Navigating Academia: Developing a Road Map for a Professional Journey for Physical Education Teacher Candidates

Abstract

Physical education teacher education programs provide teacher candidates with the knowledge, skills and dispositions required to impact student learning. Over the course of a long and successful career, however, quality physical education teachers must continue to adapt to the changing demands of their profession. The professional growth that results in the development of quality physical education teachers begins with their entry into the undergraduate professional education program, continues with their initial employment, and matures over the course of their professional career. Physical education teacher education programs provide experiences that lay the foundation for continued professional development and learning over the span of a professional teaching career. The purpose of this article is to share a descriptive model of sequential professional growth and examples of developmental activities that can be integrated into a teacher education program to facilitate this growth. The professional growth and development activities are described within the context of the following four stages: (1) awareness stage, (2) exploration stage, (3) connection stage, and (4) professional stage. Suggestions for developing a professional “road map” for charting the activities completed by candidates over the course of their undergraduate education are also presented with a list of suggested activities.