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In this paper, a site ontological approach to practice seeks to understand how educational development can be accomplished through the practices of 'middle leaders'--educators who exercise their leading 'between' the principal and the teaching staff. Analysis of two vignettes of leading in extraordinary circumstances untangles the web of interrelationships, conditions and practices that comprise middle leading in schools. The discussion focuses on how middle leaders' practices are enabled and constrained by practice architectures, and how their leading is ecologically arranged with other educational practices present. It is argued that notions of 'best practice' are an idealised but erroneous myth that often provokes educational development to be practised in homogenised or pre-packaged ways that do not necessarily serve the needs and interests of schools. We conclude by suggesting that best practice might be better conceptualised as site based practices, uniquely realised in response to local issues and concerns.

Teacher professional learning provides opportunities to enhance understandings and practices for those directly involved in children's learning. The expectations placed on providers of professional learning are frequently shaped by mandates beyond their control and or expertise. In this paper, we examine how the complex set of philosophies framing Sport New Zealand's "Play.sport" initiative, a school-based programme to enhance experiences in Physical Education (PE), Physical Activity (PA), Physical Literacy (PL), play and sport for young people, were understood and enacted by professional learning providers. The implementation framework centred on a workforce of Facilitators, Mentors and Activators providing professional learning in participating schools. Empirical evidence was gathered from interviews, field/meeting notes and observations to illuminate how the workforce consistently grappled with layers of complexity required to understand and enact philosophical and policy mandates associated with PE, PA, PL, sport and play. Our findings demonstrate the need to reconsider the delivery of professional learning and development initiatives. We conclude by reflecting on how our work as an academic community, undertaken with an intention of enhancing practices in PE, may be unintentionally increasing complexity and confusion.

The concept of physical literacy (PL) has increasingly drawn global interest from practitioners, academics and policymakers within the fields of sport, health and physical education. Its value and appeal appear to lie in its potential to help refocus attention on the importance of human physicality and movement in enabling individuals to flourish and lead fulfilling lives Whitehead, M. (Ed.). (2010). "Physical literacy: Through the life-course. International studies in physical education and youth sport." Routledge. In this sense, it overlaps with the aims of physical education (PE) and has increasingly been seen as having an influence on future curriculum development in many Western countries. In our view, there is a need to critically question this influence, particularly in the sense that the concept is not just redefining the nomenclature of the subject area; but also its nature, focus and outcomes. This need to critically question has also become more prevalent as neoliberal technocratic agendas have pushed for clearer measures of the impact associated with government expenditure, increased individual responsibility for health outcomes and the subsequent development of measurement tools and standards. The concern here, particularly for a country like Aotearoa New Zealand, is that the current curriculum risks becoming colonised by a concept, that fails to adequately address its national values, cultural identity and broad educative aspirations.

Children's physical education in early childhood settings has always been underpinned by an emphasis on play. This is viewed as foundational for child development (movement education, cognitive growth, socialising functions, emotional development). However, where priorities about childhood obesity prevail, increased 'prevention' efforts have become targeted at primary and pre-school-aged children. It could be argued that early childhood education has become another site for the 'civilising' of children's bodies. Drawing on data from a questionnaire completed by 65 early childhood education centres in Aotearoa New Zealand, we examine the play and physical education 'curriculum' and what this may mean for pre-school children's views of physical activity and health. In light of the evidence that suggests pre-school physical education programmes reinforce achievement of a certain restrictive and narrow model of physical health and activity, we explore the implications for primary school physical education. In doing so we consider how teachers of physical education in primary schools may need to reconsider the curriculum to support young children to regain enthusiasm for pleasurable movement forms that are not centred on narrowly perceived notions of the healthy or sporting body.

This paper presents an examination of identity in and as practice as it relates to a group of educational practitioners known as middle leaders. Drawing on the theory of practice architectures as a site‐ontological approach for conceptualising educational leading, the paper considers an individual's identity as being informed by, and accomplished amidst, the sayings, doings and relatings of practice. Although theorising the connections between identity and practice is not new, a central argument presented is that identity occurs at the nexus of the individual and social practices. Data are drawn from an empirical study of the practices of nine middle leaders responsible for facilitating a district‐wide initiative aiming to improve literacy pedagogy in their particular primary schools. Thematic analysis of semi‐structured interviews with the middle leaders revealed 11 identity–practice framings which evolve over time and space, negotiated in response to site‐based conditions. Findings contribute to understandings about the dynamic multifaceted nature of middle leaders' identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the challenges in in-service teacher education is how teachers can be given professional development (PD) that enables them to respond to national curriculum and policy change. In recent years primary teachers in New Zealand have been inundated with Ministry of Education-funded professional development programmes to help them implement a plethora of curriculum policy and reform initiatives. This paper explores how the design and delivery of one PD programme, the Physical Activity Initiative (PAI), positioned and supported teachers as learners. An evaluation of the programme sought data from 25 teachers and 14 advisers to schools. The focus was the impact of the PD on how and what teachers learnt about teaching physical education and how their learning impacted upon their classroom practices. The data highlight the difficulty of accommodating the teacher as a learner, within a "one size fits all" PD model. Little attention was paid to the learning differences among the teachers. It is argued that providers of PD need to understand the unique complex web of contextual factors that impacted upon each teacher, and that each teacher's learning needs and learning approaches vary and this needs to be accounted for in the design and the delivery of PD. (Contains 1 figure.)

