Using self-study to explore the processes of pedagogical innovation in physical education teacher education

Abstract

This collaborative self-study examined the experiences of two teacher educators who developed and implemented a pedagogical approach that prioritised learning how to facilitate meaningful physical education (PE) experiences in their physical education teacher education programs. Data sources included 33 individual planning and reflection documents, 33 critical friend responses and transcriptions of over 7 hours of skype conversations, which were gathered across two academic years (2013–2015). Collaborative self-study provided a scaffold to explore our pedagogies in terms of learning about teaching and teaching about teaching [Loughran, J. (2006). Developing a pedagogy of teacher education: Understanding teaching & learning about teaching. New York, NY: Routledge]. Through development and implementation of an innovation, we enhanced our understanding of pedagogies that support pre-service teachers learning how to foster meaningful PE experiences, a process that resulted in better alignment of our beliefs and pedagogical practices. This study illustrates the merits of collaborative self-study to build teacher educators’ capacity for innovation and shape their pedagogical practices through reflection and peer support. The potential of self-study to contribute to the knowledge base of pedagogies of teacher education as part of a larger program of research is highlighted.

Keywords:

• teacher educator
• teacher learning
• meaningful
• meaning-making pedagogy

Notes on contributors

Déirdre Ní Chróinín is a lecturer in elementary physical education and Head of the Department of Arts Education and Physical Education, Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick. Her research is focused on the experiences of children in sport and physical education settings and the preparation of teachers and coaches who can make such experiences meaningful.

Tim Fletcher is Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Brock University, Canada. Tim is an active member of the self-study research community. He is on the International Advisory Board for Studying Teacher Education: A journal of self-study of teacher education practices and sits on the Editorial Board for Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy. Tim's research interests are in teacher/teacher educator socialization and identity, pre-service teacher education, and self-study of practice.

Mary O'Sullivan holds the Professorship of Physical Education and Youth Sport in the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences (PESS) at the University of Limerick, Ireland. She established the PE PAYS Research Centre there in 2005 and led the development of the centre for ten years. She has recently completed two terms as Dean of the Faculty of Education and Health Sciences at the University of Limerick and is now focused on researching teacher education, PETE and teacher professional development from both a policy and curriculum perspective.

Notes

1 We aim to disseminate further details of pedagogies that support LAMPE in future work.