Cross-posted from the National Physical Activity Plan
What is physical literacy? The National Physical Activity Plan Commentary Series continues this month with two different perspectives. Read on to learn more.
Physical Literacy: More than Just a New Fad by E. Paul Roetert, Ph.D., FACSM
One of the earliest mentions of the term physical literacy in an academic journal was in 1938. Since that time, it was seldom used until the early 1990s when the term garnered more significant interest following Margaret Whitehead’s landmark publications on the concept of physical literacy. Today, physical literacy is the goal of SHAPE America’s National Standards for K-12 Physical Education. This brings it in line with terminology currently used in other subject areas such as health literacy and math literacy. [Read more]
Physical Literacy and the Rose: What Would Shakespeare Say? by Thomas L. McKenzie, PhD., FACSM & Monica A. F. Lounsbery, PhD
“What’s in a name?” Is physical literacy simply “a rose by any other name”? In a recent paper, we identified the similarity of the terms “physically literate” and “physically educated” and, from a definitional perspective, found little difference. According to most dictionaries, literacy is identified primarily as the ability to read and write. The term, however, is often used more broadly to refer to having knowledge or competence in an area (e.g., cultural or computer literacy). [Read more]