A fundamental dimension in the subject Physical Education (PE) is movement and movement activities. However, there is a lack of discussion, in the context of PE, regarding capability to move in terms of coordinative abilities, body consciousness, educing bodily senses and creating movements (Larsson et al., 2005, 2011; Ekberg 2009,;Redelius et al., 2009; Evans 2004; Shusterman 2004; Whitehead 2005; Kirk 2010, p. 29; Tinning 2010, p. 29).
Our intention with this presentation is to contribute to a discussion of what capability to move can mean and how this capability can be developed in the context of PE. Our interest focuses on the growing use of exergames as a form of teaching aid in PE (Quennerstedt et al., 2013) and subsequently this study explores these games' potential contribution to teaching and learning capability to move. Many of these games include imitating movements and one argument of using the games in PE, apart from fighting obesity and increasing students' fitness levels, is, according to PE teachers in Sweden, their potential contribution to motor skill acquisition (Meckbach et al., 2013).
The aim with this study is twofold. Firstly, we will explore a specific dance game's contribution to a group of students' motor skill acquisition. However, our approach to motor skills is in this context described as a theoretical perspective on capability to move as knowing how in line with Ryle (1949), including both understanding and mastering, thus also challenging the distinction between mental and physical skills. Secondly, having explored the students' knowing when playing the dance game, we will discuss necessary conditions for developing capability to move and the game's potential contribution ‘as a teacher' in relation to the potential contribution of a PE-teacher.
The data used in this study comprises video recordings of students playing Nintendo Wii dance games in PE-lessons. In order to conduct a systematic and thorough analysis of the students' knowing in moving two video sequences were chosen, showing four students imitating two distinct dance movements which constituted the base for a phenomenographic analysis. The result of the analysis showed different ways of knowing the movements and also what aspects were discerned by the students. This structure of awareness constituted a starting point for a discussion of necessary conditions for learning the movements in more complex ways thus also the potential contributions of the game ‘as a teacher' in relation to a PE teacher.
2015.