Learning ‘in’, ‘through’ and ‘about’ movement in senior physical education? The new Victorian Certificate of Education Physical Education

Abstract

Over the past decade amidst the development and implementation of new official curriculum texts and associated assessment requirements, there has been considerable international interest in senior physical education. Arnold’s three dimensions of movement have been prominent in curriculum developments and academic debates. In the state of Victoria, Australia, a new official text for the Victorian Certificate of Education Physical Education (VCEPE) was introduced in 2011. This paper re-articulates Arnold’s dimensions of movement as a framework for inquiry, centring on this development. The framework is utilised to critically examine the pedagogical intent inherent in the new VCEPE text and examine the prospective ‘slippage’ that may feature in teachers’ interpretation and implementation of the new text. Specifically, the analysis firstly draws on Arnold’s (1979) three dimensions of movement to explore ways in which different ‘ways of knowing’ in physical education have been represented in the official text, and secondly considers the prospective and potential expression of Arnold’s dimensions in teachers’ interpretation and implementation of the new text. The potential for either conservative or progressive readings of the official text is articulated.