Educating through the Physical--Rationale

Social competence is essential for successful performance in school and life. Siedentop (1980) suggested that physical education settings and related activities may serve as useful vehicles for improving pro-social skills and values. Physical education literature draws a clear distinction between educating about, in, and through movement (Arnold, 1988, 1999). Despite a notable proliferation of pro-social programs in physical education curricula, a clear rationale for teaching pro-social skills through physical education was yet to be provided. This paper presents a rationale for why educating for pro-social skills through physical education-related activities and offers examples to aid teachers and clinicians in tailoring their environments towards the acquisition of pro-social skills. (Contains 1 table.)