A project of the
International Council for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport,
and Dance (ICHPER•SD)
in collaboration with
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO)
PREFACE
A hallmark of a profession is delivery of quality services to consumers,
meeting a fundamental human right. Therefore, it is incumbent upon
the physical education profession (or aspiring profession as the case
may be), to define itself, and establish and promulgate standards
for physical education curricula in schools, globally.
THE NEED
It is generally accepted, and scientifically demonstrated, that physical
activity is an important aspect of human life, and physical education
is an integral part of the formal education process. Importance and
status of physical education in schools throughout the world is increasingly
being challenged, manifesting itself in a reduction of dedicated time,
infringement by other subjects and activities, and interference on
the quality of physical education curricula.
This serious dilemma has and will continue to erode the physical
well-being and health of children/adolescents, resulting in inadequate
levels of physical fitness to engage in life’s functions, increasing
incidences of obesity, unnecessary illnesses, and premature deaths.
In turn, erosion of the physical well-being and health of children/adolescents
results in erosion of a nation’s health, and thus, our world’s
health.
RESOLUTION
Whereas,
- the quality of an individual’s (and a nation’s)
well-being and health may be
in direct proportion to the quality of physical education curricula
experienced; and
- insuring quality physical education curricula is a responsibility
of physical educators,
with ultimate accountability resting with the profession; and
- insuring quality physical education experiences for every
child/adolescent calls for
advocacy by the profession; and
- professional physical educators are primary caregivers of
children/
adolescents with regard to physical education; and
- schools are primary venues through which physical education
should be delivered.
Whereas,
- the International Charter of Physical Education and Sport, supported by UNESCO
Member States (Preamble, Art. 1, 1978; reaffirmed by ICHPER•SD,
1991), declares:
- access to physical education and sport should be guaranteed
for all;
- physical education and sport is a fundamental right for all;
and
- Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNICEF, Art. 29, Sec.
1a, b, September 2,
1990), states that education shall be directed to:
- the development of the child’s personality, talents,
and mental and physical
abilities to his/her fullest potential;
- the development of respect for human rights;
- ICHPER•SD resolved to develop global standards identifying
essential knowledge and skills central to school programs (Seoul Resolution
on the Right of School-Age Youth to be Physically Educated, World-Wide,
July, 1997); and
- ICHPER•SD resolved a Global Vision for Physical Education
in Schools
(International Congress, Seoul, Korea, July, 1997), that:
- advocates for and enables developing of quality, daily physical
education
programs in schools, world-wide;
- urges other multi-national professional organizations and
non-government
groups to advocate for greater prominence of and right of all school-age
youth to
quality physical education programs; and
- ICHPER•SD joined in support of the Chiba (Japan) Declaration
in Sport For All (TAFISA, UNESCO-CIGERS, ICSSPE, FMS, ICHPER•SD, FISU/CESU/IAKS,
1994);
and
- the North American Regional Forum (Canadian AHPERD, and the
American AHPERD) through united efforts to influence personal well-being
of all children and youth in 2000 and beyond, stated in its Global
Vision for School Physical Education (June, 1995):
- all students in every grade should have rights and opportunities
to experience
quality, daily physical education;
- all quality physical education programs are equitable (e.g.,
gender, culture, race,
ability, disability); and
- the World Conference on Women and Sport (Lausanne, Switzerland,
October 14-16,
1996), resolved that the International Olympic Committee be encouraged
to join efforts to create global programs of physical education in
schools, to realize more fully the Olympic Ideal; and
- the European Physical Education Association (EUPEA), through
its united efforts to
improve physical education in schools (LaPorte, 1997):
- reported emphasis on quality of physical education is reflected
in the new
national curricula in various countries;
- was proposing to government agencies a minimum time and/or
days allocated for
physical education in European schools; and
- the World Summit on Physical Education (ICSSPE, Berlin, Germany,
November 3-5,
1999), reinforced and advocated for importance of every child across
the world to have quality physical education appropriate for the culture,
social, and economic system in which it is provided; and
- the Declaration of Punta Del Este (UNESCO, MINEPS III, December
3, 1999),
reiterated:
- importance of physical education and sport as essential elements
and integral parts
in the process of continuing education;
- importance of physical education as a fundamental right for
every child and
youngster around the world;
- that UNESCO direct its attention to improving physical education
and sport in
primary and secondary schools by developing, sharing, and promoting
modern
curricular development; and
- the World-Wide Survey of the State and Status of School Physical
Education (K.
