First of all, your blog entries on "The Mane Event" were most insightful. I am always concerned that experiences outside the classroom 'norm' carry sufficient meaning to warrant the use of our limited class time. Of course that meaning-making is very much about the dispositions, knowledge and curiosity we each bring to the experience. Once again, I am delighted in your individual and collective receptivities to exploring the kinds of relations with others, and the specific ways of relating to others, that make heath education, health promotion and health care as much about what we do with others as about what we would have others do for themselves.
For our final class times this semester we shall turn our thoughts in a programmatic direction. As a prompt, consider the following heading – "Fitness, physical activity, mindfulness and thoughtfulness." What kinds of programs come to mind? How are these programs structured and delivered? How effective are they and by what standards would you measure their worth?
A purpose in thinking programmatically, and specifically in terms of the individual take-up of programs ostensibly geared towards health and wellness, is to see how we can connect our understandings of the social determinants of health with individual renditions of health, wellness, vitality and active living. Program-focused thinking helps us discern, beyond the limitations of the social determinants of health, the ‘affordances’ of health education, health promotion and health care. Program-speak helps us find an active register of health and wellness that inspires us into action, inter-action, and to take action for the benefit of others. Program-speak plays upon the disposition towards active living that enables us to help others have a less deterministic view of themselves and their health status.
Important program pointers are our daily (hopefully) physical activities of healthy and active living. (It is really for the sake of reminding ourselves of our physical being that I like to insert physical activity into our class times.) Yet such daily physical activity need not necessarily do much more than serve our own interests.
So, how might physical activity, which we take up ourselves or suggest others do, contribute to not just ‘active living’ but to ‘quality of life’ and to living healthily and vitally with others? As we consider the viability of programs of physical activity and the more encompassing promotion of programs, practices, and policies of active living, how might be come to understand authentic, participatory action with others?
It is with this question in view that we can look at the current promotion of daily physical activity (DPA) as affording the means of daily physical interactivity (DPI) and the promotion of a ‘physical mindfulness’ that is thoughtful of others.
A. Daily physical activity
Indications of what is commonly understood about the health benefits of physical activity can be found in the following:
A purpose in thinking programmatically, and specifically in terms of the individual take-up of programs ostensibly geared towards health and wellness, is to see how we can connect our understandings of the social determinants of health with individual renditions of health, wellness, vitality and active living. Program-focused thinking helps us discern, beyond the limitations of the social determinants of health, the ‘affordances’ of health education, health promotion and health care. Program-speak helps us find an active register of health and wellness that inspires us into action, inter-action, and to take action for the benefit of others. Program-speak plays upon the disposition towards active living that enables us to help others have a less deterministic view of themselves and their health status.
Important program pointers are our daily (hopefully) physical activities of healthy and active living. (It is really for the sake of reminding ourselves of our physical being that I like to insert physical activity into our class times.) Yet such daily physical activity need not necessarily do much more than serve our own interests.
So, how might physical activity, which we take up ourselves or suggest others do, contribute to not just ‘active living’ but to ‘quality of life’ and to living healthily and vitally with others? As we consider the viability of programs of physical activity and the more encompassing promotion of programs, practices, and policies of active living, how might be come to understand authentic, participatory action with others?
It is with this question in view that we can look at the current promotion of daily physical activity (DPA) as affording the means of daily physical interactivity (DPI) and the promotion of a ‘physical mindfulness’ that is thoughtful of others.
A. Daily physical activity
Indications of what is commonly understood about the health benefits of physical activity can be found in the following:
a. WHO: A guide for population-based approaches to increasing levels of physical activity
http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/PA-promotionguide-2007.pdf
b. The next site is a good resource for active living info. They seem quite focused on built environments but have a variety of other research articles as well.
http://www.activelivingresearch.org/resourcesearch
c. US Department of Health and Human Services, Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa
d. Article - Connecting Active Living Research and Public Policy: Transdisciplinary Research and Policy Interventions to Increase Physical Activity - Joseph M Schilling1, Billie Giles-Corti2 and James F Sallis
http://www.palgrave-journals.com/jphp/journal/v30/nS1/full/jphp200859a.html
e. BC Recreation and Parks Association: Active Communities
http://www.bcrpa.bc.ca/recreation_parks/active_communities.htm
f. See also: “Fitness of Canadian children and youth: Results from the 2007-2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey” by Mark S. Tremblay, Margot Shields, Manon Laviolette, Cora L. Craig, Ian Janssen and Sarah Connor Gorber
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-003-x/2010001/article/11065-eng.pdf
B. Daily physical inter-activity
Much press is being given at the moment to the Langley school ban on "hands on play."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/playground-touching-ban-defended-by-school-principal-1.2415409children playing contact games on the playground.
As with all media 'stories,' there is no doubt much that contextualizes this "ban" and that is not mentioned in the story that 'sells.' Still, we can see how this story somehow touches on a concern that children be allowed the opportunities, while others seem to be denying them, to engage with one another in demonstrably physical inter-actions. (I hyphenate the word 'inter-action' to bring attention to the fact that increasingly in this "interaction age" in which we are said to live, such interaction is increasingly assumed to be of a digitally-mediated kind.)
