The Characteristics of Pedagogies of Technology in Physical Education

• In Event: Digital Technologies and Learning in Physical Education: Pedagogical Cases

Abstract

Objectives or purposes

There is an allure associated with educational technology based on an understanding that because technology has had such a profound impact on contemporary life, it will have a similarly profound impact on contemporary education (Ferster, 2014; Selwyn, 2014). Indeed, teachers are expected to not only use educational technology effortlessly but also to have a deep understanding of the pedagogical capacity of such technologies. The truth, however, is that there is little understanding of what is required for effective technology integration, nor of the professional education needed to support and challenge teachers in their use of such technologies (Fullan, 2013; Selwyn, 2014).

This is a compelling issue for the field of physical education, particularly when apps, devices, and wearable technologies in the area of health and fitness constitute a major aspect of the digital market (Lupton, 2015). Using an innovative ‘pedagogical cases’ model (Armour, 2014), the objective of this paper is to provide a context for the remainder of the session by considering the characteristics of ‘pedagogies of technology’ (Casey, 2014) that may be effective in ‘accelerating’ young people’s learning in physical education.

Perspective(s) or theoretical framework

Building on the work of Arthur (2009), Fullan (2013), Ferster (2014) and Selwyn (2014), we argue that pedagogies of technology are critically aware and technically competent pedagogies that can be developed in practice. The aim is to maximize the latent potential of technologies to accelerate learning in meaningful ways that meet the individual needs of diverse learners.

Methods, techniques, or modes of inquiry

Teacher narratives about technology-in-use in their practice settings are at the heart of this session. The synthesis of evidence from five pedagogical cases reveals core features of pedagogies of technology. A pedagogical case is a multi/interdisciplinary case study of an individual learner (Armour, 2014); and in this session the teacher is cast as the focal learner. The aim of the pedagogical cases model is to act as a means of communication between researchers and practitioners.

Data sources, evidence, objects or materials

Stenhouse (1980) argued for the accumulation of cases to advance knowledge and practice. Evidence from five internationally diverse pedagogical cases is presented and interrogated for insights into the possibilities and pitfalls of using digital technologies in physical education. A number of themes were constructed from a cross-case analysis that offer insight into the ways in which pedagogies of technology might be framed. Critical questions remain, however, about the ways in which teachers, pupils and academics are framing technology in physical activity settings.


Scientific or scholarly significance of the study or work
This paper takes the first steps towards developing generalizable pedagogies of technology in physical education. By synthesizing evidence from five pedagogical cases the paper moves towards addressing the “gulf that persists between the rhetoric of how digital technologies could be used in education and the realities of how digital technologies are actually used” (Selwyn, 2014, p.X).

Authors

• Kathleen M. Armour, University of Birmingham

• Victoria Anne Goodyear, University of Birmingham

• Ashley Casey, Loughborough University