Niki Tsangaridou

Educating Primary Teachers to Teach Physical Education.

Research evidence suggests that, worldwide, physical education in early years is mainly taught by primary teachers (Graber et al., 2008; Hunter, 2006; Kirk, 2005). Descriptions of primary teachers’ experiences of teaching physical education are particularly essential as an avenue for developing better-quality teacher training for teaching primary school physical education (Hunter, 2006; Kirk, 2005; Pangrazi, 2003; Tsangaridou, 2008). The purpose of this article is to provide an overview and discuss illustrative findings of research conducted on primary school teachers who teach physical education. The paper is divided into three sections. In the first section, research findings on in-service primary teachers are presented and discussed. In the second section, an account of empirical inquiries on pre-service primary teachers is reviewed. Finally, the third section provides a summary of the major findings, discusses the main conclusions, offers implications for teacher educators and points out directions for further research.

Enacted Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Physical Education: a Case Study of a Prospective Classroom Teacher

Recently, attention has been focused on the development and the nature of pedagogical content knowledge in the general and physical education literature. The purpose of this study was to describe the enacted pedagogical content knowledge of an elementary classroom teacher during student teaching.Data collection included observations, documents, journals and interviews. Constant comparison and analytic induction were used to organize and categorize the data. Findings indicated that Anna designed instructional tasks with an emphasis on students’ learning. An important issue in teaching for Anna was the transformation of content. During the process of content delivery Anna used examples, demonstrations and openended questions to enhance students’ learning and understanding. In helping students work cooperatively Anna designed partner and group task activities during the teaching and learning process. Anna’s case illustrates the value of understanding pre-service classroom teachers’ ways of coming to learn what, why and how to teach PE.

Applying a Mixed Method Design to Evaluate Training Seminars within an Early Childhood Education Project.

Abstract The body of research relating to assessment in education suggests that professional developers and seminar administrators have generally paid little attention to evaluation procedures. Scholars have also been critical of evaluations which use a single data source and have favoured the use of a multiple method design to generate a complete picture of the effectiveness of procedures under evaluation. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate two training seminars using a mixed method design. The evaluation procedure was specifically designed to utilise triangulation of sources and to follow Killions eight-step process. The seminars were part of the ‘Early Steps’ project, a European Union (EU) Comenius Programme, concerning the development and implementation of an alternative physical education curriculum for preschool pupils. Results of the study support the assertion that a mixed method design increases the validity of the evaluation procedure. It is suggested here that educational evaluation procedures, inherently difficult to measure directly, may successfully utilise multiple measures. Such measures should be various in nature, and combine qualitative and quantitative approaches and – when used appropriately – can also help to predict the likely impact of training on teachers’ behaviours and professional practice.

Reflective practice in dance: a review of the literature

The importance of reflective practice is frequently noted in the literature; indeed, reflective capacity is regarded as an essential characteristic for professional competence. The ability to think about why and what one does is critical to intelligent practice, practice that is reflective rather than routine. In recent years, higher education curricula have been restructured in an effort to develop more successful program models. Many of these new curricula include elements of the ‘reflective practice’ concept while proposing recommendations for improving higher education programs. Despite its wide acceptance, the notion of ‘reflection’ remains elusive and mysterious; has different meanings; and is used in a plethora of different ways in educational and professional settings. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of different perspectives regarding related theory and research on the concept of reflective practice in dance. The first section provides an account of the conceptual alternatives of reflection. In the second section, a synopsis of empirical efforts on reflection in dance is provided. Furthermore, a short epilog highlights the major conclusions on reflective practice in dance. Consequently, based on the findings which concern the development of reflective practice, a presentation of further directions for research in this area and implications for educational practice that can be explored is offered.

Moving towards effective physical education teacher education for generalist primary teachers: a view from Cyprus

The preparation of effective teachers continues to be a critical issue in the literature since what teachers know and are able do is the most significant influence on what students learn. Teacher education programmes are considered to be the best places for teacher candidates to learn the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to educate children. Physical education initial teacher education (PE-ITE) for generalist primary teachers is being challenged with regard to quality. The purpose of this article is to stimulate discourse on how teacher education for primary school teachers teaching physical education might be structured more effectively. The article begins with a description on how the PE-ITE programme for generalist teachers is designed and delivered at the University of Cyprus. The article then presents and discusses the most effective features of exemplary teacher education programmes and the most common qualities of newly qualified teachers who have been identified in the literature. Finally, the article presents some concluding thoughts on how the existing body of research should be used effectively by teacher educators.

Exploring Pre-Service Classroom Teachers' Reflections on Teaching Physical Education.