Hardman and J.J. Marshall, University of Manchester, UK, April, 2000),
with the
support of International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education
and other
international and regional agencies, affirmed that physical education
has been pushed
into a defensive position, suffering from decreased time allocation,
budgetary
constraints, low academic status, and under-valuation by authorities.
The survey
advocated:
- increased, action-oriented partnerships of all concerned
organizations and
agencies;
- concerted international actions by all concerned to enable
compliance with UNESCO’s advocacy statement espousing the principle
of physical education as a fundamental human right.
Therefore be it resolved that,
- the physical education profession assume its responsibility
for helping to insure
quality physical education curricula for every child/adolescent, globally,
by:
- advocating for access to quality physical education as a
fundamental human right
for every child/adolescent, globally; and
- establishing global professional standards for quality physical
education curricula
in schools; and
- promulgating adoption and actualization of the global professional
standards by
national professional organizations.
ACTUALIZATION
To actualize the above resolve, ICHPER•SD (in collaboration
with and approval by UNESCO), will:
- develop International Standards for Physical Education
and Sport for School Children (appended). The standards
can be characterized as:
- content standards with accompanying benchmarks;
- reflecting disciplinary knowledge, skills, and behaviors
inclusive of the
psychomotor, cognitive, and affective domains;
- supportive of process learning;
- sequential;
- culturally neutral;
- school based;
- customizable (e.g., gender, culture, race, ability, disability);
and
- appropriate for age groups within the structure of the school
entity (i.e., ages 5
-18).
- prepare an advocacy statement, Physical Education -
a Fundamental Human Right. The statement should emphasize
essential roles of physical education in human development, right
of access by all children/adolescents, and place of physical education
in schools (appended).
- prepare a plan for promoting the adoption of the Standards
for Physical Education and Sport for School Children by
national and international professional organizations. It is not
intended that the plan ignore the important role of governmental
agencies in establishing school curricula; rather, it will accentuate
central roles of the profession in developing professional standards
and influencing school curricula (appended).
- disseminate its Global Standards for Professional
Preparation of Physical Educators (ICHPER•SD October,
1997), and implement the companion Registry of Programs/Institutions
Which Meet Global Standards for Professional Preparation in Physical
Education (ICHPER•SD, May, 1999) (appended). The
Standards can be characterized as:
- essential knowledge and skills for entry-level physical
education teachers;
- the core for all physical education teacher preparation programs;
- encompassing disciplinary, professional, and pedagogical
aspects of physical
education;
- competency-based standard of content;
- standard for achievement based on clock hours;
- having an accompanying self-assessment form; and
- having a companion Registry for self reporting.
To advance the actualization of the above, ICHPER•SD, will use
the following forums to review, refine, and garner a collective professional
voice among world leaders:
- ICHPER•SD encouraged the 1st Africa Regional Congress
(University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria, October 17-19, 2000), to integrate
these matters into its agenda. The theme was Dimensions of Physical
Education and Sports Literacy in Professionalization of Physical Education
and Sports in the African Educational System.
- ICHPER•SD encouraged the 3rd ICHPER•SD Asia Congress
Kuala-Lumpur, (Malaysia, November 23-26, 2000), to integrate these
matters in its theme, Information Technology Towards a Better Asia:
A Focus on Sport, Health and Physical Education.
- ICHPER•SD will sponsor the 2nd Leadership Conference
(Cincinnati, Ohio, March 27-31, 2001), which is to have as its primary
focus, Implementation Strategies for Professional Standards.
- ICHPER•SD will commit future ICHPER•SD conferences
to include programming
which enhances the development of a universal professional voice.
ICHPER•SD October, 2000
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