Teaching Primary Physical Education...beginning the journey

Helgevold et al., (2015) argue that internships for pre-service teachers (PSTs) in schools are assumed to have an impact on PSTs’ learning. Mentoring can sometimes be an element of internships. Orland-Barak (2014) defines... [ view full abstract ]

Helgevold et al., (2015) argue that internships for pre-service teachers (PSTs) in schools are assumed to have an impact on PSTs’ learning. Mentoring can sometimes be an element of internships. Orland-Barak (2014) defines mentoring as ‘the mediation of professional learning’, where mentors constantly engage in mediation between persons and content in value-laden contexts of practice.

This study sought to examine the impact of mentoring by three teacher educators on PSTs’ (N=25) learning.  The PSTs were preparing to become primary generalist teachers with a specialism in primary physical education. This was a descriptive study analysing the PSTs’ lesson plans; their reflections prior to the Physical Education School Experience (PESE); their weekly reflections written after they had co-taught each of three lessons and critically observed the PE lessons taught by their peers; and their post-PESE reflections. The teacher educators followed the same practice reflecting prior to the PESE, systematically during the PESE and on completion of the PESE.

The data were entered into NVivo (QSR NVivo V11) and analysed using an interpretive-descriptive approach. All transcripts were categorized and themes using systematic content analysis (Charmaz, 2006) were generated. 

Initial findings suggest that the PSTs valued co-teaching  with their peers and mentoring from all sources. They identified particularly important aspects of their learning as (i) their growing understanding of planning for particular contexts and (ii) their application of a range of classroom organisation strategies. With regard to mentoring, this study provides evidence that contexts for focused teaching of physical education that supplement the opportunities provided within their standard primary school placements were considered very important not only by the teacher educators but by the PSTs themselves.   The study suggests that placement opportunities where the focus is on physical education are crucial elements of the professional journey of PSTs towards quality teaching of physical education.