The course aims to provide theoretical, technical, and didactic aspects of motor activity at school. Corporeity plays an essential role in learning, socialization, development of personality through self-knowledge, limits, and potentials. Motor activity is based on education through the movement and its essential elements such as bodily, expressive, communicative, and relational, based on individual psychophysical growth by consolidating correct and healthy lifestyles. The aims of the course are:

-to analyze motor skills as primary elements for future learning, together with cognitive, affective, and social areas;  

-to help to build and develop a child’s identity;

-to gain the autonomy of the pupil even with workshop didactics to enhance the active dimension of learning.

Particular attention it will be given to the role of the teacher who is also an educator/facilitator/animator. She/he will have to manage not only the classroom but also the gym as a learning venue; she/he has to be able to make a careful study of the "culture of movement" enhancing the formation of the person making use of interdisciplinary experiences, considering the pupil's in relation to oneself, to the others and to the environment.

Introduction to the subject – Gymnastic terminology – Basic motor patterns  - Lateralization - Corporal patterns and stages - Coordinating skills - Condition skills -Characteristics of motor learning in child development - Psycho-social development - Role of motor activity in process of growth - Auxology and its stages - Motility and school learning - From Programmes to Guidelines - Gymnastic exercise and its structure - Non-coded, unusual and improvised small and big equipment (applied technique) – Educations - Motor Tests - Educational project and its possible articulation (fundamental parts that structure it) - Teaching units - Learning units (fundamental parts characterizing them ) - Teaching model and structure of lesson plan - Motility and interdisciplinarity - Play (definition and concept) - The studio and motor – Play workshop - Legislative guidelines - Education research in school (executive plan).

None.

Knowledge and understanding

- Knowledge of theory, technique, and didactics;
- knowledge of the main elements of motor learning;
- the ability to distinguish and compare the fundamental features of the curriculum, planning, and design guidelines, teaching strategies, group leadership, assessment, and evaluation.

Applying knowledge and understanding

- Knowledge and understanding of theories and concepts provided by the course;
- the ability to propose and evaluate didactic solutions through workshops, motor activity in natural environments also in collaboration with the extra school;

- the ability to recognize the fundamental phases of experimental research;
- ability to analyze Programs, National Guidelines for the Curriculum of Early Childhood and Primary Schools, continuously.

Making judgments

- Ability to identify appropriate research methods in different contexts;
- the ability to conceive learning units and lesson plans for different user targets;
- ability to know how to make research hypotheses to deal with motor and/or educational issues;

- ability to select the most appropriate teaching strategies, evaluate events, and identify the key issues to the formative success.

Communication skills

- Know all the techniques that can enhance communicative, intellectual, and learning skills;
- the ability to read and interpret nonverbal communication;
- the ability to use different bibliographic materials, and databases for  further investigations;

- the ability to analyze and evaluate research and motor projects conducted in the school environment critically, in their fundamental methodological aspects;
- the ability to investigate issues related to different educational contexts (school and extracurricular) independently;

- ability to obtain bibliographic sources through databases and specific courses, in order to develop  educational, experimental research also aimed at graduate theses;

- the ability to build observation, survey, and analysis tools;
- the ability to research new educational-didactic-motor resources, and collaborate in the design and management of formative projects.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Monothematic seminars entitled:

1) Motor activity in a natural environment

2) Fair Play, ethics, sporting loyalty

held by Prof. Ario Federici

Teaching

Lectures, use of PowerPoint. Group and individual bibliographic research, and analysis of material. Discussion on specific topics, participated in lessons with didactic exemplifications, and conceptual maps. Monothematic seminars are also in synchronous mode, held by professionals (teachers, educators, support teachers, and instructors) with final feedback shared in a small group work conducted by the teacher in the classroom. 

Innovative teaching methods

Attendance

The course does not require compulsory attendance.

Course books

- M. Valentini, G. Santi, Esprimi-Amo le Emo-Azioni. Atelier Ludico-Motorio nella Scuola dell'Infanzia. Progetto di ricerca, COM Edizioni, Roma, 2018, ISBN 978-88-98870-64-6 (I stampa Margiacchi-Galeno Editrice, 2007), (tot. pagine 249). The first part (theoretical plant) is in detail. In the second part, internalize the fundamental components of experimental educational research by reflecting on the research questions, workgroup, control, test choice, verification, data collection, analysis, evaluation, reading, and understanding of the various research projects realized with children of the kindergarten.

- A.Federici, M.Valentini, C.Tonini Cardinali, Il corpo educante, Aracne Editrice, Roma, 2008
(tot. p. 445).  From page 136 to a conclusion. It will be necessary to pay attention to the didactic examples shown, on the supporting structure of Projects and their Learning Units.

Assessment

The expected objectives are verified through an oral test.

The evaluation criteria are as follows:

- Relevant and effective answers in relation to the contents of the program; - level of mastery of knowledge; - adequacy of disciplinary vocabulary and terminological precision; - relevant application of methodologies, techniques, and tools; - articulation of the answer.

The final evaluation is expressed in thirtieths.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Non-attending students will be able to consult the didactic material uploaded on Moodle blended.uniurb.it through which it will be possible to further deepen the study of the volumes indicated in the "Study Texts" section, articles with the keywords of the discipline and in the attendance of the laboratory " Motor activity "having the possibility to combine theory and practice.

Attendance

The course does not require compulsory attendance.

Course books

- M. Valentini, G. Santi, Esprimi-Amo le Emo-Azioni. Atelier Ludico-Motorio nella Scuola dell'Infanzia. Progetto di ricerca, COM Edizioni, Roma, 2018, ISBN 978-88-98870-64-6 (I stampa Margiacchi-Galeno Editrice, 2007), (tot. pagine 249). The first part (theoretical plant) is in detail. In the second part, internalize the fundamental components of experimental educational research by reflecting on the research questions, workgroup, control, test choice, verification, data collection, analysis, evaluation, reading, and understanding of the various research projects realized with children of the kindergarten.

- A.Federici, M.Valentini, C.Tonini Cardinali, Il corpo educante, Aracne Editrice, Roma, 2008
(tot. p. 445).  From page 136 to a conclusion. It will be necessary to pay attention to the didactic examples shown, on the supporting structure of Projects and their Learning Units.

Assessment

The expected objectives are verified through an oral test.

The evaluation criteria are as follows:

- Relevant and effective answers in relation to the contents of the program; - level of mastery of knowledge; - adequacy of disciplinary vocabulary and terminological precision; - relevant application of methodologies, techniques, and tools; - articulation of the answer.

Each of the criteria is evaluated based on a judgment four-level scale, with equal importance assigned to each criterion. The final evaluation is expressed in thirtieths.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Students who want to take the exam will have to register regularly (inside Esse3).