Educazione motoria nella scuola primaria: quali competenze per il docente?

There is a compelling evidence that supports the importance of promotingan adequate practice of physical activity in the developmental years, i.e. from6 to 11 years of age, in the primary school context. The beneficial effects ofchildren’s’ involvement in regular physical activity can be classified into threemain areas: firstly, the prevention of some particularly recurrent pathologicalsituations, secondly, the promotion of their physical fitness and well-beingand lastly, the maturation of the cognitive system with its implications on thelearning process and children’s self-control. In order to offer some supportto physical education (PE) curricular programs and hours, many project havebeen implemented in schools of the most important and sensitive Italian re-gions for over 15 years to date. These projects have been mainly financed bylocal authorities (e.g. State, Regions, Municipalities), supported by the ItalianNational Olympic Committee (CONI) for the administrative aspects, coordi-nated and monitored by the single universities and implemented by the in-troduction of graduates in Motor and Sport Sciences in the school contextwith the aim of assisting and helping the general teachers to handle curric-ular PE hours. The positive outcomes of these implementations on children’sphysical and mental well-being and psycho-social maturation have con-vinced the Ministry of Education, University and Research to propose a lawto support and activate the introduction of the new professional figure ofthe Motor and Sport Science graduate in the primary school context. Thisstudy aims at opening the debate on the skills required by this new and spe-cialized professional figure.