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In our last three podcast episodes, we\u2019ve gone a long way towards explaining why it\u2019s important for humans to approach motor learning and skill acquisition from a standpoint of ecological dynamics. \n\nThe human organism is an incredibly complex system of systems and for millions of years we\u2019ve learned skills primarily by means of environmental necessity. If a problem or an opportunity arises, our survival could hinge on our ability to adapt and overcome the situation. This adaptability is one of our greatest powers and it exists in us to this day.\n\nCompared to this, the advent of instructors, coaches and learning facilities is relatively new to us. While coaching and instruction are invaluable at certain times and certain places, it is a major mistake when we abandon task constrained learning and unstructured play. \n\nUnfortunately this isn\u2019t how the vast majority of our modern physical education programs approach movement and motor learning. The emphasis on competitive team sports and reductionist fitness training has constricted the scope of what can be achieved and developed through movement practice. While everyone is affected by this, it is especially damaging to children.\n\nAs young children, the vast majority of fundamental skills and abilities are learned through play. When kids are allowed to play on their own, they not only develop physical capacities like strength, balance, and coordination, they also are learning social skills like negotiation, communication, self inhibition, altruism, and empathy. \n\nThis kind of play is also highly therapeutic and important for regulating anti-social behavior. Yet we are seeing more and more restrictions on both the amount and the types of play that kids are given access to. Schools are consistently cutting down on recess time, creating strict anti-risky play rules, and funneling more, younger kids into organized competitive team sports.\n\nAs this problem persists, we\u2019re seeing the damages more and more clearly as children grow into adults who are highly adverse to social situations, unable to take risks, unable to regulate aggression, and who are socially emotionally illiterate. \n\nAt EMP we believe that one of the most important things we can work towards is a complete restructuring of the physical education system. That\u2019s why we are so excited to have Peter Verdin as a guest on the Evolve Move Play Podcast today. \n\nPeter is a host at The Other Literacies Podcast, and he\u2019s also a movement engineer at Future Public Schools where he is using principles from parkour, natural movement, and ecological dynamics to build a better physical education system for his elementary school aged students. \n\nHis work is proving that with the right knowledge and experience, you can implement an effective program for instructing 30+ student classes in a manner that is engaging and congruent with the natural learning systems we have hardwired into our bodies and minds.\n\nSHOW NOTES \n00:00 - Intro\n04:07 - The Other Literacies \n15:38 - Movement Nutrition\n20:58 - Play Literacy\n33:09 - Structured and Unstructured Play\n48:13 - Social Emotional Learning\n01:03:04 - The Task Constrained Curriculum\n01:12:15 - The History of Physical Education