Units of professional knowledge

4.3.3.1. Disappearance of education studies and increasing of amounts of hours of professional knowledge of physical education

With the disappearance of education studies in 1993 and second subjects in the 1996, we witness an increasing role of professional studies (see figure 1).

Figure 1. The change of units in professional knowledge in University of Brighton from the 1970s to the 2010s6

6 _{See in detail resource in appendix 5 in chapter 4}

380 326 460 356 0 0 0 0 35 45 100 134 153 312 312 390 0 100 200 300 400 500 1972/73 1977-78 1983/84 1989/90 1993/94 1996/97 "2003" "2011" AM O UNTS O F H O URS hours of education al units hours of professio nal knowledg e

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Units related to professional knowledge (sport pedagogy) in PE emerged since 1972. These units in 1972 and 1980 were in the area of education studies or Human Movement Study (HMS). After that, these units established the foundation as their own area escaping from under education studies or human movement studies. For example, two units (Teaching and Professional Studies) of sport pedagogy in 1983 were officially offered from “physical education curriculum and teaching studies” as their special area separately from education studies.7

This means that student teachers had started learning sport pedagogy as their own independent area since 1983 not included in education studies. Moreover, the amounts of hours for units of professional knowledge of physical education in 1983 increased to 70 hours compared to previous amounts showing about the rise of three times compared to previous amounts. Units for sport pedagogy in 1989 were opened in all grades interlinked with developments of sport pedagogy as study. In 2012, 13 units (390 hours) are offered. In the curriculum 19908, it was divided into three parts such as second subjects, education studies and physical education. However, after the reorganization of university system in 1993, the curriculum was divided into two parts such as stage one and stage two to classify into curriculum as a grade.9 This means that all units were reformed to be centred physical education as second subjects and education studies disappeared in the PETE course. Based on these facts, I conclude that education for sport pedagogy as an independent area started in the early 1980s.

In this context, we should not overlook the professional knowledge in PETE in 1970s because although the ways or intentions of the professional knowledge were different it was taught through education studies, units of discipline knowledge (human Movement Studies) and units for physical activities. As I mentioned before, education studies played an important role for professional knowledge in PETE by 1993 as BA degree started although it had more theoretical aspects.

7

Brighton Polytechnic B.Ed. Honours Degree Specialist Physical Education Programme, Student Handbook 1983/84, p. 6.

8 _{Brighton Polytechnic, Faculty of Education, Department of Secondary/Further Education and Chelsea School of Human}

Movement, B ED Hons Physical Education Course – 1990-94, Student Handbook, p. 13.

9 _{University of Brighton, Faculty of Education, Sport and Leisure Chelsea School, BA (HONS) QTS Physical Education}

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4.3.3.2. Previous student teachers’ memory about application of professional knowledge in PETE through academic development of physical education such as spectrums, models

Most students in this course have been satisfied with the professional knowledge of their PETE course. One lecturer in University of Bedfordshire who was a student teacher from 1987 to 1991 in University of Brighton recollected her course as follows.

And I think also in terms of when I trained, the pedagogical approaches were not at the forefront of what we did, it was all very much warm up, practice, game, none of the Sport ED or the tactical games or cooperative learning, although I think there were elements of that, we used to call it whole/part/whole and group work …… I think from my perspective, I think we have a good balance of these areas, I don't think there’s any one emphasis on one area more than another particularly, ……Yes, I think it was more the practical components and the school experiences that I remember has been more influential in terms of where I went and how I developed. In terms of curriculum knowledge and design, I don't think that was quite as inherent but then there wasn't such a formulated national curriculum at that stage, so it was all quite open to ... people could design their curriculums as they wished at that stage so it was a bit kind of open ended and not so much focus at that stage (Previous student2 University of Brighton from 1987 to 1991 and present lecturer1 University of Bedfordshire).

Even if her course emphasized more physical activities rather than professional knowledge such as the pedagogical approaches at present, one another lecturer gave me some more detailed information about this.

This was all to do with teaching strategies, so Mosston & Ashworth. …... because this is 20 years ago, we spent more time looking at Mosston & Ashworth’s teaching spectrum, it was very much driven by the spectrum. So things like teaching games for understanding and sport education- teaching games for understanding I think was briefly mentioned but definitely not sport education or cooperative learning, nothing like that. …..We did a lot of stuff on whether you teach whole/part/whole, it was more at that level, at that time (Previous student3 University of Brighton from 1992 to 1996 and present lecturer3 University of Bedfordshire).

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He explained that he learned more the spectrums than models at the early of 1990s. Based on the interviews with previous student teachers between the 1980s and the1990s, the developmental process of sport pedagogy pervaded PETE curriculum such as the development from teaching styles to models.