Dance and School Age Children’s Psycho-Motor Development: The Oseretzky-Guilmain Test

The importance of the relationship between the integration of sensory inputs and motor actions has given rise to large number of researches that have demonstrated how it is a necessary function not only for good academic performance but also for a proper development of the organizational thinking.The ability of sensory-motor integration is today recognized a central role in the integral formation of the subject(Viviani,Stucchi 1992).The Italian National Guidelines for the curriculum of primary school of 2012 require the achievement of motor skills related to balance and motor coordination as one of the goals for skill development at the end of primary school,measurable through a different use of evaluation tools.Among the several motor assessment tests recognised by the international scientific community,the Oseretzky-Guilmain test could be considered among evaluation tools for the possible detection of the psychomotor age,referring in detail to three categories such as:“balancing”on one leg;“staying”with your eyes closed on your toes and“jumping”on one leg.The Salerno research group conducted a field research involving a sample of 320 children,aged 6-8,whose only the half part practicing sport(dance),who were given Oseretzky-Guilmain tests represents a valid instruments of assessing the general coordination and balance and their constitutive elements.The aim of the research has highlighted the importance of an use of motor evaluation assessment in the primary school that is required to bring out potentialities and plurality of limits of each pupil,which are essential for effective customized teaching planning of educational act.It has been shown that children practicing sport-dance in our study case,pass the above tests easier than those ones not doing any physical exercises.

The Inclusive Potential of Physical-recreational Activity at Italian Nursery School

In the introduction to the 2012 Italian ministry guidelines on the curriculum for nursery schools, the need to structure the curricular so that it respects the uniqueness and originality of each child attending the nursery school as well as the phases of development and training is highlighted. In particular, it is worth noting that particular attention must be given to the support of various forms of diversity, disability or disadvantage. The structuring of learning paths based on corporeity is one of the possible ways that can remove any form of obstacle promoting the inclusion and integration of the pupil with disabilities within the classroom context. The body and movement is an appealing educational environment capable of ensuring the pace of individual and individualized learning, with it being set with a scholastic context as a path in which each student experiences the use of their different abilities.

Assessment of Eye-hand Coordination in Italian Preschools

In 2012, the Italian Ministry of Education introduced in the Guidelines for preschool the need to evaluate one aspect of coordination related to the eye-hand relationship. Meinel＇s theoretical model provides an overview of the eye hand coordination, based on capacity to integrate anatomic-functional skills with specific and synchronic hand＇s actions. Meinel＇s model is rich of possible teaching ideas which are consistent with the Italian school system. They might also be a topical theoretical support to choose and use the motor evaluation tests in the Italian preschool, in order to evaluate the eye hand coordination and its constituent elements.