ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how traditional approaches to teachers' professional development are being questioned as more contemporary approaches increasingly recognise the complex nature of teachers' professional learning. It considers key contextual factors influencing the position of physical education within the primary school. The chapter also discusses how the traditional professional development experiences that most generalist teachers receive appear to have done little to address the issue of quality in the subject area. It also considers how findings from a small number of contemporary professional development projects appear to have the potential to act as a catalyst for a shift in the nature of future professional learning development in primary physical education. The chapter proposes that professional learning needs to be part of a regular long-term process that encourages teachers to actively negotiate the ever-changing local and wider influences that affect their thinking and practice in physical education.
