Teaching PE: didactics

Didactic transposition, the teaching triangle, task variables, problem situations and task types.

The outline, topic by topic

Each topic is weighted the way the exam weighs it.

Didactic transposition: what is it?
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Turning expert knowledge or social practice into taught knowledge (Chevallard).
Chevallard starts from expert knowledge; PE starts mostly from social reference practices (Martinand): school handball is not club handball.
In volleyball, pupils keep the ball going without attacking. The teacher widens the opposing court and doubles points won on the floor. What is the teacher doing?
- He changes task variables
- He breaks the teaching triangle
- He switches to an undefined task
- He applies the part method
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He changes task variables
Space and scoring are two variables: attacking now pays off, while the aim of the game stays the same.
Teaching triangle: what is it?
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The relation between knowledge, teacher and pupil, where two poles pair up and the third steps back (Houssaye).
Training, teaching or learning depending on the pair.
Why must a problem situation stay within pupils' reach?
- So that pupils succeed at the first attempt
- So that pupils can overcome the obstacle by searching
- So that pupils make no mistakes
- So that the teacher never has to step in
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So that pupils can overcome the obstacle by searching
Too easy, there is nothing to learn; out of reach, pupils give up. The obstacle must be passable with effort, mistakes included.