Although assessment practices are commonly part of the physical education (PE) curriculum they may often frustrate rather than support students’ basic needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. Nevertheless, assessment also provides various promising opportunities to support these basic needs and enhance learning in students. In order to address this issue, we developed an in-service teacher training programme that was grounded within contemporary theories on assessment and motivation, and aimed at improving PE teachers’ expertise on motivational assessment practices. In close collaboration with PE teachers and other experts in the field an in-service teacher training programme was developed that covered important topics such as quality assessment, motivation and assessment for learning. Specific attention was directed to the translation of theoretical concepts into practical and applicable tools. The in-service training programme was then provided on-site three times to a total of 33 PE teachers (of whom 20 were male (60%) and 12 were female (40%), teaching experience 3–32 years) representing different PE departments. Through an iterative cycle of development, provision, evaluation and adjustment the programme was gradually optimised. Focus group sessions and questionnaires were employed to evaluate various aspects, and identify barriers and success factors. The in-service teacher training programme is a successful first step in improving the expertise of PE teachers to start and develop higher quality and more motivating assessment practices. Nevertheless, in order to generate durable change within daily PE practice, follow-up training sessions or counselling methods (e.g. through communities of practice) are essential to overcome implementation barriers. Development, adjustment and future directions for assessment are discussed.
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In deze bijdrage schetsen we een beroepsbeeld voor de leraar als handvat voor loopbaan- en ontwikkelpaden. Dit beroepsbeeld is afgelopen maanden ontwikkeld door een groep experts en besproken met leraren, schoolleiders en opleiders. Aanleiding voor het opstellen van het beroepsbeeld is tweeledig. Enerzijds wordt in de maatschappelijke beeldvorming het beroep van leraar als weinig aantrekkelijk gezien door het ontbreken van duidelijke loopbaanpaden. Anderzijds ontbreekt het aan een gedeeld referentiekader, dat als handvat kan dienen voor het ontwikkelen van loopbaanpaden.Het beroepsbeeld dat we in dit hoofdstuk presenteren, schetst een breder en meer ontwikkelingsgericht beeld van het leraarschap. Het kan bijdragen aan de ontwikkeling van een gemeenschappelijke taal en een gedeeld beeld voor scholen, leraren, lerarenopleidingen en overheid om loopbaan- en ontwikkelmogelijkheden voor leraren te identificeren.
Formative assessment (FA) is an effective educational approach for optimising student learning and is considered as a promising avenue for assessment within physical education (PE). Nevertheless, implementing FA is a complex and demanding task for in-service PE teachers who often lack formal training on this topic. To better support PE teachers in implementing FA into their practice, we need better insight into teachers’ experiences while designing and implementing formative strategies. However, knowledge on this topic is limited, especially within PE. Therefore, this study examined the experiences of 15 PE teachers who participated in an 18-month professional development programme. Teachers designed and implemented various formative activities within their PE lessons, while experiences were investigated through logbook entries and focus groups. Findings indicated various positive experiences, such as increased transparency in learning outcomes and success criteria for students as well as increased student involvement, but also revealed complexities, such as shifting teacher roles and insufficient feedback literacy among students. Overall, the findings of this study underscore the importance of a sustained, collaborative, and supported approach to implementing FA.
