Becoming InterActive for Life: Mobilizing Relational Knowledge for Physical Educators

Abstract

The overarching purpose of the InterActive for Life (IA4L) project is to mobilize relational knowledge of partnered movement practices for physical education practitioners. Through a participatory, motion-sensing phenomenological methodology, relational knowledge gleaned from world class experts in salsa dance, equestrian arts, push hands Tai Chi and acroyoga, and analyzed through the Function2Flow conceptual model, was shared with Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) students. They, in turn, made sense of the ways these experts cultivate relational connections through a process of designing interactive games suitable for physical education curricula. The kinetic, kinesthetic, affective and energetic dynamics of these games were then shared through professional development workshops, mentoring, and open-access resources. Each phase of the IA4L project invites us to depart from the predominance of individualistic ways of conceiving and teaching movement and instead explore what it means to be attuned to the pulse of life as we break away from tendencies to objectify movement as something our bodies do or that is done to them. Consideration is given to the ways in which meaningful relational connections are formed in and through movement and how this learning prioritizes the InterActive Functions, Forms, Feelings and Flows of moving purposefully, playfully and expressively with others. In so doing, what this research offers is an understanding of how knowledge of an essentially motion-sensitive kind, which can breathe life into physical education curricula, can be actively and interactively mobilized.

Physical literacy, health and interactive aging: a position paper

“…We encourage the uptake of flow theory for future PL research and approaches to assessment with the caveat that, rather than sequestering flow to an elitist “zone” of high performance, we recommend educative and progressive ways in which kinaesthetic feelings and synergistic micro-flows can be cultivated [i.e. ( 93 , 94 , 105 ),] no matter what the level of competency.…”

“…If we are to radically shift the declining rates of physical activity in the adult and older adult populations (80), it seems we would be advised to again emphasize this love of movement. In doing so, we mean not merely the fun and satisfaction of moving competently and with confidence, but the joy and aliveness inherent to moving functionally, in good form, and with kinesthetic feeling and energetic flow (92)(93)(94). Embracing such a love of moment in a conceptually defensible way means, however, finding its validation in the ongoing articulation of PL.…”

Salsa Rhythms and Soul Connections

“…We are thus moved not only to experience partnered practices for the pleasures individually derived but also to further kinetic, aesthetic, kinesthetic, and energetic ways of moving joyfully with others. Over the past 5 years, within our Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council-funded multiphase InterActive for Life (IA4L) project, we have observed, interviewed, and made video documentaries of expert practitioners of partnered movement practices ranging from Push-Hands Tai Chi, to AcroYoga, Salsa Dance, and Equestrian Arts (Phase 1); mobilized our findings to enhance pedagogical practices of Teacher Education students through the co-creation of generalized partnered activities and resources (Phase 2); and responded to emerging and seasoned educators with vested interest in prioritizing motile communication and relational connectedness in their pedagogical practices (Phase 3); Lloyd, 2021;Lloyd & Smith, 2021, 2022a, 2022bNyetap et al, 2020;Smith & Lloyd, 2022).…”

“…No instructor ever took the ball away and invited students to explore the dynamic dance of postural and positional weight transfers in offensive and defensive play. As somatically oriented educators such as Sondra Fraleigh (2015) recommend, we have s-l-o-w-e-d down to help these student teachers feel the profound vitality affects (Sheets-Johnstone, 2011) of something as simple as a forward lean when facing a partner (Lloyd & Smith, 2022a) in a variety of lead-follow games that they have co-created (i.e., Leaning in Mirror Walk; Nyetap et al, 2020;Lloyd & Smith, 2022b;Smith & Lloyd, 2022).…”

“…Attention has been given, for instance, to the ways we communicate readiness to give and receive information through relational postural alignment, muscular tone and tension, and the various inclinations and positions that convey meaning ( Lloyd & Smith, 2022a , 2022b ). But we have not necessarily focused on the rhythmical ways in which these postures and positions are enlivened.…”