Social Pedagogy in Physical Education

This is the first book to examine social pedagogy within the context of physical education, enabling more inclusive, and meaningful educational experiences for all students. It introduces the key concepts of social pedagogy and outlines practical strategies for implementing social pedagogy in physical education. Written by a team of leading international scholars and practitioners, this book assesses the research base for social pedagogy and explores how social pedagogy can be embedded in the physical education curriculum, in teaching and in assessment. Every chapter includes vignettes from both school and after-school contexts and features a practitioner voice, from a teacher or a community member. This book also looks at social pedagogy in the context of key themes across physical education, from digital assessment methods and systems thinking, to models-based approaches and physical education teacher education. As the chapters of this book unfold, the reader gets to know how to apply social pedagogy as a framework for physical education, choose strategies to enable human-centred practice, and use assessment to align the curriculum with social pedagogy principles. This book makes a major contribution to our understanding of teaching and learning within physical education as processes of interacting for a good life though communication, connection, contribution, and creation. Concise, practical, and full of real-world examples, this is essential reading for any student, pre-service and in-service physical education teacher, or coach working with children or young people across various educational levels and country contexts.

Aspasia Dania is Assistant Professor in Physical Education Teacher Education in the School of Physical Education and Sport Science, at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. She teaches physical education and sport pedagogy and leads the Social Pedagogy Professional Association Special Interest Group on Social Pedagogy, Sports and Physical Education. She is also Chair-Elect of the Teaching Games for Understanding Special Interest Group. Her research interests focus on teacher education and professional development, game-based education, qualitative research methods, and curriculum planning, all focusing on social justice. Cláudio Farias is Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Sport at the University of Porto, Portugal (FADEUP) and a research member in the Centre of Research, Education, Innovation, and Intervention in Sport (CIFI2D). He lectures on the doctoral programme, the master (hons) of physical education and sports training, and the bachelor (hons) programme in sport sciences. He has conducted research in sport pedagogy and sport coaching (physical education, teacher education, coach education) with a principal focus on student-centred, models-based practice.

Introduction: Why Social Pedagogy in Physical Education, Part I: Social Pedagogy as a Framework for Physical Education, 1. What is Social Pedagogy: Connections Between Theory and Practice, 2. Principles of Social Pedagogy and the Physical Education Curriculum, Part II: Strategies for Supporting Practitioners to Use Social Pedagogy in Physical Education, 3. A Multidisciplinary Approach to Social Pedagogy: A Pedagogical Case, 4. The Syn-Epistemic Wholeness of Physical Education Practice, 5. Strategies for Enacting Social Pedagogy in Physical Education, Part III: The Structure of Social Pedagogy Programs as Physical Education Practice, 6. Nurturing Activist Teachers in Physical Education Teacher Education, 7. Social Pedagogy and Model-Based Approaches in Physical Education, 8. Social Pedagogy and Social Justice Promotion in and through Physical Education, Part IV: Assessment in and of Physical Education Programs Developed According to Social Pedagogy, 9. Social Pedagogy and Assessment in Physical Education: Incorporating Students Within Assessment Approaches, 10. Digitally Supported Assessment in Physical Education with a Social Pedagogy Perspective, Part V: A Summary of Social Pedagogy in Physical Education, 11. Insights on Social Pedagogy as Human-Centred Physical Education Practice