.

Physical Education Themes and Awareness of basic effort actions

A theme is a particular aspect of movement chosen by the teacher as the focal point around which can build series of lessons. Through a variety of movement experiences given to the children . The teacher gradually emphasize this one element ,showing how it is excuted in many different situtions and how it can itself be clarified and developed. Examples of themes are balance,gross body action,spatial and dynamic etc.
Balance:
The balance can be developed in different lessons like:
lesson 1
Balance on different body parts.
Lesson 2
Vary the shape of the body in balance.
Lesson 3
Achieve balance by swinging into balance.
Jumping into balance.
Rolling into balance.
Twisting into balance.
Lesson 4
Recovering from balance.
Lesson 5
Partner work.
Lesson 6
Using apparatus onwards :
♦Flat surfaces of varying textures;
♦Flat surfaces of varying levels;
♦Flat surfaces of varying sizes and shapes;
♦Sloping surfaces at varying angles ,which may be wide ,narrow or rounded ;
♦Swinging surfaces such as trapeze or rope ladder;
♦Vertical surfaces ,for example poles;
♦Moving surfaces.
Themes concerned with gross body action:
Body awareness: Body shapes ,twisting ,turning ,balance and over-balance , transferring weight from one body part to another.
Travelling ,stopping ,change of speed ,flight.
Themes of particular body parts:
•Use of hands and arms.
•Use of legs and feet.
•Emphasis on body surfaces in rolling ,falling and rovery.
•Relationship of hands and feet to each other.
Spatial and dynamic themes:
•Levels and directions.
•Changes of speed.
•Tension and release.
•Rhythmic patterns.
•Spatial patterns in movement and apparatus.
•Relationships -partner work ,working in pairs or in small groups
•Symmetry and asymmetry.
Creative Dance:
Creative dance is planned in activities for exploration and discovery of active participation in a wide range of fields in creative movements.
In creative dance movements are done in response to different stimuli .The movement can be very simple or quite disciplined ,for example in the case of traditional dance.
The Stimuli in Dance:
♥mouths sounds
♥verbal tasks like calls and commands
♥percussion (drums)
♥known songs
♥music instrumental such as guitars,turmborines ,recorded music etc.
Visual Stimulation:
♥Observation through sight as others make movements. televison ,films ant theatre.
♥Paintings ,sculpture and architecture.
♥Natural sources of power for instance sea and wind.
♥Mechanical sources of power like machinery.
Literary Stimulation:
Symbolic of the original movement concept ,through hearing or reading same story ,poem or prose in a newspaper,historical records,biblical sources ,mythology ,fiction and characters portrayed in songs just to list a few.
Themes in Creative Dance:
Creative dance is not just done ,but should also be taught. When teaching creative dance the teacher must isolate themes. The teaching should begin with simple themes as progressing to much more complicated themes:
Body awareness:
Total stir of the whole body activities should involved in actions ,for example galloping,spinning ,stepping ,turning ,leaping ,hopping ,jumping ,locomotion on body actions.
The aspects of body action are:
♦the body as a unit in motion and stillness.
♦asymetric and symetric use of the body
♦weight transference.
Activities can be based on different parts of the body ,head,feet,hands,knees,legs,arms,fingers,knees ,arms fingers,waist ,hips,belly and shoulders.
These activities can be based on the movement of two related parts or on more than two related parts.
The Awareness of basic effort actions:
The whole body or parts of the body can be regulated into activities by time ,weight,speed and body flow.These activities can comprise of:
•thrusting and slashing
•floating and gliding
•wringing and pressing
•sustained or sudden
•flicking and dabbing
•rigid or flexible
•kicking.
Dance movements can built actions .For example in some Zimbabwe cultural dance Mbakumba,Jerusalema, Nxuzu and muchongoyo actions like foot stamping , can be hard ,flexible but sudden or vigorous ,thrusting and fast.
Awareness of Space:
Dancing can take place in activities like of using the whole space,specific areas,body zones,extension of given space and near or far ,high or low.

Electronic Gaming Craze can Help to Improve Children's Creative and Intelligent way of Education!

