Personal-Social-Cultural Perspective

Students will:

• Behave in ways that are personally and socially responsible in physical activity settings.
• Understand and respect differences among people in physical activity settings.
• Understand that physical activity can provide enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, social interaction, work and leisure.

The following concepts are the organizers for the content of this perspective:

• respect for the rights and feelings of others
• participation and effort
• self-direction
• caring about and helping others
• using these values outside of physical education classes
• work and leisure

These six concepts, based on the works of Donald Hellison, D. (1995), Helison, D. (1985), provide guidelines to allow students to become more responsible. "Effort" and "Self-Direction" address the students’ responsibility for personal development. "Respect" and "Caring" address the students' social and moral responsibility for their relationships with others and as members of groups. The fifth concept focuses on the transfer of responsibility from the physical education curriculum to the lives of students in school, on the playground, at home and in the community. The sixth concept, "Work and Leisure," deals with the application of responsibility by students in the community and the workplace.

The foregoing six concepts can be presented to students as a loose progression of levels they can work toward. The specific content and context for each of the levels advanced by Hellison that are employed in this guide, are as follows:

Students at Level 1 are able to control their behaviour so that they do not interfere with other students’ right to learn or the teacher’s right to teach. They do this without much prompting from the teacher and without constant supervision.

Students at Level II not only show respect for others but also participate willingly, even enthusiastically, in the learning experiences. They display a better understanding of the role of effort and persistence in improving, and an increased willingness to try new things and to participate in a variety of activities.

Students at Level III not only show respect and participation, but they also work without direct supervision and take on more responsibility for their well-being. They are able to begin to develop and carry out a personal physical activity action plan in accordance with their own needs and interests.

Students at Level IV, in addition to respecting others, participating and being self-directed, are motivated to extend their sense of responsibility beyond themselves by cooperating, giving support, showing concern and helping others.

Students at Level V apply the behaviours of the previous four levels beyond the physical education setting, such as in the classroom, on the playground, at home and in other life situations.

Students at Level VI are able to make connections between the levels and their future in the adult world of work and leisure.

To become responsible, students must learn to take on responsibility. However, they cannot take responsibility unless they are given significant responsibilities. Students must be provided with opportunities to practice being responsible on a regular basis.

Giving students responsibility requires implementing instructional strategies that emphasize sharing power with students. It means shifting some of the decision-making from the teacher to the students and negotiating issues with them. In his texts, Hellison provides a wide range of strategies for each level that attempt to give some responsibility to students.

The following article, written by a practicing elementary school teacher, outlines the struggles and successes of one teacher in her attempts to incorporate personal and social responsibility in the physical education program. The graphic contained in the article by Linda Masser is highly pertinent in that it shows the transfer of the levels of responsibility from physical education to other important settings in the students’ lives.

Masser's article and graphic are based on Hellison's early work; the levels she discusses are therefore somewhat different from the six concepts provided in this guide. However, the article and graphic are included because they may be of use to teachers.

Two years ago I started using Don Hellison's Levels of Affective Development to help my elementary students learn what it means to grow up and take responsibility for their actions. These levels are: Level O - Irresponsibility; Level 1 - Self-control; Level 2 - Involvement; Level 3 - Self-Responsibility; Level 4 - Caring (Hellison, 1985). A chart I developed is displayed in the area where the students assemble at the beginning of their class period.

In my first meeting with second through sixth grades at the beginning of the school year, I explain levels 0-4 to them. Kindergarten students are given levels 0, 1 and 2, while first graders are levels 0,1, 2 and 3. I introduce the levels by giving examples of behaviour that represent each level. The behaviour may occur in their home, playground, classroom, and physical education settings. Examples of these are given in "What's Your Level".

I explain to my students that all of us exhibit behaviour from all the levels at some time. Even teachers may be a level 0 at times. What is important, however, is where we are most of the time.

