ABSTRACT
The three chapters in Part III – ‘Rethinking teacher knowledge in physical education. What do physical education teachers need to know?’, ‘Why do physical education teachers adopt a particular way of teaching?’ and ‘Are physical education teachers reflective practitioners?’ – all move the spotlight from the learners to the teachers. Chapter 7 addresses the topic of the range and content of the knowledge teachers need, while Chapter 8 asks why teachers tend to adopt and maintain certain teaching approaches. Finally Chapter 9 challenges you to look in depth at the concept of the reflective practitioner. Chapter 7, ‘Rethinking teacher knowledge in physical education: what do physical education teachers need to know?’ considers what knowledge teachers need to be good physical education teachers. The chapter stresses that it is impossible to formulate a definitive knowledge base because the knowledge base will be different depending on the context and the definer’s ideological position. The chapter seeks to navigate a path through several areas of debate, including: an overview of some perspectives on the characteristics of teacher knowledge and knowledge production; a summary of some of the main theories, ideas and concepts that have given physical education teacher education programmes direction; and four knowledge areas (content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, knowledge of pupils and self-knowledge and reflection). You are asked to consider and debate your views on each of the areas considered in the chapter. Chapter 8, ‘Why do physical education teachers adopt a particular way of teaching?’ focuses on why teachers adopt a particular way of teaching and how this affects learners’ learning. The chapter looks first at whether teaching is a rational activity. It then looks at four possible reasons why teachers choose particular teaching strategies. The last of these, because the teacher has a particular philosophy of physical education, is then considered in relation to the strong socialisation of physical education teachers which can result in routine action rather than deliberate decisions being made to support the intended learning of pupils. The chapter then considers the implications of teachers not
always questioning why they teach as they do and concludes by encouraging you to reflect on why you teach the way you do and to ensure that the rationale behind your teaching is always in the interests of your learners’ learning. Thus, the chapter argues that what has perhaps been taken for granted – or assumed that teachers do – is not always the case, and teachers need to give particular attention to ‘taken for granted’ assumptions. Chapter 9, ‘Are physical education teachers reflective practitioners?’ presents an innovative framework that reveals the complex nature of reflective practice. You are asked first to examine three types of discourse to highlight the nature of different conversations used by teachers to interrogate their reflections, and then nine discrete but interrelated dimensions of reflective practice. This is followed by a short presentation of the characteristics of a professional and of an extended professional. You are then challenged to reflect on the extent to which physical education teachers are reflective practitioners and extended professionals.