Background: In Aotearoa New Zealand, as it is internationally, there is a desire to ensure physical education is inclusive of all students regardless of their abilities. Yet, medical discourses associated with disability continue to position students who are perceived as not having the capacity to participate fully in traditional physical education programmes as the teacher's 'helper', 'helped', or 'helpless'. As a result, these students may have negative experiences of physical education and this can impact on future involvement in movement-related activities within school and community settings. Methodology: Drawing on the data from a larger critical participatory action research project, we explore how one primary school teacher, Joel, attempted to work more inclusively within physical education. Specifically, we draw from personal journaling, student work and records of dialogical conversations to shed light on Joel's experiences. Conclusion: Joel's experience demonstrates that there is not one singular solution to inclusion within physical education and it is a combination of actions that support this process. In Joel's case, this included becoming a reflexive practitioner, getting to know his students, being receptive as opposed to respective to difference in positive ways rather than seeing this as limiting, working imaginatively to reconsider what constitutes learning in physical education, and sharing ownership for curriculum design and learning with his students. Working in this way illustrates how a multi-layered approach can make a difference to how all the students in a class experience inclusion, including students positioned as disabled.

Critical action research is a praxis-oriented professional learning practice. Such practice requires a move beyond viewing action research as simply a technical or practical method for teacher development; instead, it strives for critical and participatory research. When action research is reduced to a technicist process for professional learning, there is a tendency for valorising reported findings, so seemingly 'celebratory' stories emerge. Yet, the process of changing practices is complex and challenging. By sharing some of our own' uncomfortable truths,' we reveal the often-hidden realities of action research as spaces of contestation and negotiation, where uncomfortable truths are shared, examined, and sometimes silenced. This engagement in the form of 'reflexivity of discomfort' helps shed light on the need for Action Research to be (re)considered as more than a project and instead as a praxis-orientated approach that requires balanced reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To the outside observer, physical education in many primary schools, both in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally, continues be practised in ways that students of the 1970s would recognise. The only significant change would arguably be the introduction of an increased regime of testing, and a narrower focus on physical health agendas. This is despite a large body of research, curriculum developments, and professional learning opportunities that have advocated for changing programmes and pedagogical practices to ensure that physical education is relevant and inclusive for all learners. I employ the theories of practice architectures and ecologies of practice that are detailed extensively in Kemmis, Wilkinson, Edwards-Groves, Hardy, Grootenboer, Bristol [2014. "Changing practices, Changing Education." Singapore: Springer] and ecologies of practice [Kemmis, S., C. Edwards-Groves, J. Wilkinson, and I. Hardy. 2012. "Ecologies of Practices." In "Practice, Learning and Change," edited by P. Hager, A. Lee, and A. Reich, 3-49. London: Springer] to examine what constrains and enables transformative approaches to physical education in primary schools. In unpacking the cultural-discursive, material-economic, and socio-political arrangements that hold particular primary school physical education practices in place, I search for illumination about how to transform the conditions that reproduce particularly practices and the expense of transformative practice.

This paper centres on research that investigated the contemporary policy, curriculum and pedagogical landscape of Health and Physical Education (HPE) in Aotearoa New Zealand, in the light of increasing impressions that provision was moving to an "open market" situation. Publicly available information sourced via the Internet was used to examine the public and privately funded initiatives, programmes and resources targeted towards the provision of HPE across all phases of education. The data arising revealed an array of government and non-governmental agencies and organisations acting as producers of resources and deliverers of HPE-related programmes in schools. It also clearly pointed to structural convergence between government and non-government sectors. This paper locates the findings from the research amidst developments in policy relations and networks spanning education, health and sport, and presents a theoretically oriented critical re-examination of the structural reconfiguration of contemporary HPE in Aotearoa New Zealand. Analysis brings together insights from Ball and Junemann's work on policy networks and Bernstein's theorising of the social construction of discourse to explore linkages between policy and pedagogic relations, and the discourses and practices in HPE. Attention is directed to the significance of changes in the nature of both the Official Recontextualizing Field and Pedagogic Recontextualizing field, and the connections between the two fields. Changes in the recontextualizing fields are discussed in relation to official pedagogic discourse of HPE and the pedagogic discourse of reproduction. This analysis brings to the fore prospective curriculum and pedagogic implications of new policy networks and new networks of providers associated with provision of HPE in schools. Discussion acknowledges potentially varied readings of contemporary developments and addresses the opportunities and challenges for teachers and teacher educators in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally.

