Monday, October 29, 2007
Physical Education Initial Teacher Training and Education Conference
Woodside conference Centre
Warwickshire
Wednesday 10th – Friday 12th October 2007
The PE ITTE Network began life as the HEI/Schools Network, aiming to bring together HEI providers of PE ITTE and their school-based partners to discuss and agree action on related issues. As ITTE provision has been widened, so the Network has expanded to the point where it now encompasses all providers of PE ITTE, be they Secondary or Primary, HEI-based or school-based.
The focus for this year’s conference was ‘Sustaining High Quality Physical Education Initial Teacher Training’ over the course of the three days a number of workshops, discussion forums and seminars were held to enable all present to contribute to the development of consistent high quality PE ITTE, address issues and concerns raised by providers of PE ITTE and Ofsted inspection reports related to PE ITTE, and share best practice.
The conference started with an address by Margaret Talbot (Chief Executive of the Association for Physical Education) who identified successes and challenges facing PE ITTE – one issue raised was that of Primary PE provision in ITTE. During discussion that followed Marjon was used to exemplify good practice through creative module development to increase PE time (the primary B.Ed route having a half module with PE and citizenship), also the development of relevant undergraduate degrees routes preparing students for either a PGCE or GTP route into teaching (Coaching and Physical Education and the new Children’s Physical Education). Sue Campbell of Youth Sports Trust followed putting Physical Education into the bigger picture. Marjon again got a mention in the discussion with the Hub Club that was successfully launched with the visit of Seb Coe. Finally Judith Rundell (Chief HMI for Physical Education) gave an overview of characteristics for high quality PE both at school phases and ITTE. Judith headed up the team inspecting Marjon when we received out 1 for M and QA last year. She used examples of best practice from both the PGCE and B.Ed at Marjon to illustrate her talk.
Day two focused on two key themes, firstly, selection, recruitment and retention especially with widening participation and encouragement of BME students into teacher education – this is a national problem in Physical Education, a number of presentations were given that shared research findings with the group followed by workshop activities aimed at exploring strategies that could be adopted to link both to the ‘aim higher’ and the widening participation agenda. The second focus was led by Andy Frapwell (Regional co-ordinator, coordinator for PE dissemination of the new curriculum and Marjon external examiner) and addressed the new secondary curriculum now finalised and in secondary schools for planning and piloting and then to be taught to year 7 in September 2008. Small group discussions aimed at sharing best practice as to how a) HEIs were supporting schools in the planning process, b) how ITTE providers were training mentors to support trainees in schools and c) how ITTE providers were developing modules and content to meet the requirements of the new secondary curriculum. In all areas Marjon were able to provide clear examples of how mentor training has been developed, module outcomes adjusted and the new curriculum addressed through both permeation and focused elements and how, through the LDA, a programme of support for schools has been planned. The day concluded with the launch of a CD rom resource ‘Entering New Worlds’, developed by Andy Frapwell, the resource supports ITTE and teacher training in and through PE and was developed using staff expertise and trainees from Marjon.
