2026 SHAPE Iowa

What does it mean for students to truly become movers? This session explores the intersection of SHAPE America Standard 1 (motor competence), contemporary motor learning research, and the Meaningful Physical Education (MPE) framework. Participants will engage in movement experiences that highlight principles such as representative design, constraint manipulation, and repetition without repetition, while examining how these ideas can deepen students’ sense of competence, agency, and meaningful engagement. Rather than viewing skill development as the replication of a single “ideal” form, this session invites educators to consider how learning emerges through exploration, adaptation, and purposeful design.Participants will:

• Reframe motor competence (SHAPE Standard 1) as adaptive, functional, and context-dependent rather than fixed or form-based
• Explore and apply key motor learning principles (e.g., representative design, constraint manipulation, repetition without repetition, form follows function) through embodied experiences
• Design learning tasks that support autonomy, exploration, and variability while promoting meaningful participation