Description
Curriculum developers don't have magic mirrors, crystal balls or teleportation machines to help them determine if what they write is taught in accordance with their intentions. Therefore orbiting all curriculum change is concern about the ways in which curriculum enactors interpret and translate the intentions that underpin curriculum documents. In short, how do practitioners put curriculum theory into teaching action; and, how does curriculum intention translate to praxis?In the context of the AC HPE the concern regarding intention stretches beyond content delivery and into the realm of pedagogical practice. With its five underlying propositions the AC HPE presents more than philosophical intention, and instead provides a framework that can signal planning, pedagogical and assessment choices. In this sense the AC HPE shifts from the what to the how, and for many practitioners this is new terrain. This paper reports on preliminary findings of the ways in which HPE practitioners are interpreting these five propositions. This includes what they think they mean, and importantly what they think and feel they could look like in their planning, pedagogical and assessment practices. This research was conducted in a workshop at the 2015 ACHPER National conference where twelve (12) participants had space to ‘try out’ their thinking and to anticipate future implementation issues. This was done using a brief survey followed by a small group workshop activity that included a handout that was completed individually and then collected. Initial findings indicate that practitioners have good self perceived knowledge of each of the five propositions, and can suggest some relevant programming, pedagogical and assessment implications for each. Most indicate they are doing a good or great job around ‘valuing learning in, about and through movement’. These same practitioners identify ‘take and strengths based approach’ as a key area for future professional development, with ‘develop health literacy’ and ‘include a critical inquiry approach’ also identified as areas requiring future support. How to effectively integrate the intentions of the five propositions into (around and through) AC HPE content emerged as an interesting challenge.
This kind of information has the potential to inform professional development offered to practitioners in the HPE field, the nature of support materials provided by educational (and private) authorities for these practitioners, and to provide a springboard for practitioners own professional development planning. This also benefits the HPE community more broadly by expanding current theoretical understandings that support a futures approach to HPE in Australia.
| Period | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Event title | International Conference of the Australian Association for Research in Education 2015 |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Fremantle, Australia, Western AustraliaShow on map |