The development of fundamental movement skills in association with the application of movement concepts and principles provides the basic foundation for physical literacy. Learn to Move: Fundamental Movement Skills and Strategies consists of 19 posters divided into two series; a unique teaching tool designed to assist in teaching movement skills and strategies. The posters provide students with a description of a mature movement pattern for the fundamental movement skill or a mature understanding of a movement strategy. Movement skills must be explicitly taught; they are not acquired simply through activities and through the content displayed in Learn to Move: Fundamental Movement Skills and Strategies. Teachers can support fundamental movement skill and strategy development by supplementing the resource with quality learning experiences.
Because the development of movement skills is age-related but not age-dependent and because students’ skill levels depend on a variety of factors, including their experiences outside of school, the opportunities they have for practice, their rate of growth and maturation, and their abilities and interests, Learn to Move: Fundamental Movement Skills and Strategies is not age or grade specific. Teachers should provide students with choice and flexibility within activities and ensure that learning experiences are designed to reflect individual students’ developmental levels and adapted to suit learners of all abilities.
Learning fundamental movement skills and game strategies and tactics helps students increase their comfort, confidence, competence, and proficiency with movement, thereby increasing their rates of overall physical activity and improving their health. Students will be learning to apply movement concepts – body awareness, spatial awareness, effort awareness and relationship – as they are developing movement skills. The self-check questions can help students explore the movement concepts and the different ways the body can move with each of the movement skills. When fun and enjoyment are part of skill development and physical activity, students are more likely to develop positive attitudes towards lifelong healthy, active living.
Poster Components
Learn to Move: Fundamental Movement Skills and Strategies consists of two series of posters. The first series is skill-based, while the second series contains game tactics.
Movement Skills Posters Component
Definition – A definition of the skill.
Description of Illustration – A description of the skill’s phases of movement, which corresponds to the accompanying illustration
I can also… – Activities to which the skill is transferable
Self-check questions – Reflective questions for students to use to build self-awareness and self-assess their skill execution.
Movement Strategies Posters Components
Definition – A definition of the game tactic
3 Levels of Strategies – Sample strategies and tactics at three progressively challenging levels – simple, moderately complex, complex
Living Skills Connections – Prompts to encourage reflection about tactics and support the development of living skills (personal and interpersonal skills, critical and creative thinking)
These strategies transfer to… – Activities to which the game tactic is transferable
Tactical Awareness – Reflective questions for students to use to build personal skills as they self-assess their game-based tactical awareness
How to Use
When students are learning or developing a skill, they need opportunities for practice and feedback. Students learn most effectively when they have opportunities to problem solve, think critically and play an active role in their learning. It is important that teachers facilitate the learning of movement skills and tactics through a progression of age-appropriate skills-based activities. The Learn to Move: Fundamental Movement Skills and Strategies posters are ideal in supporting students in understanding the movement skill and tactic as well as providing them with opportunities for reference for peer feedback and self-assessments.
Learn to Move: Fundamental Movement Skills and Strategies should be referenced in a way that shows how the movement skills and tactics will be used within and across a variety of physical activities, so that students can apply and transfer their skills to a range of activities. Consider using the posters in some of the following ways:
- Display on the wall for student reference
- Use with peers as a reference for peer feedback and assessment
- Have students self-assess using criteria from the posters
- Have students create their own versions of the posters for other fundamental movement skills. Consider having students use cameras or video to record the phases of movement
- Upload them to an interactive whiteboard and co-construct success criteria
- Have students respond to the Self-Check Questions and Living Skill Connections in an Exit Card
Teaching Considerations
When integrating the Learn to Move: Fundamental Movement Skills and Strategies posters into your class, keep the following considerations in mind:
- Prior to the activity, inspect the area for safe traction and potential hazards
- Students should participate in an appropriate warm-up and cool-down
- Remind students to be cautious of others when moving
- Ensure students are performing movements in a safe manner
- Check equipment to ensure it is in safe working order
- Refer to the Ontario Physical Activity Safety Standards in Education for additional safety requirements