Each lesson I teach during the school year includes a physical, cognitive, and affective objective. I use the levels when teaching the affective object in the lesson by asking students how people at different levels respond to a given situation that is part of the lesson being taught. For example:

1. When I tell students to select their equipment I ask them how level 0 persons would get their equipment. Level 1? Level 2? Level 3? Level 4? Then I ask the students to show me the level they think they can work at as they walk over and select their equipment.
2. When practicing a new skill I ask the students how a level 0 person would practice? Level 1? Level 2? Level 3? Level 4? For grades K-2, I ask the students to try to work at level 2. If they are in grades 3-4, I ask them to try to work at level 3. If they are in grades 5-6, I ask them to work at level 3 or 4, depending on how familiar they are with the skill being worked on at that time. Those who are already skillful are encouraged to work at level 4. During or at the end of the period I compliment the students for the level at which they are or were working.
3. When working with groups (particularly students in grades 4-6), I ask the students how those at different levels might work with others in group situations, how a level 4 person would work in a group, and especially how to work with students who often display level 0 behaviour.

The levels are also used to help individual students understand and handle difficult situations in which they might find themselves. Several examples of how this is done are as follows:

1. A student comes to me and complains about someone calling him a name. I ask the student what level the culprit was displaying. The offended student quickly identified level 0. I explain to him how level 0 people often want to pull level 2 and 3 students down to their level. I ask the student if he wants to be at level 0 also. He says "no" and leaves feeling good about himself.
2. A student complains about the work of another student in her group. I listen to those in the group try to explain the problem and then try to explain how difficult it is to work with others. I suggest possibilities for cooperation so each person takes some responsibility for the group's work and everyone contributes to the group's assignment.
3. A student is misbehaving in class, keeping others from learning. I have the student sit out for a few moments, explaining to the student why her behaviour is level 0 and ask her if she can control her actions and begin working at least at level 1 with self-control. When she assures me she can I allow her to join the class.

 

Working with Hellison's levels I began to better understand my students' behaviour. When a student now exhibits level 0 behaviour I look at the situation as a learning experience rather than getting angry. Using the levels, I can explain to the student why his behaviour is unacceptable, where he is on the chart, and ask him if that is where he wants to be. I can then explain what he needs to do to be at a higher level. This becomes a learning situation for both me and the student, rather than any ugly confrontation.

When I talk to the students about the levels I often see immediate improvement. Elementary students want to learn how to grow up. Hellison's levels help them to do so. The levels help students understand their own behaviour and the behaviour of other students around them. By helping them see where they are, the levels help students take on the responsibility for their own behaviour. If you are interested in improving the learning levels in your classes, I recommend reading Don Hellison's text.

Hellison, D.R. (1985). Goals and Strategies for Teaching Physical Education. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Reprinted with permission of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

In addition to matters regarding personal and social responsibility, the physical education curriculum must address issues of culture. To do this well, we cannot view culture as a remote concept; rather, if anything of educational significance is to result, teachers and students must translate cultural awareness into action. As with the concept of fair play, little is achieved if the term remains esoteric and not grounded in the day-to-day reality of the gymnasium and playing field. Instead of talking and teaching about culture as an intellectual term, we need to help children become aware of cultural groups, cultural values and practices, and the problems faced by minority cultures. This enhanced cultural awareness needs to be coupled with action in the form of curricular activities that have meaning for students.

Educators across Canada are coming to realize the rights of the many ethnic groups that make up our society. In addition to the rights that all persons are to enjoy, there is a growing awareness of the richness that ethnic diversity brings to the curriculum. To date, however, in physical education this has meant little more than the inclusion of a few games and dances from other countries. The challenge in physical education is to move from these token forms of recognition to a philosophy and practice that fully embody principles of multiculturalism.

A true multicultural perspective in what we do in physical education with children must also recognize other cultural realities beyond race and ethnicity. Gender equity is a vital consideration. Do our programs, policies and day-to-day activities reflect that we value boys and girls equally?

Outside of school hours, youth organize and take part in many activities in which they display a high degree of physical skill and adventure. Some of these activities are skateboarding, roller blading, mountain biking, football, juggling and Frisbee. The questions for physical educators and for curriculum planners are: Do such activities have a place in the curriculum? When do so-called fringe activities become authentic enough to enter mainstream educational practice? What processes are in place to ensure that our curricula are inclusive in this manner?

