Threshold Concepts in Physical Education: A Design Thinking Approach

This innovative and user-friendly book uses a design thinking approach to examine transformative learning and liminality in physical education. Covering theory and practice, it introduces the important idea of ‘threshold concepts’ for physical education, helping physical educators to introduce those concepts into curriculum, pedagogy and assessment.

The book invites us to reflect on what is learned in, through and about physical education - to identify its core threshold concepts. Once identified, the book explains how the learning of threshold concepts can be planned using principles of pedagogical translation for all four learning domains (cognitive, psychomotor, affective and social). The book is arranged into three key sections which walk the reader through the underpinning concepts, use movement case studies to explore and generate threshold concepts in physical education using design thinking approach and, finally, provide a guiding Praxis Matrix for PE Threshold Concepts that can be used for physical educators across a range of school and physical activity learning contexts.

Outlining fundamental theory and useful, practical teaching and coaching advice, this book is invaluable reading for all PE teacher educators, coach educators, and any advanced student, coach or teacher looking to enrich their knowledge and professional practice.

Fiona C. Chambers is Head of the School of Education and Senior Lecturer in PE and Sport Pedagogy at University College Cork, Ireland and a Hasso-Plattner Institute-certified Design Thinking Coach. Her teaching, research and civic engagement focuses particularly on the areas of physical education and sport pedagogy, mentoring, and social innovation. She is an Invited Member of UNESCO Scientific Committee for Physical Activity, as well as Secretary General for the Association Internationale des Écoles Superiéure d’Éducation Physique (AIESEP), and a Founder and Link Convenor of the European Educational Research Association (EERA) Network on Research in Sport Pedagogy. She is also co-founder of WickED, a platform using design thinking to develop educational solutions to complex societal challenges.

Anna Bryant is Director of Teacher Education and Professional Learning at the Cardiff School of Education and Social Policy (CSESP), Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK. Anna has made a significant contribution to Health Physical Education, specifically, in the area of physical literacy and ‘Health and Well-being’. She has project led Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Sport Wales Physical Literacy Consultants and was an international panel member for the Australian Sports Commission’s Physical Literacy Project (2016-2017). Anna has been involved in providing academic consultancy to the Welsh Government on the new Health and Well-being Area of Learning and Experience (AoLE) and has played a central part in Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Welsh Government National Professional Enquiry Project (NPEP).

David Aldous is Senior Lecturer in Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK. The focus of his current research, innovation and teaching interests lies in using forms of sociological theory to develop critical understanding of how education, sport and community-based organisations are able to creatively respond to the reform of education, sport and health policy. He is currently lead for the Physical Health Education for Lifelong Learning (PHELL) research group at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Future research will continue to contribute towards interdisciplinary approaches that support local communities in understanding and addressing the social, environmental and health problems facing society in the early 21st century.