Motor activities and paddle during COVID-19

The purpose of this research work is to highlight the contribution that a motor and sports practice such as Paddle can provide during a particular period like the current one, marked by the presence of the COVID-19 virus which negatively affects the development of social, relational, and educational aspects of any person practicing this sport. This paper aims to highlight the educational importance of the movement through the sports discipline of Paddle, especially in a negative period like the one we are going through, due to the health and social pandemic of "Corona Virus"

Corpo, movimento e robotica educativa per gli studenti con Bisogni Educativi Speciali

In this paper, we present some topics to improve the use of Robotics in teaching, with a new approach of Embodied Cognitive Science (ECS) (Gomez Paloma, 2013) in order to facilitate learning of all students. The notion of simulation (Gallese, 2005b; 2009) has assumed a central role in the theories of the embodied cognition; in particular, it’s made reference to the motor simulation during the observation of objects or people performing an action, and the comprehension of a language. The learning experience with the robot is characterized as a relational experience that is essentially different fromthat with a computer or another electronic device. Attention for body and movement through Robotics stimulates development of basic skills and capacity for learning, as visuo- spatial, visuo-motory and social skills; these skills are very important for students, especially for students with Special Educational Needs.L’articolo presenta alcuni argomenti connessi all’utilizzo della robotica nell’insegnamento, attraverso la prospettiva dell’Embodied Cognitive Science (ECS) (Gomez Paloma, 2013), al fine di facilitare l’apprendimento di tutti glistudenti. La nozione di simulazione (Gallese, 2005b; 2009) ha assunto un ruolo centrale nelle teorie della cognizione incarnata; nell’articolo, si farà riferimento particolare al processo di simulazione motoria che si verifica durante l’osservazione di oggetti o persone che eseguono un’azione e la comprensione di una lingua. L’esperienza di apprendimento con il robot si caratterizza come un’esperienza relazionale che è sostanzialmente diversa dall’esperienza di apprendimento con un computer o con altro dispositivo elettronico. L’attenzione per il corpo e per il movimento attraverso la Robotica stimola i processi di imitazione e lo sviluppo delle competenze di base e delle abilità essenziali per l’apprendimento, quali le abilità visuo-spaziali, visuo-motorie, linguistiche, empatiche e sociali. Queste competenze sono molto importanti per tutti glistudenti, ma lo sono maggiormente per gli studenti con Bisogni Educativi Speciali

Guarana and physical performance: A myth or reality?

Guarana (Paullinia cupana) is a rainforest vine that was domesticated in the Amazon for its caffeine-rich fruits. Each fruit contains from one to three seeds which, properly dried, give rise to a brown paste with a bitter taste. The Food and Drug Administration generally recognizes guarana as safe, although there are no established dosages and it is unclear how much guarana is in each drink, because many companies do not list a milligram amount. The increasing number of energy drink with caffeine-related clearly shows that there seems to be a real risk for adverse health effects such as arrhythmias. However, under moderate use and without combining other stimulants or alcohol, the risk for such side effects seem negligible. Anyway, there is an overwhelming lack of evidence to substantiate claims that guarana contribute to the enhancement of physical or cognitive performance. Additional well-designed, randomized, placebo-controlled studies are needed in order to assess claims made for this product and further elucidate potential adverse effects

MOVEMENT EDUCATION AT THE CENTER OF THE SCHOOL

In this study, the reader’s attention is drawn to the importance of movement education and its central role in the school. The latter is, together with the family, the institution organized according to rules, with the aim of educating, teaching and training students from three to eighteen years of age. A continuous training process that develops in the sensitive stages of growth. The role of the school in our society is fundamental, and we have witnessed it especially in this last year during which we have been hit by a violent pandemic event, forcing us to avoid social contacts; consequently, even the school has been conditioned to the point of stopping classroom activities. But in spite of this, we have never thought for a moment about interrupting the teacher-learner relationship, employing what everybody knows as distance learning, so as not to break the <> between people. This is a fundamental aspect of the project “La Scuola al Centro” (The Centrality of the School), in which, through the movement, the body is considered a resource for the structuring of the self and of learning processes; all this while also providing, through the design of educational and inclusive paths, the possibility of building, discovering and learning about the individual, as well as of building a more sustainable future based on equality in diversity

PROJECT ON THE BODY OF PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES BETWEEN IDENTITY, SEXUAL EMBODIMENT AND SPORT