The new era of technological advancement has swept across the globe ,a large number of educational materials through the internet are organised through games.
While playing electronic games,researchers had discovered that children learn better and get motivated in a edutainment environment.
Games designed and organised to be played as treasure hunts,mathematical ,spelling puzzels or musical refreshers.Through gaming children's intelligence develop as they interacting with intensely detailed and realistic simulation of a wide variety of different situations which they are learning and expriencing instantly.
Electronic games are plays that usually comprised of a single person with a computer device or more people following as programmed software with strict set of rules. There are some electronic games which has an option to be played with single person or in groups of twos or more people playing the same game using an electronic device.It is now common to see tens of people gathered in some places playing computer games.
Electronic games include computer programed software ,video,console and arcade games.Computer games are played entirely on a PC , laptop or palmtop.Whilst video and console games are connected to a monitor or TV set and a game player ,whereas arcade games placed in public spaces.
Playing electronic games make people busy and interesting.Game playing oriented a purpose.They help children to relieve tension ,give them chance to express their feelings ,emotions ,fears and worries. Children can be conditiond by the system of electronic games to develop news skills and attitudes as a new way of discovering the world order of doing things.
Morally games develop children to respect each other and construct knowledge whilst discover their world. Furthermore games promote groupwork ,create sense of imagination and satisfy a sense of creativity.
Children's gaming activities develop their skills ,such as fine motor skills,listening ,language development like speaking and gross motor- skills co-ordination.They effectively develop socially as they exposed to rich playing experiences.
Electronic gamers are discovered to be highly intelligent individuals who fully developed a logical problem solving capacity.According to James Gee a researcher's recommendations ,that electronic gamers are active problems solvers who subscribed to the belief that mistakes are not errors ,but opportunities for improvements. Electronic gamers spend a lot of time playing with the software searching for new ways to overcome challenges as they stimulated to form and test hypotheses constantly.
Inconclusion electronic games are both entertaining and educative in nature ,hence children learn to spot the focal point,areas of interests and easily get where the problem usually araised. A child who given access to electronic games is both creative and intelligent than those without much access ,although some believed in creativity and intelligence as inborn talents.

Electronic Games can Improve Intelligence in Children's Education!

Intelligence is almost a housedhold word,the concept has been described in many different ways for example,the ability to think abstractly to recognise relationships and learn to adjust to new situation and circumstances.But what exactly it means to be intelligent?
According to Davies(1983:434)in Mwamwenda (1995:191) Intelligence is the ability to learn quickly,solve problems ,understand complex and abstract issues and generally behave in a reasonable rational and purposeful manner.
Mwamwenda(1995:191)further asserts that intelligence is,"what enables a person to think ,act and behave in a manner that is normally acceptable to his society ,thus facilitating his adjustment socially ,intellectually and physically.
Therefore intelligence refers to a person's ability to adjust to his environment and behave in rationality.
Earlier views of intelligence has two factor theory.According to this theory intelligence is made up of two factors or abilities which are general and specific intelligence,and was advanced by Charlse Spearman.
General intelligence is highly determined to be successful in any performance activities in major general performance on intelligent tests items.
Specific intelligence ,is specific to a particular abilities or tests.
Thurstone further argues that intelligence could be broken down into a number of primary abilities.He developed primary ability test with the following mental abilities.
Primary abilities includes verbal meaning of comprehension ability to understand the meaning of words.Word fluency means the ability to express itself fluently in words.Spatial visualisation is to visualise objects and figures as they rotate ,whilst numerical ability to work with figures.
Intelligence also include memory,the ability to store and recall information,reasoning as the capability to plan and solve problems in terms of rules principles and experience.Perceptual speed at which objects can be accurately perceived.
Howard Gardner (1983)says that intelligence is not a single something.In his contemporary approaches to intelligence he come up with seven types of intelligence and the eighth one added to the list by critics of the gardner's theory, these are known as frames of mind:
♦Linguistic(verbal intelligence) the ability to communicate.
♦Logical mathematical intelligence in problem-solving in analytical and ligical way.
♦Spartial intelligence which is the ability to understand space.
♦Musical intelligence ,the ability to analyse and compose music or play musical instruments.
♦Movements ability intelligence to be able to control body movements.
♦Intra personal intelligence ,the degree to which you know and understand yourself and your behaviour.
♦Inter personal intelligence where an individual has comprehension and sensitivity for other people.
Among the seven intelligence categories emphasised by Gardner. The role of brain conditioned in our culture to be intelligent. These intelligence are located in a specific area in the brain.Intelligence could be impaired if the brain damaged.
He was criticised for his musical abilities as one of the seven primary types of intelligence.Critics point out there are brilliant sports persons in soccer,basket ball,criket,etc ,surgeons ,researchers ,gardners or farmers.This lead to assume that there should be the eight intelligent type.
The media and internet are the comfortable zone of gaming and gamers.Culture will determine the type of intelligence to be developed,for example through games children can able to identify the point of interests and work out possibilities of improving performances and become successful.Gaming skills can now shared globally ,even for the children from one corner to the other in another far corner can play the game at the same time.Well designed games help children to think in ways we never think is possible.They begin to think in the new innovative ways.
Electronic games just like ,books ,magazines ,movies,and other TV programmes are pools of things beneficial in human lives through providing education and entertainment. Which is now referred as 'Edutainment'.