Abstract
This paper emphasizes sport curriculum development for achieving physical literacy in the Caribbean where the rate of non-communicable diseases is high. This intervention is being undertaken because a significant number of sport practitioners have been leading sport programmes without previous exposure to and immersion in structured sport education. The intervention aims to align sport programmes with international best practices and build capacity for operationalizing sport as an accessible, inclusive and universal activity for health and wellness. Sport curriculum development is intended to fill information and skills gaps needed for executing and measuring the impact of sport on quality of life. The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, and sport pedagogy are some of the undergirding frameworks. Sport education initiatives emerge from survey results, observations, governmental priorities and opportunities. The effectiveness of the sport curriculum is measured by participants’ evaluation of the programmes and reported usefulness to their sport roles post-graduation. Traditional university students are opting to study sport science as a strategy for evidence-based advice for improving sport performance. There is a need for coaches with tertiary level education. The perception of sport coaching as an experience rather than education-based role, may be a factor in the relatively low uptake. Sport curriculum development could be more targeted with attention to access, partnerships, self-paced and experiential learning. This should result in more informed sport practitioners who advocate, model and lead “sport as a healthy lifestyle” initiatives.
Presenters
Claudette Coote ThompsonCurriculum Development Specialist, Faculty of Sport, The University of the West Indies, Jamaica
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Curriculum, Physical literacy, Health, Wellness, Caribbean, Sport Education
