Using self-study to explore the processes of pedagogical innovation in physical education teacher education

Abstract

This collaborative self-study examined the experiences of two teacher educators who developed and implemented a pedagogical approach that prioritised learning how to facilitate meaningful physical education (PE) experiences in their physical education teacher education programs. Data sources included 33 individual planning and reflection documents, 33 critical friend responses and transcriptions of over 7 hours of skype conversations, which were gathered across two academic years (2013–2015). Collaborative self-study provided a scaffold to explore our pedagogies in terms of learning about teaching and teaching about teaching [Loughran, J. (2006). Developing a pedagogy of teacher education: Understanding teaching & learning about teaching. New York, NY: Routledge]. Through development and implementation of an innovation, we enhanced our understanding of pedagogies that support pre-service teachers learning how to foster meaningful PE experiences, a process that resulted in better alignment of our beliefs and pedagogical practices. This study illustrates the merits of collaborative self-study to build teacher educators’ capacity for innovation and shape their pedagogical practices through reflection and peer support. The potential of self-study to contribute to the knowledge base of pedagogies of teacher education as part of a larger program of research is highlighted.