The Value of Performance in Physical Education Teacher Education

The current philosophical paradigm in higher education, where theory transcends practice, consigns physical education to the bottom of a hierarchy of educational content ( Kretchmar, 2005 ). Leaders of physical education teacher education programs are left with three difficult choices: (a) accept ph...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Quest (National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education) 2013-10, Vol.65 (4), p.485-497
Main Author: Johnson, Tyler G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Curriculum Design
Dewey
Educational Philosophy
Higher Education
Pedagogical Content Knowledge
philosophy
Physical Education
Physical Education Teachers
Preservice Teachers
skill
Teacher Education
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The current philosophical paradigm in higher education, where theory transcends practice, consigns physical education to the bottom of a hierarchy of educational content ( Kretchmar, 2005 ). Leaders of physical education teacher education programs are left with three difficult choices: (a) accept physical education's lowly position in the hierarchy, (b) emphasize the theory and science of physical activity and teaching to make the program appear academically respectable, or (c) argue for a different philosophical paradigm ( Kretchmar, 1996 ). I contend the final option is the best strategy. Using John Dewey's philosophy of experience and conception of human intelligence, I argue that skillful performance of dance, games, play, and sport should maintain a more prominent position in physical education teacher education curricula because skillful performance of the content represents a legitimate domain of human activity worthy of significant involvement in an academic program. Also, pre-service teachers need content knowledge derived authentically from the process of becoming skillful performers to teach physical education. Suggestions for activity performance coursework are offered.
ISSN:0033-6297
1543-2750
DOI:10.1080/00336297.2013.811093