The aim of the current study was to provide descriptions of the nature of pre-service primary teachers’ reflection during their student teaching experience. The principal research question that guided the investigation was ‘what do these pre-service classroom teachers reflect on during their teaching and how is this reflection related to their practice?’ Five pre-service classroom teachers voluntarily participated in the study. Data collection consisted of written journals and documents (unit and lesson plans), which were analysed inductively via individual-case and cross-case analysis (Patton, 2002). Findings suggested that the participants’ reflection addressed pedagogical, pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), content, and social issues of teaching. Based on our findings, we concluded that it is possible for prospective teachers to develop and demonstrate different dimensions of reflection during their teaching. Implications for teacher educators are discussed in light of the results.

Early childhood educators’ experience of an alternative physical education model

Alternative instructional and curricular models are regarded as more comprehensive and suitable approaches to providing quality physical education (Kulinna 2008; Lund and Tannehill 2010; McKenzie and Kahan 2008; Metzler 2011; Quay and Peters 2008). The purpose of this study was to describe the impact of the Early Steps Physical Education Curriculum (ESPEC) on the professional lives of early educators and what impact they thought it had on their students’ lives. This study, which was a part of a larger research project, was undertaken to deepen our knowledge of early childhood educators’ perspectives and experiences of physical education. In purpose of this study, the participants were four Cypriot preschool teachers who were responsible for teaching physical education to those students participating in the Early Steps’ Project and were trained in how to implement the ESPEC. Data were collected through formal interviews and analysed inductively via individual-case and cross-case analysis (Patton 2001). Results indicated that all participants enriched both their content and pedagogical knowledge. According to them, the implementation of the model facilitated their ability to design and deliver more meaningful experiences to their students. All four teachers pointed out that their participation in the programme helped their interpersonal relationships with the other early educators in their schools. According to these teachers, the ESPEC model benefited students. Findings indicated that the childrens level of interest and enthusiasm during physical education lessons increased. In addition, the participants stated that during the implementation of the programme their students learned to communicate and cooperate with each other in a more meaningful way. Implications for preparing early childhood educators to teach quality physical education are discussed in light of the results.

Exploring the reliability of generic and content-specific instructional aspects in physical education lessons

ABSTRACT Heightened accountability pressures and an increased emphasis on teaching quality have directed scholarly attention to scrutinizing instruction, particularly with respect to issues of validity and reliability. However, these attempts have largely been directed toward “core” content areas and investigated generic or content-specific instructional aspects separately. Focusing on a less explored area, physical education, and concurrently attending to both instructional aspects, in this exploratory study, we examined whether the optimal lesson-rater combination needed to obtain reliable teaching-quality estimates differs depending on the type of instructional aspects considered. Data analysis of 147 lessons using generalizability theory suggested that either a 3-lesson-2-rater or a 4-lesson-1-rater combination yields sufficiently reliable estimates for nearly all dimensions examined (generic or content specific). Quality of student practice, however, required 11 lessons scored by 2 raters. These findings underline the importance of examining individual dimensions within a given observational instrument and the merit of carefully selecting and training raters.

Early childhood teachers’ views about teaching physical education: challenges and recommendations

ABSTRACT Background: Educational scholars emphasize that in order to gain a better understanding of the complexity of teaching, greater attention needs to be paid to teachers’ views and perceptions of the challenges and barriers of teaching. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe preschool teachers’ views and perceptions of the main challenges of teaching physical education. The major question addressed was: what are the main challenges that preschool teachers face in teaching physical education, and based on their experiences what suggestions do the preschool teachers make in reference to early childhood physical education? Data collection and analysis: Four experienced early childhood educators from Cyprus volunteered to participate in this study. Data were collected through formal interviews and were analyzed inductively via individual-case and cross-case analysis. Findings: The findings suggest that the four early childhood teachers believed that the main aim of physical education, in the early years, is to provide children with opportunities to develop their psychomotor, cognitive, and social skills. Although the participants consider physical education to be an important subject in the school curriculum, they admitted that it has been undermined to a great extent and is viewed as a marginal subject. Findings from the study suggest that the four early childhood educators faced common barriers, deficiencies, and constraints, relative to the teaching resources. Finally, the participants called for meaningful professional development programs. Implications of these findings for educators are discussed.

Integrating generic and content-specific teaching practices in exploring teaching quality in primary physical education:

The vast majority of research in physical education (PE) has focused on teaching and teacher effectiveness. Despite the fact that this research strand is fast growing, what effective teaching is and how it contributes to student learning still remains an open issue. Aiming to contribute toward moving the research of effective teaching in the field of PE a step forward, in this paper, we conduct a review of studies on effective PE teaching in primary schools. An examination of this literature suggests that scholars have largely pursued two distinct paths. One group has focused on generic teaching practices, namely teaching behaviors that cut across different subject matters; other scholars have focused on content-specific teaching practices, namely teaching behaviors which are more pertinent to teaching PE. The unique contribution of generic and content-specific teaching practices on student psychomotor learning in primary PE is examined and the potential benefits of integrating these two types of practices in studying teaching quality in PE are discussed. The theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of this review are outlined and suggestions for future research in primary PE are offered.