PRIME PETE: Primary Education Physical Education Teacher Education
Programme: Erasmus+
Start date: 1 December 2020
End date: 31 July 2023
Project Reference: 2020-1-LU01-KA203-063257
Context/background
Physical Education (PE) has holistic benefits for all in physical, social and cognitive domains. In the interest of the holistic development of young children, generalist primary school teachers teach all subjects of the curriculum in many countries while other countries have specialists PE teachers or both. Literature highlights the challenges teachers experience teaching PE, particularly as non-specialist teachers. Therefore, adequate PE teacher education (PETE) programmes (initial teacher education; induction; CPD/in-service education) preparing for the delivery of quality PE (QPE) are of highest importance.
The project partners recognise that one issue for PETE curriculum formulation is what constitutes a PE teacher and that current diverse European-wide practices need to be taken into account. Thus, not all teachers in charge of primary PE are specialist PE teachers, in order that when the terms “PE teacher” or “PETE (PE teacher education)” are used in the context of this project, it is referred to any teacher teaching PE adhering to one of the three profiles described above.
In consequence, the project partners are seeking for a general approach focusing on PE teacher education, allowing an adaptation to national/regional contexts and/or different phases of teacher education (initial teacher education; induction; CPD/in-service education). Because of the diverse accreditation practices of well-established and legally constituted national PETE frameworks across Europe, the need for flexibility in PETE provision has to be recognized.
Objectives
- to bring together European HEI and other stakeholders active in Primary PETE and to foster their cooperation in PETE and mobility exchange
- to provide an overview of Primary PETE in Europe
- to inform and facilitate the formulation of a profile of a primary PE teacher and a modular curriculum for Primary PETE based on this profile and core principles
- to make this modular curriculum available for any interested stakeholders
- to foster the delivery of QPE in primary education by strengthening the primary PE teacher profession
Number and profile of participants
The consortium consists of the following main partners:
- University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg (project coordinator)
- University of Sevilla, Spain
- University of Lisbon, Portugal
- Free University of Bolzano, Italy
- University of Trnava, Slovakia
- Dublin City University, Ireland
- European Physical Education Association (EUPEA), Switzerland
Description of activities
Through this strategic partnership, the consortium proposes to develop an open resource platform providing relevant resources for Primary PETE in Europe. During the project lifetime, five transnational meetings, 5 learning, training and teaching activities and seven multiplier events will be organized, in order to develop and disseminate ten intellectual outputs.
A short description of the results
An open resource platform will be developed, including as a main a modular primary PETE programme consisting of course modules and micro-module, developed based on recommendations on Primary PETE, a primary PE teacher profile and a respective theoretical and methodological framework. In addition, several intangible results are expected for the different group of project participants, e.g. knowledge and experience in Primary PETE and increased teaching skills for teacher educators.
Impact envisaged
The development of a free open educational resource platform will be beneficial to teacher educators in PETE, as well as to PETE curriculum developers and political or any other stakeholders in charge of PETE. Further on, the project will lead to the further development of an existing transnational working and expert group for Primary PETE in Europe.
Longer term benefits
In long term, it is expected that a large pool of teacher educators will benefit from these resources. They will have at their use resources that they can use in initial teacher education, induction phase or in-service training to enhance student teachers’ or teachers’ knowledge, skills and attitudes when it comes to the implementation of QPE, thus raising the quality of primary PE in Europe.
