Exploring pre-service classroom teachers’ reflections on teaching physical education

Abstract

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.

Untitled

“…Their education on campus has apparently had little effect in raising their level of reflection and understanding. Based on the findings of Tsangaridou and Polemitou (2015), we expected that the PE Teacher Programme would have raised the PST to stages 2 or 3 (advanced beginner or competent) and that they were able to reflect upon the learning climate at a higher level, but this was not the case. Their statements were characterized by a simple and superficial language, indicating that they are at the earliest stages of the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition.…”

“…The benefit of this practice is highly dependent on the quality of the mentor. From a social constructivist perspective, mentoring is intended to stimulate PST' critical reflection upon their own learning, and help them to develop their own teaching practices (Tsangaridou & Polemitou, 2015;Wang & Odell, 2002;Helgevold, NaesheimBjørkvik and Østrem, 2015).…”

“…A basic assumption of the study was that learning climate is so fundamental in the teaching profession that reflection and conceptualization should be practised by PST in their second year of teacher education. Findings from research on classroom teachers (Tsangaridou & Polemitou, 2015), indicated that the PST were generally able to reflect at a technical and practical level but there were only a few examples of critical reflection. On this basis the following research questions were developed: 1) Which elements do PST highlight as significant for facilitating learning climate in PE classes?…”

Relación entre el nivel de actividad física y la motivacion de docentes de educación física

“…Given this and as indicated by Lund (2013), if you only structure the subject under the interest of the more physical practice, you will be leaving aside aspects of such importance as social, motivational and psycho-evolutionary. Therefore, it is necessary to have a more consensual view among teachers and not based on immediacy, understanding that if the main objective of the subject is the generation of positive social and motor experiences that lead to adherence to the practice of physical activity In an autonomous way, the reflection of why and for what in the delivery of our contents have to become key (Tsangaridou & Polemitou, 2015). Although, in many cases, EF classes are the main source of physical activity for our students, there is no point in squeezing every minute if this can lead to low motivational experiences that are not transferred outside the classroom.…”

“…As indicated by Erwin, Beets, Centeio and Morrow (2014), PE, being a compulsory subject, is the only stable means at our disposal to witness the level of physical activity practice of students and the type of experiences that are generated around it. Therefore, and if we want these to be positive and associated with meaningful learning, we must start from the analysis of how teachers perceive their own sports practice, since teachers do not stop projecting into the classroom a reflection of what they are and of what they think (Tsangaridou & Polemitou, 2015). In the initial teacher training it has been shown how satisfaction with physical practice and the usefulness of the content do not correlate significantly with the intensity of exercise in the sessions held (Hortigüela, Salicetti & Hernández, in press).…”