If the sexuality of disabled people, in its complexity of embodiment, is considered a cultural taboo, a mere physiological problem in medicine, and has not been the subject of much attention from the social sciences, it should be noted that even the disability policies themselves have only recently begun to recognize their myopia with respect to sexuality. The concept of sexual citizenship has offered a promising way forward, aiming to relate the sexual self and the social self, thus framing sexuality in a perspective that integrates desires and rights, intimacy and civil recognition, sexual bodies and legislative bodies. A further focus on the corporeity/disability binomial can be found by deepening the educational value of sports practice for the disabled person, and the social and cultural phenomenon of the Paralympic Games. The pedagogical-special feld, is actually increasingly expanding today - in line with the recent “UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” - to the problems that emerge in relation to work integration, the right to leisure and recreation, and basically to the search for an adult identity for the disabled person. Accordingly, it is in this broadened horizon of perspective of the Special Pedagogy studies that we can integrate and investigate the formative value of the corporeal dimension, the educational and social value of sport for the disabled people

Experimenting with motor and sports sciences in primary school: Innovative proposals for didactics and evaluation systems

The Italian primary school, among its institutional teachings, requires the presence of motor and sports education, and a teacher that is specialized and competent in this discipline. Starting from this hypothesis, this research work sets itself the objective of identifying both an innovative and effective didactic-pedagogical program for the school context, and an appropriate evaluation approach consistent with the motor, socio-relational and educational objectives pursued through motor and sports sciences. Through the experimental program "Sport in Classe", the research was carried out directly in the primary school context and allowed to meet the set objectives and highlight the importance that the graduate in motor sciences could assume in the Italian primary school

Le funzioni del Gioco Motorio e le sue implicazioni evolutive nello sviluppo del bambino

With this contribution we want to further elevate the value of the educational contribution that the observation of the game before, and the game itself then, can give to the work of the teacher. The aim is to ask ourselves how the game, as a daily and fundamental element for a harmonious psychophysical growth of the child, can become a fundamental element also for adults and in particular to identify, decrease and counteract increasingly frequent aggressive phenomena in our classes/ sections. Physical activity (PA) and fundamental motor skills are important components of present and future health trajectories in young children. This study examined the effects of a 24-week mobility intervention on the motor competence of kindergarten children. Initial tests were on guided play (research group A) and free play (control group B). 20 preschool children were assessed for motor skills before and after surgery using the tests of long jump from standstill and fast run over a distance of 10 meters. The tests were administered to both groups and immediately before the start of the research, as well as at the end the same tests were administered for the evaluation of the results. All children significantly improved their motor skills from baseline to final assessment. Both Group A children and Group B children have shown slight rates of change, proving that the game is independent of adult control. It stimulates memory, motor language, attention, promotes the development of perceptive patterns and socio-emotional-affective abilities. On the contrary, a poor playful activity can lead to deficiencies in the child’s personal maturity and maturity.Con il presente contributo si vuole elevare ulteriormente il valore dell’apporto educativo che l’osservazione del gioco prima, e il gioco stesso poi, possono dare al lavoro dell’insegnante. Lo scopo è interrogarci su come il gioco, da elemento quotidiano e fondamentale per una armoniosa crescita psicofisica del bambino, possa divenire elemento fondamentale anche per gli adulti ed in particolar modo per individuare, diminuire e contrastare fenomeni di aggressività sempre più frequenti nelle nostre classi/sezioni. L’attività fisica (PA) e le abilità motorie fondamentali sono componenti importanti delle traiettorie di salute presenti e future nei bambini piccoli. Questo studio ha esaminato gli effetti di un intervento di abilità motoria di 24 settimane sulla competenza motoria dei bambini della scuola dell’infanzia. I test iniziali sono stati sul gioco guidato (gruppo di ricerca A) e sul gioco libero (gruppo di controllo B). A 20 bambini in età prescolare sono state valutate le capacità motorie prima e dopo l’intervento utilizzando i test del salto in lungo da fermo e della corsa veloce su una distanza di 10 metri. I test sono stati somministrati ad entrambi i gruppi ed immediatamente prima della partenza della ricerca, così come alla fine sono stati somministrati gli stessi test per la valutazione dei risultati. Tutti i bambini hanno sensibilmente migliorato le proprie capacità motorie dal basale alla valutazione finale. Sia i bambini del Gruppo A e sia i bambini del Gruppo B hanno dimostrato lievi tassi di cambiamento dimostrando così, che il gioco è indipendente dal controllo dell’adulto. Esso stimola la memoria, il linguaggio motorio, l’attenzione, favorisce lo sviluppo di schemi percettivi e le capacità socio-emotive-affettive. Al contrario, invece, una scarsa attività ludica può comportare nel bambino carenze sulla personale maturazione e maturità

