Using The Spectrum to ground PETE students' pedagogical footings

This chapter describes the use of The Spectrum (Mosston & Ashworth, 2008) for pedagogical accountability in a foundational physical education teacher education (PETE) program. Pedagogical accountability refers to the preparation of teachers who can teach effectively (Ashworth, 1992). Furthermore, we use the concept of foregrounding the learner through transformative tertiary studies in physical education (PE) (Pill & Brown, 2007) to anchor the pedagogical use of The Spectrum in PETE as a deliberate mechanism to disrupt the common technocratic and sport-as-sport techniques (Kirk, 2010) PE student experience constructed as demonstrate-explain-practice (Tinning, 2010). We suggest that foregrounding the learner in the context of PETE requires the intentional construction of learning experiences that assist the PETE students’ transition from PE student to “pre-service teacher”. The later requiring a framework through which to be able to think about and through their role as “teacher” and by virtue of knowledge, skills and attitudes is qualified to make judgements about what ought to be done with regard to the educative use of physical activity (Paddick, 1976) for education in, through and about movement (Arnold, 1979).