This blog accounts the experiences of two students enrolled in the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences (PESS) who participated in an international research initiative known as ‘The Physical Education Teacher Academy.’The overarching objective of this project is to promote equitable outcomes within the domain of physical education, targeting both pre-service and in-service teachers, as well as school children and youth. The PhysEd Academy is dedicated in its commitment to providing exemplary resources pertaining to the initial and continuous professional development of physical education instructors. The project aims to address current challenges in the field of PE by improving vital factors in physical education, with the goal of developing a PE pedagogy that can be used in physical education teacher education. As part of the PhysEd Academy project we embarked on a five-day research collaboration in Ankara, Turkey, engaging with PE teachers and teacher educators hailing from diverse nations such as Spain, Norway, Sweden, and Canada. The primary objective of this expedition was to develop a pedagogy of physical education teacher education by identifying, developing, and testing a set of signature pedagogies that can be used across PE teacher education in Europe and around the world. Each day of the collaborative venture comprised intensive sessions encompassing theoretical and practical workshops. While delving into Autobiographical Pedagogies, Experiential Pedagogies, and Pedagogies for Professional Learning, similarities could be noted through the various pedagogies we got to experience as part of the workshops. In our limited free time, we got a chance to explore a wonderful part of Turkey. We were grateful for the opportunity to visit a local Middle school and gain the first-hand experience of how it feels to be a student in their physical education classes. The people of Ankara, especially the students and staff of Hacettepe University, displayed exceptional hospitality and assistance during our stay. They guided us through historical museums, monuments of significance, and an exploration of the local culinary landscape, including the famous Turkish Kabab!! Being a part of this research project showed us the value of collaborative learning, allowing educators from different backgrounds and experiences to share knowledge, insights, and diverse perspectives. This fostered a rich exchange of knowledge that helped to deepen our understanding of PE pedagogy. Amongst our experiences, we also gained insight into how collaborative research is conducted. It was evident within the pedagogies experienced that the habitual usage of reflection is important, not only for children within physical education, but for educators also. The team-based approach employed throughout the week yielded noticeable benefits, including heightened productivity. Research tasks were divided according to individual strengths and expertise which facilitated enhanced efficiency, speeding up progress across all components of the project. Anthony O’Leary is a former UL PME student and now a PhD student. Chelsee Snell is a former UL PME student and now a newly qualified physical education teacher. |
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