Phenomenology and Pedagogy in Physical Education

Phenomenology is a philosophical approach to the study of consciousness and subjective experience. In recent years it has become a more prominent element of the social scientific study of sport and a core component of the important emergent concept of physical literacy. This book is the first to offer a philosophically-sound investigation of phenomenological perspectives on pedagogy in physical education. The book argues that phenomenology offers a particularly interesting theoretical approach to physical education because of the closely embodied relationship between the knowledge object (the actions, activities and practices of movement) and the knowing subject (the pupil). Drawing on the work of key phenomenological thinkers but also exploring the implications of this work for teaching practice, the book helps to illuminate our understanding of important concepts in physical education such as practical knowledge, skill acquisition, experience and ethics. This is fascinating reading for any serious student or researcher working in physical education or the philosophy or sociology of sport.

Øyvind Førland Standal is Professor at the Department of Physical Education, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences. His teaching is in the area of movement activities for people with disabilities and inclusion in physical education. Øyvind is interested in pedagogy, phenomenology and qualitative research and has published articles on those topics in journals such as Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, Sport, Education and Society, Medicine, Healthcare and Philosophy and Sport, Ethics and Philosophy. In addition to the research presented in this book, Øyvind has recently published research on practicum learning in physical education teacher education

1. Introduction 2. Phenomenology and physical education 3. Phenomenology and practical knowledge 4. The knowledge objects embodied 5. Teaching embodied knowledge 6. Phenomenological pedagogy and embodied experiences 7. Experiencing the body as object 8. Inclusion and difference: A phenomenological perspective 9. Abilities and capabilities: normative questions 10. Concluding comments