Failing successfully with dance in physical education teacher education

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background Studies underline physical education teacher education (PETE) students’ unfamiliarity and discomfort with dance in physical education (PE) and PETE and place dance outside students’ comfort zones. At the same time, research highlights PETE students’ athletic background and how this continues to be rewarded in PE. Hence, many students enter the PETE programme without any experience of failing – not mastering – activities done in PE. When students enter the PETE programme, they are faced with the expectation of being able to teach dance as future PE teachers, and many students experience unfamiliarity with the content and teaching and working methods in PE for the first time. This unfamiliarity creates emotional tension and uneasiness among the students. Purpose In this project, we borrow Nancy Stark Smith’s concept of failing successfully to investigate how students’ worries about failure can be turned into more successful achievements and considered valuable for learning processes in higher education. The research question guiding this article is: How can risk-taking and fear of failing become significant assets for gaining teacher competence in PETE? Methods This paper is a combined teaching and research project focusing on PETE students’ experiences as they were given the task of developing and performing breaking series. All students participated in two dance lessons. The data material consists of the PETE educator’s notes, Post-it notes from an emotional poll and the students’ subsequent written reflections. Findings Our analysis shows that all students were worried and even dreaded performing their breaking series. The students’ written reflections revealed that they were challenged on a personal and emotional level. For most students, the assignment changed from being perceived as (almost) impossible to becoming an experience of mastery that exceeded their expectations. The study underlines the importance of risk, conceptualises challenging situations, and makes the process of learning a common concern. Conclusion This study emphasises that dreading failure and the experience of failing can be turned into success, and such understandings not only allow examining students’ experiences in new ways but also redirect dance teaching in PETE and PE in new, more challenging, and expanded directions.