MOVEMENT EDUCATION
Overview & History
Desiree J. Dosdos
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:
1. Altitude- Refers to the height or level at which a
movement or position of the body or body parts takes
place in space. This can indicate whether the movement
is high, medium, or low.
2. Force- Describes the strength or intensity applied
to each movement. It can be gentle, strong, or anything
in between, affecting the impact and energy of the
movement.
3. Motion- Refers to the actual act of moving,
focusing on how the body or body parts shift position in
space.
4. Sequence - The order in which movements occur. This involves
the planned or natural progression of movement from one body part to
another.
5. Direction - Indicates the path or line the movement takes, such as
forward, backward, sideways, up, or down.
6. Form - Refers to the shape or outline the body creates in space
during movement, contributing to the aesthetic or structure of the motion.
7. Velocity- The speed of the movement, whether it is fast, slow, or
varying in pace, influencing the style and emotion conveyed.
8. Reaction - The body's response to a force or movement applied to
it, which can be a reflexive or deliberate movement following an action.
9. Extension - The reach or stretch of the body or its parts, indicating
how far limbs or other body parts extend during a movement.
Liselott Diem
Liselott Diem
She and her husband
founded an internationally
known college in Germany,
Deutsche Sporthochschule
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”.
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.
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.”
