MOVEMENT EDUCATION
Overview & History
Prepared by:
Noralie B. Morales
What is Movement Education?
A strand of teaching or
education which aims to
educate individuals to develop
their motor skills through
physical movement.
What is Movement Education?
It aims to help individuals
improve their motor skills.
Creators of a New Idea:
Movement Education in the
1800s to Early 1900s
The early pioneers of
movement education were
influenced by the idea of the
body being an expression of
movement.
Three of the most historically
influential individuals:
Francois Delsarte
Liselott Diem
Rudolf von Laban
Francois Delsarte
Francois Delsarte
Frenchman
Developed what he termed
applied aesthetics &
focused his work in the arts.
Contributed critical ideas of
connections among the
mind, body, and spirit.
Francois Delsarte
Also saw movement as a union
of time, space, and motion.
Believed that expressive
movement should relate to the
emotion that inspired that
movement.
Francois Delsarte
Introduced the idea of
parallelism in movement – the
simultaneous motion of two
body parts in the same
direction and in succession.
Francois Delsarte
9 Laws of Motion:
Altitude
Force
Motion
Sequence
Direction
Form
Velocity
Reaction
Extension
Liselott Diem
Liselott Diem
She and her husband founded
an internationally known
college in Germany, Deutsche
Sporthochschule Köln,
Köln to train
teachers in sport and physical
education.
Liselott Diem
The colllege taught a “natural
approach to teaching children
to move effectively in all kinds
of situations”.
situations”
Liselott Diem
The teacher’s role was to
provide an environment that
would encourage children to
explore movement freely in
their own way.
Liselott Diem
Teacher’s equipment:
- Balls - Ropes - Benches
- Wands - Boxes
* Allow children to develop a
wide variety of movement
responses individually, with
partners, or within small
groups.
Liselott Diem
Teachers were encouraged to
challenge children by asking
questions such as
“Who can do this?” and
“How can this be done differently?”
Rudolf von Laban
Rudolf von Laban
Considered by most as the true
pioneer of movement education.
Rudolf von Laban
Critical contribution:
Theory of Movement
- Focusing specifically on the
concept of effort.
Rudolf von Laban
He believed that the body was an
instrument of expression.
expression
Rudolf von Laban
Made a distinction between:
Expressive movement and
Functional Movement
Rudolf von Laban
Expressive Movement:
Communicates ideas in dance or
other forms of artistic expression.
Rudolf von Laban
Made a distinction between:
Expressive movement and
Functional Movement
Rudolf von Laban
Functional Movement:
Movements that serve as a
purpose in everyday life.
* Such as sports and games.
Rudolf von Laban
Identified 4 factors of movement:
Weight
Space
Time
Flow * Became the
bedrock of
movement education.
Development of a Curricular
Approach: 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s
The intent of those working at
this time was to provide a
framework that teachers could
use to apply these movement
concepts broadly in the 3
learning domains.
Development of a Curricular
Approach: 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s
Growth of movement
education; brought to the
forefront of elementary
physical education.
Fitness Overshadows
Movement Education
The fitness boom of the 1970s
resulted in a base of research
that contributed a solid
scientific basis to the study of
movement.
Fitness Overshadows
Movement Education
As other curriculum models
were introduced that were
easier to understand and
appealed to the fitness and
activity focus of the time,
movement education faded
from popularity.
The Revival of
Movement Education
In the late 1990s and early
2000s, the development of
national content standards for
physical education brought
back the essence of movement
education.
The Revival of
Movement Education
Emphasizing that children
should know basic movement
concepts and be able to
perform basic movement
patterns.
“Movement is the cornerstone
of physical education.”
