‘If they can say it they can write it’: Inclusive pedagogies for senior secondary physical education

Abstract

Pedagogical practices are fundamental to teachers' work, and in the spaces of schooling impact significantly on students' success and achievement (Evans, J. 1986. Physical Education, Sport and Schooling: Studies in the Sociology of Physical Education. London: Falmer Press.). This is especially the case for students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are deeply reliant on schooling for their educational resources. This article explores the interrelationships between pedagogical practices, the physical education curriculum at the senior secondary level and learning by both students and a teacher in a school located in an area of socio-economic disadvantage. Action research investigating a pedagogical redesign of a unit of ‘Skill Acquisition’ is the specific focus. Of key interest are pedagogical practices that incorporated opportunities to learn ‘about’ Skill Acquisition ‘through’ and ‘in’ movement. These practices attempted to develop and apply scientific literacies specific to the human movement sciences, which are important for academic success in senior secondary physical education. Findings reveal high student engagement, increasing utilisation of scientific literacies and application of new learning to life-world situations. We argue that pedagogical practices that integrate learning ‘about’ ‘through’ and ‘in’ movement disrupt default modes of teaching theoretical concepts in physical education, which diminish opportunities for academic success amongst students from low-socio-economic backgrounds.

Keywords:

• physical education
• embodied pedagogies
• inclusive education
• social justice

Notes on contributors

Robyne Garrett, Ph.D., is a senior lecturer in physical education, dance, and teaching methodologies in the School of Education at the University of South Australia. Her research interests include gender, critical pedagogies, embodiment, dance and alternative movement approaches. Current projects include socially just pedagogies for refugees and disadvantaged students, whiteness studies and embodied pedagogies for equity. Her research methodologies include narrative storytelling, case studies and ethnographic approaches. Her teaching focuses on supporting student teachers to develop and implement critical and embodied pedagogies.

Alison Wrench, Ph.D., is a lecturer in Health and Physical Education in the School of Education at the University of South Australia. Her research interests include socially critical pedagogies, identity work and gender issues related to health and physical education, sport and physical activity more generally. Recent research projects include investigating interrelationships between teacher subjectivities, socio-critical orientations and pedagogical practices. This has encompassed exploring the significance of embodiment and the affective domain to teacher subjectivities and inclusive pedagogical practices for disadvantaged students.