Internationally, recent research has indicated that the health and physical education (HPE) curriculum has become at least to some extent "an open market", with rapid growth in the number of external providers and diversity of resources targeted towards schools and teachers. This research acknowledges that the programmes and instruction offered by external organisations represents a significant change to the HPE landscape, albeit alongside an absence of research-based knowledge about the nature and extent of involvement of external organisations in the provision of HPE. The study examines and "maps" the changing landscape of provision of HPE in Aotearoa New Zealand by exploring the number and type of HPE-associated programmes and resources "available" to schools nationwide. It reveals an abundance of players in the "HPE market". Analysis of data explores the composition of the providers, programmes and resources. Discussion considers the implications of the data in relation to HPE curriculum and pedagogy; who is deemed a legitimate teacher of HPE; and how policy and provision appear to be shaped by government and corporate voices.

Pre-packaged curriculum resources that are purportedly designed to support teachers to deliver physical education in primary school settings have become prolific internationally. While both teachers and teacher educators use curriculum resources extensively, there has been little exploration into the effectiveness of resources in supporting teacher learning. The use of curriculum resources in one PD programme is used to illustrate the extent to which resources mediate teacher learning, acting as enablers and limiters for changing teacher practice, potentially both reskilling and deskilling teachers. The design and use of curriculum materials needs to be re-imagined in order to better support teacher learning. (Contains 4 notes.)

This article focuses on the challenges arising for primary school teachers who have responsibility for teaching physical education (PE) and who are working in particularly complex and contestable policy contexts. In New Zealand provision of physical education is identified as occurring amidst multiple, and not necessarily compatible, sets of expectations, associated with government priorities, initiatives focusing on children's health, sport, and improved national achievement outcomes. This article examines the contemporary educational policy landscape, and the effect constantly shifting policy initiatives have on teachers' work in physical education in primary schools. Key themes characterizing primary PE teaching/teachers' situation currently centre on pressures to adhere to policies that have stricter accountability measures, the utilization of "external providers", limited time for teacher learning and what appears to paralysis by policy. Discussion considers possible alternative approaches to the development of policy that would arguably better support teachers of physical education in primary schools. (Contains 1 figure and 6 notes.)

This paper analyses the impact of a nationwide one-year physical education (PE) professional development (PD) programme on 25 generalist classroom teachers from 10 primary schools in New Zealand. This research specifically explores how a year-long PD programme, focused predominantly on general pedagogical strategies, supported in-service generalist teachers to use of pedagogies previously reserved to the classroom to enhance their PE practice, reconceptualise the place and purpose of PE, and shifted their perceptions of themselves as teachers of PE. Interviews, questionnaires, lesson observations and document analysis were used to investigate the impact a PD programme had on teachers' knowledge and practices in PE. This research specifically explores how a year-long PD programme, focused predominantly on general pedagogical strategies, supported in-service generalist teachers to explore how the use of pedagogies previously reserved to the classroom support them to enhance their PE practice; to reconceptualize the place and purpose of PE, and shifted their perceptions of themselves as teachers of PE. It is concluded that generalist teachers benefit from PD opportunities that allow for the transfer of pedagogical strategies and skills from the classroom to the PE context. However, these learning opportunities should be balanced and connected with opportunities to develop content knowledge associated with PE.

In this paper, a site ontological approach to practice seeks to understand how educational development can be accomplished through the practices of 'middle leaders' - educators who exercise their leading 'between' the principal and the teaching staff. Analysis of two vignettes of leading in extraordinary circumstances untangles the web of interrelationships, conditions and practices that comprise middle leading in schools. The discussion focuses on how middle leaders' practices are enabled and constrained by practice architectures, and how their leading is ecologically arranged with other educational practices present. It is argued that notions of 'best practice' are an idealised but erroneous myth that often provokes educational development to be practised in homogenised or pre-packaged ways that do not necessarily serve the needs and interests of schools. We conclude by suggesting that best practice might be better conceptualised as site based practices, uniquely realised in response to local issues and concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher professional learning provides opportunities to enhance understandings and practices for those directly involved in children's learning. The expectations placed on providers of professional learning are frequently shaped by mandates beyond their control and or expertise. In this paper, we examine how the complex set of philosophies framing Sport New Zealand's Play.sport initiative, a school‐based programme to enhance experiences in Physical Education (PE), Physical Activity (PA), Physical Literacy (PL), play and sport for young people, were understood and enacted by professional learning providers. The implementation framework centred on a workforce of Facilitators, Mentors and Activators providing professional learning in participating schools. Empirical evidence was gathered from interviews, field/meeting notes and observations to illuminate how the workforce consistently grappled with layers of complexity required to understand and enact philosophical and policy mandates associated with PE, PA, PL, sport and play. Our findings demonstrate the need to reconsider the delivery of professional learning and development initiatives. We conclude by reflecting on how our work as an academic community, undertaken with an intention of enhancing practices in PE, may be unintentionally increasing complexity and confusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]