Case study, poetic transcription and learning to teach indigenous movement in physical education

Abstract

This article describes a case study designed to investigate some of the consequences of physical education teacher education (PETE) coursework to discern how students reinterpreted those experiences into their professional practice. In particular the article examines PETE student learning when teaching Māori1 content, te reo kori – the language of Māori movement, in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand secondary physical education. Te reo kori required the PETE students to teach less familiar Māori movement subject matter and cultural knowledge, while stepping in and out of their dual role of student, and teacher. Interviews, participant observation and field notes were the sources of data. Special attention is given to the use of poetic transcription to place key PETE participants’ experience in a social and historical context; to give voice to their emotions, vulnerabilities, and actions; and to reveal something of their perceptions and practices.