Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan, GIH

If group work has not always been a central element of Physical Education (and Health - HPE), then it has certainly become one in recent times (Ward & Lee, 2005). In this paper we propose that despite: (1) the widespread use of group work in HPE; and (2) significant theoretical advances surrounding HPE models that utilize group strategies (Dyson, Griffin, & Hastie, 2004), we do not have a particularly good theoretical understanding of how learning in groups takes place in the practice of HPE. In order to fill what we see as a significant lacuna, the aim of this paper is to propose one way of conceptualizing individual learning in peer interaction based on three tenets of post-Vygotskian theory; namely that in learning situations: (i) group members create collective consciousnesses; (ii) expert-novice relationships develop and change; and (iii) knowledge can be thought of as reaching agreement (Roth & Radford, 2010). These tenets are considered with respect to three empirical instances that are represented with transcript material from observations conducted in Swedish HPE lessons. A post-Vygotskian interpretation encourages us to consider: (i) how student engagement with tasks relates to learning; (ii) how group members become “other-oriented” along with the reasons why they might not orient themselves towards others, and (iii) how “non-experts” guide interactions even as “expertness” shifts between members. Such an interpretation has the potential to contribute to a growing understanding of group work and help HPE practitioners make the most of a teaching strategy which is already used widely in schools.

References

Dyson, B., Griffin, L., & Hastie, P. (2004). Sport Education, Tactical Games, and Cooperative Learning: Theoretical and pedagogical considerations. Quest, 56, 226-240.

Roth, W., & Radford, L. (2010). Re/thinking the zone of proximal development (symmetrically). Mind, Culture and Activity, 17, 299-307.  

Ward, P. & Lee, M. (2005). Peer-Assisted Learning in Physical Education: A Review of Theory and Research. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 24, 205-225.