Authentic multicultural curricula in physical education would also honor and help to preserve the cultural traditions of the many groups that are part of our society. This would of necessity involve the games, dances, language, celebrations and other forms of physical culture. Traditional mainstream Anglo-Saxon sports and activities will not suffice.

In order to move more closely toward a time where we participate in a society where active living becomes fully recognized and finally accepted as a Canadian cultural trademark (Active Living: Looking Ahead. Fitness Canada, 1996, p.1), physical education curricula at all levels will have to make alterations and the thinking and practice of teachers will have to take on a new and much broader perspective. This guide attempts to model such a perspective in its content and its advocacies. Following are key questions we must ask of ourselves as we attempt to modify our practice to be more fully in accord with sound multicultural education principles and practice.

1. Do the lesson content and strategies promote educational equity? For example, does the lesson content help to create an inclusive curriculum, one that attempts to maximize student participation in the overall class curriculum?
2. Do the lesson content and strategies make use of, or help to develop, collaborative, empowering relationships among students, teachers and parents?
3. Do the lesson content and strategies promote cultural pluralism in society or inter-group harmony in the classroom?
4. Does the lesson content help to increase the students’ knowledge of various cultural and ethnic groups, including their own?
5. Do the lesson content and strategies increase students’ natural tendency and ability to see and think with a multicultural perspective?
6. Does the lesson content:
• help to correct distortions in the historical, literary or scientific record that may stem from historical racism or other forces linked to the oppression and exploitation of specific ethnic and cultural groups?
• present material in a manner that suggests that racism related distortions are or may be part of the historical and scientific record that the class is studying?
7. Does the lesson content provide knowledge or skills, or promote attitudinal development that will leave the students better equipped and more inclined to participate in, and help improve, the democratic institutions of their society?
8. Does the lesson content contribute to the students’ willingness to cross ethnic and cultural boundaries to participate in and/or learn about different cultural and ethnic groups?

Multicultural Planning Questions taken from Teaching with a Multicultural Perspective: A Practical Guide. (2nd Ed.) Davidman, L. & Davidman, P. (1997). New York: Longman, p. 133. Reprinted with permission.

The following framework for cultural awareness and action in physical education is modeled after the Levels of Responsibility Model authored by Hellison, upon which much of the personal and social responsibility strategies in this guide are based. While the outline is not based on a firm foundation of curriculum experience as the Hellison model is, nonetheless it may afford teachers a framework in which to consider their developmental work with students in terms of cultural awareness and action.

Students at Level O are unaware of the values and cultural ways of groups other than their own. Discrimination and racism may characterize relations with other groups and individuals. Teachers at this level do not consider exposure to other cultures to be a priority in their teaching. Diversity of experience in cultural matters is not valued.

Students and teachers at Level I have some knowledge of other cultures, universal rights, and the ways that other people live, work and play. They have some knowledge of the games and physical culture of other people. There is little, if any, variation in the physical education curriculum from traditional western forms of physical education activities.

Students and teachers at Level II show an acceptance of other cultures. Teachers operating at this level begin to include games and dance activities from other countries, which are not mainstream. Assimilation is a governing value in the curriculum. Human and material resources of the community are used in a one-way relationship.

Students and teachers at Level III openly welcome the opportunity to teach and learn about other cultures. Knowledge of other cultures is generated through a much broader and diverse curriculum; the experiences and values of students, teachers and the broader community are all introduced and explored. Activities are much more diverse.

At Level IV students and teachers recognize the need to place cultural understanding as a high priority in their curriculum. There is considerable freedom to explore and develop topics in depth; integration with other school subjects is emphasized.

At this level both students and teachers come to value other cultures as important as their own. Curriculum boundaries are broadened so that many activities and events from the community are included in the curriculum. Activities occur frequently in community settings as well as in the school; participation in community events and festivities is common.

At Level VI major links between the school curriculum and the broader community education and recreation programs are forged. Service becomes a priority. Students assume much more responsibility in the governance of their affairs. Teachers become strong advocates for youth and youth culture.

Intergenerational activities are more frequent. Authentic dialogue among students and between students and adults is the norm. Emphasis is on growth and transformation. The ethic of social justice permeates the curriculum. Programs are consistent with Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.