Decolonising possibilities: health and physical education in initial teacher education

ABSTRACT

Increasing levels of student diversity, and inequality, frame the conditions of schooling in the contemporary moment. Initial teacher education has also been criticised for falling short in adequately preparing pre-service teachers who can cater for the needs of diverse student learners. This paper enters this discursive field and takes a specific focus on decolonising approaches to curriculum and pedagogical practices of health and physical education (HPE) of initial teacher education. My specific focus is the implementation of a range of strategies in a fourth-year Primary/Middle (years 3–9) HPE course within a Bachelor of Education program. I first provide a contextual overview and examine furthering an understanding of settler/colonialism in initial teacher education. In the remaining sections of the paper, I report on strategies designed to build cultural confidence, competence and respect. I conclude in arguing that if pre-service teachers are to develop pedagogical practices that are responsive to the diverse cultural, linguistic and embodied practices of all students, we too, as HPE teacher educators, need to confront our own assumptions about valued knowledge and practices.

KEYWORDS:

• Culturally mediated HPE
• settler/colonialism
• activist orientations
• affective responses

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 I use the terms ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ to describe First Nations Indigenous peoples of Australia whilst acknowledging a diversity of acceptance of this term. I also use pluralised reference terms such as 'First Peoples' or ‘First Nations’ to respectfully encompass the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and identities. Where Aboriginal and Indigenous are used, I recognise the colonial legacy these terms sustain.

2 Promoting reconciliation prioritises the need for the teaching workforce to reflect on their role in working towards reconciliation and improving the educational experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

3 Primary/Middle refers to school years 5–9 and hence students in the 10–15-year age range.

4 The Kaurna people are the Traditional Owners and custodians of the lands that encompass Adelaide and the Adeliade plains, South Australia.

5 The Yulunga games resource is a collation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander games from all parts of Australia.

6 Country encapsulates an interdependent relationship between individuals and their ancestral lands and seas that is sustained by cultural knowledge, histories and language.

7 The lab school program is a reflective practical experience embedded in all HPE courses at the university. Pre-service teachers are supported in putting university-based learning into practice whilst teaching primary school students.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alison Wrench

Alison Wrench is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education studies at the University of South Australia. Alison’s research program centres on socially-critical and culturally responsive pedagogies in HPE, inclusion and just schooling outcomes. This program includes the investigation of processes of becoming a socially-critical HPE teachers and linkages between teacher subjectivities and pedagogical practices.