Humanistic and Social Development

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There are many types of Physical Education, but the one I am going to talk about today is Humanistic and Social Development, and how it relates to Physical Education. First off, the primary objective of early physical education programs was a person’s physical health. Humanistic and social development emphasizes self-awareness and choice as a basis for personal growth. With a humanistic approach, there is a connection between physical education and a person’s social and emotion well-being. There are five major tenets of humanistic psychology which also tie into physical education. The first tenet is man’s major goal in life is to actualize his own potentials, and become all that he can be. This is saying that a person needs to achieve all that they can, and become the best they can through practice and determination. The second tenet is each individual has unique potentials, no two people are the same in needs, abilities, or interests. As such, there is no justification for molding students into some predetermined shape. This is one of the most important tenets, because if expressed correctly it will show that the teacher understands that no two people are the same and will try their best to make sure everyone can actually reach their own potential. This means there is no reason to teach football for 10 weeks straight in hopes of creating a league of football stars, when some kids most likely do not want to play football ever. The third tenet is individuals must develop a selective detachment from their culture in order to avoid mirroring the values of society. This also goes along with the other tenets, saying that they do not need to become something that they are not just to try to fit into society, when they can become what ... ... middle of paper ... ...al education. Some values are physical growth, physical fitness, acquisition of motor skills, and intellectual development. With these values growing throughout the child’s years of elementary school they can develop into a more fully functioning student. There are also social and emotional growth needs that have to be filled in a physical education class. One reason is that there is a high correlation between ones physical self-concept and their overall concept of themself. For physical educators the goal is to help the child realize their movement potential. Overall physical education contains many potentials for a person’s social and emotional well-being. Bibliography Hellison, Donald R. Humanistic Physical Education: A Behavioral Perspective. Print. Schurr, Evelyn L. Movement Experiences For Children: A Humanistic Approach To Elementary P.E. Print.

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