L’attività motoria nella scuola dell’infanzia

An accurate analysis of modern society and consequently of all that is needed to succeed in the difficult formation of the child who will be the adult of the future, cannot fail to take into consideration the school, and consequently the intrinsic properties of the motor activity and therefore of the motor science as a supporting discipline for the acquisition of correct lifestyles and a healthy sports education. The educational institution must respond to three fundamental aspects of school life, and consequently, social: knowing, knowing how to do, knowing how to be. Three points that are fully revised in concept such as knowledge, skills and attitudes. Therefore, from a social, pedagogical and psychological point of view it is necessary that in the contexts of cultural and social life, such as school, well-structured learning environments are created. The idea of the teacher as a source of absolute knowledge must no longer be accepted, but the student with his needs must be placed at the center of thelearning process, therefore also the physical objects that make up the environment in which the moment occurs. learning, must change. The idea of the chair as a means for the teacher to express his authority, and the pupils’ desks as a symbol of lack of knowledge, must be abandoned in favor of a type of didactic activity that is cooperative, motivating, socializing and that takes into account the emotional aspects of the learners.Un’accurata analisi della società moderna e conseguentemente di tutto ciò che necessita per riuscire nella difficile formazione del bambino, il futuro adulto del domani, non può non tenere in considerazione la scuola, e quindi le proprietà intrinseche dell’attività motoria e delle scienze motorie come disciplina portante per l’acquisizione di corretti stili di vita e di una sana educazione sportiva. La scuola deve rispondere a tre aspetti fondamentali della vita scolastica, e conseguentemente, sociale: sapere, saper fare, saper essere. Tre punti che si rivedono pienamente in concetti come le conoscenze, le capacità e gli atteggiamenti. Pertanto, dal punto di vista sociale, pedagogico e psicologico è necessario che nei contesti di vita culturale e sociale, comprendenti anche la scuola, si creino degli ambienti di apprendimento ben strutturati. L’idea di docente come fonte di sapere assoluto, non deve più essere accettata, ma al centro del processo di apprendimento deve essere messo l’allievo con isuoi bisogni, pertanto anche gli oggetti fisici che compongono l’ambiente in cui avviene il momento di apprendimento, devono mutare. L’idea di cattedra come mezzo del docente per manifestare la propria autorità, ed i banchi degli alunni intesi come simbolo della non conoscenza, deve essere abbandonata in favore di una tipologia di attività didattica che sia cooperativa,motivante, socializzante e che tenga in considerazione gli aspetti emotivi dei discenti, valori che sono propri dell’attività motoria

Educare alla Pace attraverso l’Educazione Motoria

I conflitti bellici sempre più diffusi a tutte le latitudini della terra generano, oltre a danni evidenti quali morti, distruzioni e sventramento del tessuto sociale, anche delle divisioni e dei risentimenti che, se non sanati tempestivamente perdureranno fino a radicarsi indissolubilmente. Uno dei contesti che può arginare questo fenomeno è la scuola. Essa è il luogo in cui nascono i primi momenti di relazione con l’altro, sia che si tratti di momenti giocosi, ricchi di emozioni, che di episodi di conflitto, i quali dovrebbero generare una riflessione sul modo di fare ed agire della persona interessata. Educare alla pace attraverso l’attività motoria, significa percorre un sentiero innovativo che l’educazione stessa può percorrere, trovando nuovi equilibri, favorendo la crescita del pensiero critico, abituando gli alunni a riflettere, e a comprendere quali siano le reali cause di tutto ciò che accade, per poi creare un’opinione personale sulla vicenda.  The abstract in English is mandatory and should summarize the contents of the paper and contain maximum 500 characters spaces included. The increasingly widespread conflicts of war at all latitudes of the earth generate, in addition to obvious damage such as death, destruction and disembowelment of the social fabric, also divisions and resentments that, if not promptly healed they will last until they take root indissolubly. One of the contexts that can stem this phenomenon is school. It is the place where the first moments of relationship with the other are born, whether it is playful moments, full of emotions, that of episodes of conflict, which should generate a reflection on the way of doing and acting of the person concerned. Educating for peace through physical activity, means following an innovative path that education itself can follow, finding new balances, encouraging the growth of critical thinking, accustoming students to reflect, and to understand what are the real causes of everything that happens, and then create a personal opinion on the matter.