Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan, GIH

Knowledge in movement is often tacit. It does not need to be verbalised to exist. That it is verbalised is, however, of great importance to enable deliberation about its meaning in educational contexts, and how to reason about it in relation to, e.g., selection. Arguably, it also needs to be verbalised if it is to gain value in the academy, a place where "knowledge about" often trumps "knowledge in". In this paper we explore knowledge in movement as it is expressed in creative dance in physical ed-ucation teacher education (PETE). In the literature, creative dance is sometimes as-sociated with a view that "there is no right or wrong way to move". But if there is no "right or wrong", or at least something "better or worse", then what is there to know? Or is it activity without direction? The purpose of the study is to explore what knowledge in movement is becoming as PETE students are practising creative dance. The notion of practising is sometimes negatively connoted (it has been likened to drill, for example). However, we draw on Aggerholm et al's (2018) conceptualisation of practising as “the form of activity in which we seek to improve our capabilities through repeated efforts” (p. 201). An analysis of WHAT the students are practising makes it possible to discern knowledge in movement in creative dance. Two units of creative dance have been documented using video filming, short interviews and field notes. In total, around 15 hours of teaching have been documented, with around 30 students in one course and 20 in the other. The preliminary analysis shows that knowledge in movement among these students, who often have a background in competitive sports, is expressed as an ability to shift focus from the unction of movements to the expression of movements. Furthermore, knowledge in movement is also expressed as the ability to move outside of one's habitual move-ment patterns, and to distinguish nuances regarding the expression of movements in connection with a differentiation of the execution of the movements. Intensive practising enables the students to arrive at magic moments, occasions “where a con-tent with a meaning is communicated with a special intensity” (Svendler Nielsen, 2006, p. 58). We believe that the capacity to move outside of one's habitual move-ment pattern and to learn to perceive and discern nuances with respect to what movements express (e.g., with respect to social norms) can be an important contri-bution to the discussion of what is valuable knowledge in movement within PETE – and by extension also within physical education.

References

Aggerholm, K., et al. (2018). On practising in physical education: Outline for a pedagogical model. Phys Ed and Sport Ped, 23(2), 197-208.

Svendler Nielsen, C. (2006). Betydningsfulde øjeblikke i sanselig praksis. In: L. Engel, H. Rønholt, C. Svendler Nielsen, & H. Winther (Eds.) Bevaegelsens poetik: om den aestetiske dimension i bevaegelse (p. 56-79). Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum.