Educating the whole child through preschool physical education: Hong Kong experience

Educating the whole child through preschool physical education: Hong Kong experience

• Wong, Shu Sing Paul The Hong Kong Institute of Education

2007

Pacific Early Childhood Education Research Association (PECERA) 8th Conference: Re-thinking Early Childhood Education (2007: Hong Kong, China)

• G Curriculum, Teaching & Learning: Specific Disciplines
  • GH Sport Science, Health & Welfare
• Q Philosophy of Education, Educational System & School At Different Levels
  • QB Pre-school Education, Child Caring Facilities, Maternal & Infantile Health Facilities

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Pre-Primary Education

The early childhood period is associated with the fundamental movement phase of motor behaviors (Baddard, 1992; Sanders, 1992; Gallahue & Donnelly, 2003). It is a crucial period for subsequent learning development (White & Watts, 1973; Skinner, 1979; Kelly & Kelly, 1984; Opper, 1992) in the intellectual, social, emotional and physical aspects. In preschool curriculum, movement has been regarded as the essence of life and the course of all learning (Vannier & Gallahue, 1978; Graham, Holt/Hale & Parker, 2007), through which young children move to explore, discover, and to interact with the world and its myriad parts (Whitehurst, 1971). It is why the Guide to the Pre-primary Curriculum (The Curriculum Development Council, 2006) has emphazied the importance of “Physical Fitness and Health” as one of the six learning areas for young children in Hong Kong. The main purposes of this paper are two-fold. First, to keep pace with the contemporary trend of early childhood curriculum, an innovative teaching approach for preschool physical education will be introduced with the ultimate goal to enhance young children’s total development in body, mind and spirit. Secondly, through the Hong Kong experience in practicing the approach, the paper will discuss the educational learning outcomes of the preschool physical education curriculum to the whole child development, namely: physical, emotional, social, intellectual, moral, creative and aesthetic aspects. It is expected that the newly innovated approach will initiate new insights to preschool teachers in designing preschool physical education curriculum and remarkable movement to the development of educationally appropriate preschool physical education practice in Hong Kong.

Poster session presented at the Pacific Early Childhood Education Research Association (PECERA) 8th Conference: Re-thinking Early Childhood Education

• English

Conference Papers

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/bibs/c883a6fd

2015-10-08