SPECTRUM COLLEAGUES
Lubomir Dobry
Chief Editor of the journal Tělesná výchova a sport mládeže (Physical education and sport of the youth)
Retired Faculty of physical education and sport from Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic
Email:
lubdob@seznam.cz
Meetings with Muska and Sara (most nearly a fairy tale)
First meeting
Once upon a time – in fact it was in July 1971 – on my way to the congress of FARS (Fédération des Animateurs des République des Sports) which was held in Saint Raphael, France, I spent a week in Paris in the apartment of my friend Jacquie Marsenach, famous French PE researcher. In that time, she was lecturing in Canada with another good friend of mine – Robert Mérand, a lighthearted man, who influenced very much my educational thinking, especially the conceptions of teaching games. The first object which captured my consideration in her flat was a large professional library. I was lost; reading competent works concerning my profession is my weakness. And after two days of browsing and listing the books, I met a virtual Muska, namely his work Teaching Physical Education, from Command to Discovery. From the first moment I knew intuitively that the book is a breakthrough into my thinking and knowledge. I took the book along with me to Prague, made a photo copy in our library and Muska was in Prague. And in the following years I was obsessed with a wish to meet Muska personally.
Second meeting
In 1978 I was invited as a lecturer to the AISEPS Congress which took place in Magglingen, Swiss. After my registration I went through the list of participants and at once I stiffened and did not believe to my eyes. Ten times I read Muska Mosston, Sara Ashworth. My wish was saved. I went on reading the list and on the next page I found the names Robert Mérand and Jacquie Marsenach. Can anybody imagine what this lucky chance meant for me? Today, after 30 years, I know that it was divine providence, a miracle.
Next day, at the opening session, I was asked by Maurice Piéron to say in few words who am I, where come I from and explain shortly the main ideas of my presentation. After the first words “I am Lubomír Dobrý from Prague” a man (post facto I learned that this man was Muska Mosston) sprang out exclaimed: “From where?” “From Prague,” was my answer. “And where is Prague?” “In Czechoslovakia.” “And where is Czechoslovakia?” After this question I proposed to continue in a lesson of geography after the opening session was over and went on: “I am going to tell you about the findings of our research of two Mosston’s teaching styles.” “What? Muska Mosston in Prague? Unbelievable!” It was en explosion of great surprise combined with pleasure and great emotion.
In the evening I introduced these outstanding four persons each other and told them the incredible story which connected them without their consciousness.
Third meeting
February 1980. After very complicated correspondence – Muska and Sara were in Finland and I sent my letters to Portugal – came the day when Sara and Muska ought to come to Prague. We settled a very uncertain meeting point and a very uncertain and approximate hour on the Prague periphery. I was accompanied by my colleague Jana Safarikova. The day was very ugly, cold, with black snow and we both with a plate MUSKA waited and waited … may be two hours … until a dirty small car passed by, after 100 m stopped, a man stepped out and shouted: “Lubos!” Muska and Sara were really in Prague.
Thanks to a friend of mine, an officer of the ministry of education, I got the permission to organize (don’t forget that it was in the era of very hard communistic regime) a small conference on teaching styles for the staff and students of the faculty of physical education and sport, Charles University. After a few days spent in Prague we made a trip to Moravia, visited Blansko (bath in a rehabilitation center, the gorge Macocha, the caves with submersible river Punkva open in winter only for us, the jazzband Spectrum with Muska’s exclamation “Spectrum in Blansko? Unbelievable!”, Hovorcany with wine-cellar and Moravian songs and Brno (my son’s family).
Fourth meeting
In the same year, Sara and Muska came once more to Prague. They succumbed to my invitation to come and see a big gymnast festival Spartakiada. A couple of days from the morning till the evening they spent on the Strahov Stadium observing the thousands of exercisers and their amazing command style.
Wasn’t it a lovely and beautiful fairy-tale? I think it was. Thank you both, Sara and Muska, for your friendship and knowledge you gave me.
In the conclusion let me allow to express my two beliefs in which they are zipped all my life experiences:
1) The education is one’s attempt to change another one.
2) In the teaching (i. e. teacher’s activities) there are always present the following imminent variables (any time, any place, with any pupils, the teacher knowing or knowing not about their existence): teaching style, teaching method, teaching form, forms of teaching behavior and subject matter. This is the reason why the educational research is so tremendously difficult, often even unrealizable.
Lubomír Dobrý
About Lubomír Dobrý
Professor, PhDr., CSc., born 1925 in Brno, 1945–49 studies of physical education and English
1949–2000 university teacher: 1949 Masaryk University in Brno, 1953 Charles University in Prague, Faculty of physical education and sport, Czech Republic
Lectures in France, Germany, Austria, Russia
The main domains of contribution of Dr. Dobrý:
- Scientific research: the studies of teacher – pupil interaction in the PE classes, the impact of teaching styles; the development of the original method, Analysis of didactic interaction (ADI)“; the studies of team games performance and training
- Coaching profession in the period 1945 – 1987: coach of the Olympic women‘s basketball team (European championship 1950 3rd place, 1952 2nd place, 1976 3rd place; world champioship 1957 3rd place; 1976 winner of the European club champions; assistant coach of the olympic men‘s basketball team (1985 2nd place).
- President of the Scientific section Educational kinanthropogy 1995-2008.
1966–67 Study trip in the USA
Today´s position: chief editor of the journal Telesná výchova a sport mládeže (Physical education and sport of the youth), 8times yearly, 48 pages. In this journal he tries to popularize the spectrum of teaching styles.