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Learning and Teaching in Physical Education

Module description

It is well documented that physical education (PE) teaching is a very popular career option for students undertaking a sports-related undergraduate degree course (Capel & Whitehead, 2015). If you are interested in inspiring and informing young people to take part in PE and school sport then you will find this module enlightening. This interdisciplinary module gives you the opportunity to understand and apply the knowledge, skills and concepts learned in previous modules to teaching. More specifically, this module will help you to understand the ‘living’ connections between research, theory and practice; what knowledge and skills are required for effective or competent teaching. You will learn, for instance, the importance of subject content knowledge in teaching effectively, specifically;  (a) a range of principles affecting sports performances/techniques/skills/movement actions in PE such as the kinematic chain [biomechanics], (b) the importance of engaging young people in quality physical activity  in PE lessons, such as performing 4-7 minutes of daily vigorous physical activity, to reduce CVD  [physiology] and, (c) a variety of theories of motivation, such as Deci and Ryan’s (1985) Self-Determination Theory, that impact on the quality of the teaching and pupils’ learning experiences in PE [psychology].

There are no pre or co-requisites for this module and it is suitable for non-specialist students who have studied some science at A-Level or equivalent.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The aims of the module are:

• to examine what subject knowledge actually means (see, for example, Shulman, 1986 & 1987),
• to provide opportunities for you to understand and apply physiological, psychological and biomechanical knowledge and concepts to teaching,
• to explore innovative ways of teaching PE that makes it comprehensible and exciting for all learners (e.g. collaborative learning practices) and,
• to understand the national curriculum in England in general and the PE curriculum in particular.

Graduate attributes: As part of this module, you are expected to develop the following skills:

• Team work in a range of interdisciplinary collaborative learning and teaching practices given for formative assessment.
• Strategic thinking and problem solving in designing own interdisciplinary collaborative learning and teaching practices.
• Application of knowledge through collaborative learning and teaching practices.
• Building confidence as a communicator in collaborative learning and teaching practices given for formative assessment.
• People skills in communicating with peers and module teaching team.
• Enquiring mind in pursuing further reading on topics covered in the module.
• Data management skills in collecting and recording data and analysing findings.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Describe the subject matter (games, physiology, psychology, biomechanics) and how they relate to PE teaching
• 2. Explain how to teach the subject matter accurately, confidently and consistently
• 3. Discuss different types of learners and how they think and learn
• 4. Describe the national curriculum in England in general and the PE curriculum in particular
• 5. Discuss physiological, psychological and biomechanical factors affecting PE teaching
• 6. Analyse and reflect critically on the issues surrounding PE teaching

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Develop clear, logical and sustained arguments justifying conclusions developed through engagement with empirical research (especially current research from professional and academic journals);
• 8. Apply research and theory to practice, as demonstrated through planning, teaching and reflecting critically in selected collaborative learning practices/activities

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 9. Manage self-learning, aet and meet targets, manage time, and read extensively for information.
• 10. Communicate in written form through written assignments and orally through small group oral/practical presentations
• 11. Search for, access, apply and process information using information technology

Syllabus plan

• Introduction about effective or competent teaching: What does the research say? (online lecture).
• Introduction about collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning: What does the research say? (online lecture).
• Games teaching (teaching games for understanding, sport education, collaborative learning) (face-to-face practical sessions/workshops).
• Physiology and teaching (face-to-face practical sessions/workshops).
• Psychology and teaching (face-to-face practical sessions/workshops).
• Biomechanics and teaching (face-to-face practical sessions/workshops).
• Subject content knowledge (for teaching) (online lecture).
• Introduction to the national curriculum in England and the PE curriculum (online lecture).
• Planning (long, medium and short term) (online lecture).
• Teaching safely and safety (online lecture).
• Different types of learners (online lecture).
• Educational theories of learning (online lecture).
• Teaching strategies/models (online lecture).
• Assessment of pupil learning (online lecture).
• Class and behaviour management (online lecture).
• Future directions for PE (online lecture).

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a second assignment/teaching session. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Capel. S. and Whitehead, M. (2015). Learning to teach physical education in the secondary school: A companion to school experience. London: Routledge.
• Capel, S. and Katene, W.H. (2000). Secondary PGCE PE students’ perceptions of their subject knowledge. European Physical Education Review, 6 (1), 46-70.
• DfE (2013). The national curriculum in England: Framework document. London: DfE.
• Mawer, M. (1995). The effective teaching of physical education. London: Longman.
• Shulman, L.S. (1986) Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Education Researcher 15 (2), 4-14.
• Shulman, L.S. (1987) Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform. Harvard Educational Review 57(1), 1-22.
• Stiles, V.H. and Katene, W.H. (2013). Improving physical education student teachers’ knowledge and understanding of applied biomechanical principles through peer collaboration. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 18 (3), 235-255.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE page: https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=10315
  

Key words search

Physical education, learning, teaching, young people, knowledge bases, primary and secondary schools, collaborative learning, interdisciplinary learning.