Aesthetic education revised: a contribution to mobile learning in physical education

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to empirically capture the sociocultural practices of young people who have used mobile digital technologies in physical education lessons. The focus was on dance, including the process- and product-relevant aesthetic teaching–learning collaborations of young people. Within the framework of an empirical examination of digital tools—as part of the project #digitanz, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Germany)—observations were conducted (n = 10) using the ethnographic strategies of 14 physical education lessons with Grade 13 students from a comprehensive school. In addition, interviews were conducted with the students (n = 6). Analysis included theoretical references to a sociocultural perspective of mobile learning from media pedagogy. This perspective accounts for structures, cultural practices, and students’ digital competence, as well as the interactions between these. The results indicate several challenges for sports didactics, with regard to individualization, and the expansion of teaching and learning outside the sports hall, following the use of mobile devices. In particular, the usage behavior (e.g., barriers to videographing body and movement, and private text messaging) of personal mobile devices disrupts familiar teaching methods.