Course Objectives

The course in Physical Education will help students to acquire knowledge and understanding of why the use of physical activity is important in pedagogical efforts in the pre-school and the lower primary grades.

The aim of Physical Education is that the students will:

• Acquire an understanding of the physical and sensory motor development of children and the importance this has for their learning and overall development.
• Gain experience and knowledge of various forms of play and physical activity and how these may affect a child’s physical capacity, their development in general and sensory motor development in particular.
• Broaden their understanding of and insight into culture and the relationship between development in society, physical activity and health.
• Acquire knowledge and understanding of people’s relationship to nature and environmental protection through outdoor activities.
• Become familiar with a wide range of movement-orientated activities and experiences in a variety of environments, in order to develop skills in play and physical activity as well as cultivate a positive attitude to physical education.
• Learn how to plan, organise, execute and evaluate movement environments for children through various forms of play as well as indoor and outdoor physical activities in all seasons.
• Learn to perform basic life-saving first aid.

Course Description

Physical activity influences most of the developmental aspects of children, and is important for their total development and future health. Current social trends tend to discourage physical activity among children, and inactivity in children may lead to future health problems. The pre-school is therefore a very important arena for influencing physical and sensory-motor development. Varied outdoor activities may also foster positive attitudes to and experience in using the natural environment.

The course, Physical Education, includes three course units:

1. SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE

2. PEDAGOGICAL WORK WITH CHILDREN

3. INTERACTION AND REFLECTION

1. SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE

This course unit focuses on physical and sensory-motor development and the significance that physical awareness has for general development and learning within the following areas:

• Physical and sensory motor development
• Motor coordination of children
• Fundamental movement principles in different environments
• Adaptive teaching strategies
• Creative and expressive activities
• Winter outdoor activities
• The natural environment and the local area as an arena for outdoor activities

2. PEDAGOGICAL WORK WITH CHILDREN

Within this course unit, we will learn why play is vital to the development and education of children, and how to plan active environments that will provide children from various backgrounds with a variety of opportunities for physical activity and positive experiences, both individually and in groups in the following areas:

• Observing, planning, organising and evaluating various play-environments
• The transition from pre-school to primary school
• All-around movement activities in various environments
• Culture and tradition
• Gender roles

3. INTERACTION AND REFLECTION

This course unit emphasises the mapping and analysis of indoor and outdoor physical activities both within and outside the perimeter of the kindergarten. The role of adults will be discussed in this context.

An understanding of initiatives appropriate for children from various backgrounds is essential.

The following areas will be emphasised:

• Observation and evaluation of the physical activities of children.
• Planning, executing, evaluating and supervising physical-education initiatives.

Learning Methods

Physical Education is organised so that theory and practice are integrated and the practical aspects of the course will help to clarify the theoretical. The course includes a major course unit - an obligatory 3-day winter course, with snow and skis.

All of the practical exercises in the course are obligatory, and the subject material covered there will be the object of questions in the examination.

Physical Education requires a variety of approaches. The use of lectures, group work, individual work and observation will be realised through theoretical and practical activities associated with various indoor and outdoor exercise arenas. Throughout the course, students will gain experience of how physical education may be organised and integrated with the daily activities of kindergartens and for the youngest children in primary schools. The practice teaching period will help to demonstrate the relationship between theory and practice, enabling the students to understand the significance of theoretical understanding as a basis for working with physical education in the pre-school.

Assessment Methods

Requirements:

Before the student may sit the examination, he/she must have:

• Participated in at least 80 % of the practice teaching.
• Participated in an obligatory group exercise focussing on the planning and organisation, execution and evaluation of a physical-activity environment with children.
• Participated in obligatory 3-day winter course
• Participated in an obligatory group project on planning, execution and evaluation of a practical-pedagogical effort associated with the winter course.

Individual evaluation with grade:

a) Practical organisation of a group project during the winter course, with associated report (25 %).

b) Group assignment - a physical-activity environment with children, with associated report (25%).

c) Final, individual 3-hour written examination (50%).

A single grade will be recorded on the diploma. The grading scale ranges from A to F, where A is the top grade, and E the lowest passing grade. Each part of the assessment (a, b and c) must receive passing grades in order to receive a final passing grade for the course.

Please refer to the examination regulations for Telemark University College for further information.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean