Lifelong Learning Programme

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This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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Teachers of all subjects can contribute to promote sport at school

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How to integrate sport and healthy lifestyle approaches into the students' educational pathways

Teacher of All Subjects

2. Promotion, among the teachers of other subjects, of a careful consideration of how to integrate the thinking about the students' healthy lifestyle and well-being into the curriculum
This chapter tries to identify the strategies to promote food for thought among the teachers of other subjects on how to integrate the deep consideration on the physical / mental well-being and lifestyles of the students into the curriculum, not only the physical education one, but also in the curriculum of other subjects.
The starting point is the clarification in the PE curriculum, of the issues related to body language; to the links between a proper nutrition education and physical well-being; to the promotion of environmental and natural resources of the area as the vehicle for the promotion of an ever greater awareness of the student as a responsible citizen.
The strategy is not suggested by ministerial or theoretical guidelines, but is realized throughout the experience, thanks to the planning skills of the working group – teachers' team - that brings together teachers of different subjects, from the Physical Education area to science and humanities.
Lifestyle can be defined as the set of all those behaviors and habits aiming to let a person live in harmony throughout his/her whole lifetime. Since ancient times it was believed that, in order to live well, it is necessary to adopt different and varied behaviors in everyday life. Lifestyle is nothing but a customization and adaptation of certain rules of behavior considered ideal by most people to remain healthy.
At every stage of our lives and especially in childhood and adolescence, lifestyle should be characterized by the balance between the following aspect: the organized movement, the non – organized movement, recreation, rest, nutrition, the affective - relational aspect and the social one, hygiene and study. Organized movement means those activities of Physical and Sport Education regularly planned and run by professionals. Non - organized movement, instead, includes the physical activities which are not characterized by a specific programming.
The personality of young people need balance between such behaviors and habits, in order to avoid the predominance of one of them over the others. For example, exclusively looking at nutrition but remaining sedentary, does not lead to positive well-being. Another example is the importance given to ensure children's games as children learn through play and games, and the game itself promotes growth and the development of personality.
Organized physical activity, planned by an expert of movement, cannot be divorced from the non- organized one, because the major international studies on the physiology of exercise in childhood show that young people, in order to fight a sedentary lifestyle and the reduction of the level of ability and motor skills, should make physical activity at least one hour a day.
Learning Objective
Physical education programs in schools directly benefit students' physical health. Getting the recommended amount of exercise fights obesity, which subsequently reduces the risk for diabetes, heart diseases, asthma, sleep disorders and other illnesses. Regular exercise also contributes to cardiovascular health and promotes muscle and bone development. School PE programs should require both fitness and cognitive assessments. In addition to participating in physical activity, students in PE learn the fundamentals of a healthful lifestyle, the building blocks upon which they can develop into healthy, knowledgeable adults.
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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.