Teachers' continuing professional development in primary physical education: lessons from present and past to inform the future

Abstract

There is a growing recognition that teachers' learning, and effective policies and structures to support it, should be at the heart of government polices to improve standards in education (Day, 1999). In England, the continuing professional development (CPD) landscape for teachers is changing; and professional development in physical education (PE-CPD) is at the forefront of the new developments. In October 2002, the government announced funding of £450 million to transform the quality of physical education in England, and a key element of the strategy is to fund a National PE and School Sport Professional Development Programme for teachers and other adults working in schools. This paper focuses on primary school PE-CPD within that framework. Vignettes of the PE-CPD experiences of practising primary school teachers and an historical analysis of earlier attempts to enhance teachers' learning indicate that a fresh approach to PE-CPD is indeed needed. However it is argued that more fundamental changes may be required if the national programme is to achieve its objectives and be held accountable for major advances in teachers' and pupils' learning in primary PE.

The Emotional Dimensions of Urban Teacher Change

“…These teachers felt both empowered and impinged upon by the political forces shaping their workplace. First, unlike the teachers described by Armour and Duncombe (2004) and Curtner-Smith (1999) who were pessimistic regarding national teacher change and professional development initiatives, these teachers felt empowered by the U.S. Department of Education funds that sustained their change efforts. These teachers felt that federal money potentially indicated a change in the status of physical education and hence felt energized to be part of such a widespread and collective mission.…”

Translating change into improved practice

“…The benefits of on-course time for reviewing progress match findings from other authors on the importance of reflection as a course component in professional development programmes (Armour and Duncombe, 2004;Petrie, 2007). As Lara expressed it:…”

Primary teachers’ experience of a physical education professional development programme

“…*Corresponding author. Email: maura.coulter@spd.dcu.ie Professional development in physical education is now seeing a shift in interest towards PD that is aligned with classroom conditions, school contexts and teachers' daily experiences (Armour and Duncombe 2004;Armour and Yelling 2004). PD focused in this way is more likely to help teachers connect the PD they receive to their teaching context (Betchel and O'Sullivan 2006).…”