Social Justice Pedagogies in Health and Physical Education

This book makes the case that school Health and Physical Education (HPE) can make a unique contribution to young people's physical, emotional and social health outcomes when teachers of HPE engage in pedagogies for social justice that emphasise inclusion, democracy and equity. Drawing on observations and teacher interviews across Sweden, Norway and New Zealand, the book explores successful school teaching practices that promote social justice and equitable health outcomes. In particular, it draws attention to the importance of building relationships, teaching for social cohesion and explicitly teaching about and acting on social inequities as pedagogies for social justice. The book also argues that context matters and that pedagogies for social justice need to recognise how both approaches to, and focus on, social justice vary in different contexts. This is essential reading for academics and students interested in social justice and working in the fields of education, HPE and teacher education.

Göran Gerdin is Associate Professor in the Department of Sport Science at Linnaeus University, Sweden where he is responsible for the Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) programme. His research focuses on how issues of gender, bodies, spaces and (dis)pleasures shape students' participation, enjoyment and identities in school Health and Physical Education (HPE). He is on the editorial board for the journal Curriculum Studies in Health and Physical Education and a convenor in the Research in Sport Pedagogy network for the European Educational Research Association (EERA). Wayne Smith is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His research and major teaching contributions are in critical pedagogy in Physical Education (PE) and skill learning (how we learn to become skillful). His recent work also focuses on how we learn, both consciously and sub-consciously, in and through our physical engagement in play. Rod Philpot is Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, at the University of Auckland, New Zealand where he is programme leader for the Bachelor of Sport, Health and Physical Education. His research and teaching focuses on critical justice pedagogies in diverse sport, physical education and health contexts. Katarina Schenker is Associate Professor in the Department of Sport Science at Linnaeus University, Sweden. Her research interests concern PETE and the inclusion and exclusion of children and youth in sport and in the Swedish school subject Physical Education and Health (PEH). Additionally, she researches the relationship between sport and social entrepreneurship from a Swedish sport policy perspective. Kjersti Mordal Moen is Professor in Physical Education at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway. Her research field is PETE, practicum in PETE, as well as the school subject PE. She is leading the research group Teaching and Learning in Physical Education and is responsible for the Master in Physical Education and Sports at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences. Susanne Linnér is Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Sport Science at Linnaeus University, Sweden. Her main research interests are ethics, social issues, learning and leadership issues in both children/youth sport and elite sport but also in school PEH. Knut Westlie is Associate Professor in Physical Education at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway. He has more than 20 years of teaching experience in Norwegian schools, including physical education. He is a member of the research group Teaching and Learning in Physical Education at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences. Lena Larsson is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sport Science at Linnaeus University, Sweden. Her research interests revolve around the passing on of values and the difficulties of challenging taken-for-granted beliefs within PETE and the Swedish school subject PEH and how teachers' practice address democracy and social justice.

Part I: Background, 1. Introduction, 2. Social Justice in Health and Physical Education, 3. Conceptualising Social Justice, 4. The Role of Context in Pedagogies for Social Justice in HPE, Part II: The EDUHEALTH Project, 5. Exploring Pedagogies for Social Justice, 6. Caring Teaching: The Bedrock of Building Relationships in HPE, 7. The Role of HPE in Educating for Social Cohesion, 8. Taking Action for Social Justice in HPE Classrooms Through Pedagogies for Social Justice, Part III: Conclusions About Pedagogies for Social Justice in HPE, 9. Implications for HPE Practice: Nine Pedagogies for Social Justice, 10. What Have We Learnt About Pedagogies for Social Justice in HPE and Where to From Here: Some Concluding Observations