Have a look at the attached articles by:
http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/PA-promotionguide-2007.pdf
b. The next site is a good resource for active living info. They seem quite focused on built environments but have a variety of other research articles as well.
http://www.activelivingresearch.org/resourcesearch
c. US Department of Health and Human Services, Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa
d. Article - Connecting Active Living Research and Public Policy: Transdisciplinary Research and Policy Interventions to Increase Physical Activity - Joseph M Schilling1, Billie Giles-Corti2 and James F Sallis
http://www.palgrave-journals.com/jphp/journal/v30/nS1/full/jphp200859a.html
e. BC Recreation and Parks Association: Active Communities
http://www.bcrpa.bc.ca/recreation_parks/active_communities.htm
f. See also: “Fitness of Canadian children and youth: Results from the 2007-2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey” by Mark S. Tremblay, Margot Shields, Manon Laviolette, Cora L. Craig, Ian Janssen and Sarah Connor Gorber
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-003-x/2010001/article/11065-eng.pdf
B. Daily physical inter-activity
Much press is being given at the moment to the Langley school ban on "hands on play."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/playground-touching-ban-defended-by-school-principal-1.2415409children playing contact games on the playground.
As with all media 'stories,' there is no doubt much that contextualizes this "ban" and that is not mentioned in the story that 'sells.' Still, we can see how this story somehow touches on a concern that children be allowed the opportunities, while others seem to be denying them, to engage with one another in demonstrably physical inter-actions. (I hyphenate the word 'inter-action' to bring attention to the fact that increasingly in this "interaction age" in which we are said to live, such interaction is increasingly assumed to be of a digitally-mediated kind.)
Have a look at the attached articles by:
a. Milne (2007) on "Entering the Interaction Age."
b. Stephen Ristau (2011) on "People do need people: Social interaction boost brain health in older age."
c. Also, there is a very short piece which I wrote on "Daily Physical Interactivity" and which might prompt some thoughts of your own regarding the "inter-active" potentials within your own active living preferences.
C. Mindfulness and Thoughtfulness in and through physical activity
Our preferences for physical activity and for those forms that have differing degrees and kinds of inter-activity seem very much determined by 'life course' considerations. There are the social determinants of health, on the one hand, and the exercise of individual activity choices, on the other; yet the particular conjunctions of the social determinants and individual choices seem very much conditioned by age and maturational factors.
I've attached two pieces I wrote a couple of years ago which present such a 'life course' view of physical fitness. Consider your own life course patterns of choice in relation to physical activity and active living.
Smith (2011) "Balls, barbells and sock poi: The continuum of keeping fit"
C. Mindfulness and Thoughtfulness in and through physical activity
Our preferences for physical activity and for those forms that have differing degrees and kinds of inter-activity seem very much determined by 'life course' considerations. There are the social determinants of health, on the one hand, and the exercise of individual activity choices, on the other; yet the particular conjunctions of the social determinants and individual choices seem very much conditioned by age and maturational factors.
I've attached two pieces I wrote a couple of years ago which present such a 'life course' view of physical fitness. Consider your own life course patterns of choice in relation to physical activity and active living.
Smith (2011) "Balls, barbells and sock poi: The continuum of keeping fit"
Smith (2011b) "Fitness in flow motion: A continuum of curriculum possibilities"
Again, do not be swamped by these readings. I will refer to them when next we meet in terms of the themes, issues, questions and concerns they raise in relation to looking more programatically at how we can best educate, promote and care for health and wellness.
We will also consider, in our last "social determinants" seminar, the rather challenging sections of the Raphael text on "social exclusion" and "public policy." Please peruse the chapters of the text in Parts 5 and 6.
Finally, I would like to spend a bit of time on the Saturday morning to discuss the progress of the major papers. Bring a draft of the work you have done to date so that you can engage in small group commentary and feedback on that work. In particular, concentrate on part 2 of the assignment, which involves "fleshing out" the issue or question which you've raised in the experiential first part of the assignment by means of your readings and ruminations. Discussions with others can be most helpful in this regard. As for part three of the assignment, i.e. detailing some of the "curricular and pedagogical implications" of your question or issue, be fairly focused by detailing no more than a few implications.
We'll talk more specifically about the assignment when next we meet. Since the 22nd and 23rd of November still leave a little bit of time before the end of the semester, this should serve us well in ensuring there is the time and necessary guidance to attend to this assignment.
Regards,
Stephen.
Again, do not be swamped by these readings. I will refer to them when next we meet in terms of the themes, issues, questions and concerns they raise in relation to looking more programatically at how we can best educate, promote and care for health and wellness.
We will also consider, in our last "social determinants" seminar, the rather challenging sections of the Raphael text on "social exclusion" and "public policy." Please peruse the chapters of the text in Parts 5 and 6.
Finally, I would like to spend a bit of time on the Saturday morning to discuss the progress of the major papers. Bring a draft of the work you have done to date so that you can engage in small group commentary and feedback on that work. In particular, concentrate on part 2 of the assignment, which involves "fleshing out" the issue or question which you've raised in the experiential first part of the assignment by means of your readings and ruminations. Discussions with others can be most helpful in this regard. As for part three of the assignment, i.e. detailing some of the "curricular and pedagogical implications" of your question or issue, be fairly focused by detailing no more than a few implications.
We'll talk more specifically about the assignment when next we meet. Since the 22nd and 23rd of November still leave a little bit of time before the end of the semester, this should serve us well in ensuring there is the time and necessary guidance to attend to this assignment.
Regards,
Stephen.
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