The Nature and Meaning of Physical Education

The Nature And Meaning Of Physical

Education
• To define physical education, we need to say that it is an
educational process that aims to improve human development
and performance through physical activity. It tends to take place
at school through formal lessons, but it also includes informal
activity such as play.
• Physical education is a process of learning, the context being
mainly physical. The purpose of this process is to develop
specific knowledge, skills, and understanding and to promote
physical competence.
• Different sporting activities can and do contribute to this
learning process, and the learning process enables participation
in sports. The focus, however, is on the child and his or her
development of physical competence rather than the activity.
• Physical education has a holistic view within a societal context
that identifies the interdependence of personal health with
societal health and environmental health.
• On an individual level, physical education is an agent for health
and wellness that can promote personal responsibility and
control for active lifestyles. However, equally as important,
physical education focuses students' attention on understanding
the problems of the social environment that may inhibit them
and others from pursuing active lifestyles.
• Physical education contributes to individual wellness through
the innate 'experience of the moment' and is reinforced on a
daily basis through the knowledge, skills, and feelings of
enhanced self-esteem and wellness that develop over time.
Physical education is an area in which physical activity
is valued and integrated into daily living. It is anchored
in three fundamental axioms that lead to these guiding
principles:

• Individual: It recognises that people are active for all sorts of reasons -
work, play, challenge and achievement, health and personal
development, contemplation and relaxation, creative and cultural
expression, and social interaction.
• Social: It focuses on the individual, but it also recognises that
social norms and values, available resources, influential
learners, and other factors affect our choices and opportunities
for participation. Our choices, in turn, affect these factors.
• Inclusive: It provides essential ways to express who we are as
individuals or groups. It is a right of all, regardless of ability, age,
gender, race, ethnic background, religion, socio-economic
status, or educational achievement.
Importance Of
Physical Education
The importance of physical education and physical activity in
our society is encouraged by a number of guiding principles
entrenched in active living such as:
1. Promotes a way of life in which physical
activity is
valued, enjoyed, and integrated into daily life.
2. Promotes the principle of individual choice by responding
to learners' individual needs, interests, and circumstances.
3. Provides a unique contribution to lifelong development of
all learners, enhancing their physical, cognitive, social,
emotional, and spiritual well-being.
4. Facilitates learning processes, which encourage critical
thinking, thereby affecting the learners’ personal wellness
and the well-being of society.
5. Nurtures individual self-reflection and consciousness,
which preserves human rights and the development of
supportive and sustainable environments.
Physical education on a daily basis establishes the foundations for active living by
providing experiences, which enhance the learner's knowledge, attitudes, and skills
towards a wellness lifestyle. Physical education as a medium for active living in a
school setting engages the whole person in the following ways:
Physically - through high-level participation in appropriately selected activities.
Mentally - through concentration and intensity while learning new concepts and skills.

Emotionally - through the confidence that comes from enjoying established skills.
Socially - through associating with others.
Spiritually - through satisfaction, contentment, and a sense of inner peace.

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The Nature And Meaning Of Physical

Socially - through associating with others.

Spiritually - through satisfaction, contentment, and a sense of inner peace.

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