James H. Humphrey (February 26, 1911 – July 11, 2008) was an educator and leader in the field of physical education

Physical education

Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....

.

Education

Humphrey earned a bachelor's degree from Denison University

Denison University

Denison University is private, coeducational, and residential college of liberal arts and sciences founded in 1831. It is located in Granville, Ohio, United States, approximately 30 miles east of Columbus, the state capital...

, and continued his education at Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...

, where he earned a master's degree. He later earned a doctorate from Boston University

Boston University

Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...

.

Career

Humphrey served as Director of Health and Physical Education for Bedford, Ohio City Schools. From 1943 to 1945, he took a leave of absence to served as a physical training officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve. In 1951, he became Assistant Professor of Health and Physical Education at Michigan State University

Michigan State University

Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...

, holding the position for two years. In 1953, he joined the faculty of the University of Maryland

University of Maryland, College Park

The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...

 and became a full professor in 1956.

Contributions

Humphrey wrote many textbooks, children's books, articles, and research reports in the field of physical education. He served as Research Editor of the Journal of School Health and as Director of the Institute on Research Design and Techniques in School and College Health Education. Humphrey's research was focused in the area of child education through motor activity. He argued that children tend to learn more readily when learning is associated with activity. Through his research, he developed the AMAV Technique, a procedure for teaching reading through movement. The AMAV Technique is widely used to assist children with reading difficulties.

External links

• Finding Aid for the James H. Humphrey Publications at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  The University of North Carolina at Greensboro , also known as UNC Greensboro, is a public university in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States and is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina system. The university offers more than 100 undergraduate, 61 master's and 26...
  
  
• An Anthology of Stress: Selected Works of James H. Humphrey
• Anthology of Stress Revisited: Selected Works of James H. Humphrey
• James H. Humphrey's obituary