Initial teacher education and continuing professional development: the perspectives of special school physical education teachers

ABSTRACT

Physical education (PE) research focusing on initial teacher education (ITE) and continuing professional development (CPD) have been preoccupied with practitioners in mainstream (regular) schools. This article used situated learning theory to explore special school PE teachers’ perspectives of their ITE and CPD in England. A number of key themes were constructed from six interviews with special school teachers, including, ‘Special educational needs and disabilities are marginalised during initial teacher education’, ‘Special school-based placement may help to prepare trainee teacher’, ‘The professional development opportunities available to special school PE teachers are limited’ and ‘PE-specific CPD should be tailored to the needs of staff and pupils in schools’. Regardless of route into the profession, all teachers recalled a lack of focus on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and inclusion in the context of PE during their ITE. This trend was also evident through subsequent CPD offered, although there were accounts of informal opportunities. In concluding we argue that further consideration must be given to the nature of inclusive PE training offered within ITE. There is also a need to reconsider how CPD can best support career-long professional development that nurtures inclusive PE practitioners.

KEYWORDS:

• Special school physical education
• inclusive physical education
• initial teacher education and continuing professional development

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Anthony John Maher, Senior Lecturer in Physical Education and Youth Sport and Leader of Pedagogy, Professional Development and Politics in Physical Education and Sport Research Group, Edge Hill University, UK.

Hayley Fitzgerald, Reader in Physical Education and Disability Sport, Leeds Beckett University, UK.

ORCID

Anthony John Maher http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1628-0962

Hayley Fitzgerald http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3678-2924