Professional insiders/outsiders? Teacher professionalism and the primary school Physical Education specialist

Abstract

This paper provides a context for exploring the positioning of Physical Education specialist teachers (PE specialist teachers) in primary schools in Queensland in the discourses of teacher professionalism. A critical analysis of literature on the history and status of the subject and its practitioners aims to contextualize discourses in and about professionalism and the primary school PE specialist. The paper demonstrates the location of the PE specialist teacher in an Australian context under independent and interdependent themes. This critical review of literature identifies a lack of studies and research in the area of teacher professionalism as described, defined and enacted by PE specialist teachers.

Keywords:

• teacher professionalism
• manangerial professionalism
• democratic professionalism
• primary PE specialist teacher
• non-contact time

Notes on contributors

Caroline Brooks is a primary Physical Education specialist teacher working in Brisbane. She is undertaking a Doctor of Education through James Cook University. She is currently on the executive of two professional teachers’ associations and her research interest is how teacher professionalism is perceived by different groups. Prior to obtaining a position at a primary school, Caroline taught HPE at several state high schools and has worked in Special Education and resource writing.

Maree DinanThompson is a Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education in the School of Education at James Cook University, Cairns. She also holds the position of Associate Dean: Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Arts, Education and Social Sciences. Maree's scholarly work has been concerned with Health and Physical Education curriculum and policy at construction and implementation levels in Australia and New Zealand. More recently her work has been exploring concepts of assessment literacy, and cultural significance and connectedness though traditional Indigenous games.

Notes

1. There is common slippage between Health and Physical Education (HPE), Physical Education (PE) and Health Education (HE). For Queensland, HPE is the key learning area but PE is more commonly taught by Physical Education primary school specialists in Queensland. This paper positions HPE and PE as crossover terms.