Refining and Redefining Practice: Towards Pedagogy of Risk Taking to Support the Progress and Development of Trainee Physical Education Teachers

One question I frequently asked as a PE teacher educator was ‘How do I support my trainees to teach better lessons?’ Many were already good teachers or better as they approached the summer term. Upon consideration one way became clear, this being when teachers moved out of their comfort zone and took risks. Supporting all trainee PE teachers to teach ‘better’ is a priority for teacher training providers. This being not only to improve practice but essentially to have greater positive impact upon pupil learning, engagement and experience within physical education. The notion of risk taking has often been forwarded by educators to promote creative and innovative approaches to learning. This notion is complex, not least because it is often associated with the more uncomfortable notion of ‘risk’ which poses ‘threats’ to pupils and perhaps teachers themselves. This workshop seeks to begin to define risk taking as pedagogic practice and outlines research findings of the benefits to trainee teachers of taking risks in their teaching. Three important influences were found; ‘Personal,’ ‘Work place conditions’ and ‘relationships.’ Findings also indicated that such practices increased pupil motivation and engagement in lessons. Interestingly, all physical education trainees who engaged with risk taking practice as research participants completed the training year as outstanding and were some of the first to gain employment. In moving towards pedagogy of risk taking for physical education teacher’s further research is needed. What would such pedagogy look like within and beyond initial teacher education?