Content area
Full Text
On January 18th, 2002, the United Nations (2002) General Assembly passed resolution 56/116: United Nations Literacy Decade: Education for All. The foundation of this resolution was based upon the collective conviction that:
literacy is crucial to the acquisition, by every child, youth and adult, of essential life skilh that enabk them to address the challenges they can face in life, and represents an essential step in basic education, which is an indispensabk means for effective participation in the societies and economies of the twenty-first century.
Based upon this definition, literacy is not restricted merely to reading and writing. According to the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO; 2003), literacy is concerned with how we communicate in society. It is about the social practices and relationship and die social practices and relationships, about knowledge, language and culture. It is broader dian just the acquisition of knowledge and understanding of content. It requires that the student assumes both a personal and social responsibility to use the attained knowledge in ediical and just ways. Being "literate" includes die use of critical and creative dunking skills and/or processes, conveying information through various forms of communication and applying knowledge and skills to make connections within and between various contexts. In other words, the life skills that are formed through die lens of literacy provide a critical feature of what it means to be literate. In an era where literacy programs have become a priority for provincial Ministries of Education, it is vital for our profession to be a strong advocate in helping to foster strong literacy skills for students today and into the future. The following summary provides background information on physical literacy through the lens of an educator. The paper concludes with a proposed working definition of physical literacy for consideration by educators across Canada.
Physical Literacy
What does it mean to be literate within the realm of physical activities, sport, and physical education (PE)? The Canadian Sport Centre's (2006) Long Term Adilete Development Plan (LTAD) recognizes physical literacy as the foundation for developing the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed for Canadians to lead healthy active lives.
The definition of physical literacy provided by the Canadian Sport Centre (Higgs, Balyi, Way, Cardinal, Norris, & Bluechardt, 2008) is:...