Phillip Ward
Biographic Data
| ID | 5836291 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Phillip Ward |
| GIVEN NAMES | Phillip |
| FAMILY NAME | Ward |
| SIGNATURE | WARD P |
| AFFILIATIONS | The Ohio State University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7447-3594 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 25 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 25 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1999 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
The role of content knowledge in enhancing adaptive teaching among primary physical education teachers of varying teaching experience
Adaptive teaching in primary physical education (PE) requires teachers to adjust their instructions to address the diverse needs of students. Content knowledge (CK), including common content knowledge (CCK) and specialized content knowledge (SCK), is recognized as a key factor in supporting such adaptivity. However, research has focused on pre-service teachers and longer-term instructional adaptations (macro-adaptivity), leaving open the question…
Developing Skillfulness in a Game-Based Approach for Teaching Team Handball in Elementary School
This article presents an eight-lesson elementary school team handball unit designed to develop game play techniques such as throwing and catching, alongside tactical understanding in an authentic learning context. The proposed team handball unit consists of two phases. The first phase (lessons 1-4) starts with passing games with a focus on maintaining possession of the ball without time and spatial pressure and on restoring the triangle. Phase tw…
The effect of specialized content knowledge in reciprocal peer learning in a university content class
Background Teaching strategies using peers to influence student-learning outcomes are commonly used in physical education. Reciprocal peer learning is a teaching strategy where students work in pairs as tutor and tutee. Effective peer tutoring requires knowledge about the critical elements for correct performance (i.e. common content knowledge, CCK) and knowing how to detect and address common errors (i.e. specialized content knowledge, SCK). Res…
Generalization and maintenance of skill trials from physical education to recess in elementary school
Background: Being skillful is a prerequisite for lifelong participation in physical activity (WHO 2022 WHO (World Health Organization). 2022. “Promoting Physical Activity Through Schools: Policy Brief.” https://www.who.int/publications-detail-redirect/9789240049567. [Google Scholar]). Hence, investigating the quality of children’s skill performance is important. If physical education wants to contribute to the development of a physically active l…
Implementing Practice-Based Physical Education Teacher Education Pedagogies
This article addresses a key theory-practice gap in physical education teacher education (PETE) programs that can lead to the inadequate preparation of teachers for the realities they will face in schools. To improve the relevance of traditional PETE programs, the essential elements of implementing practice-based teacher education pedagogies are presented. The article provides readers with pedagogies that focus on the authentic practices in teach…
Content Knowledge for Teaching Ultimate Frisbee in Middle and High School
Ultimate Frisbee is a challenging activity that can contribute to meeting the first three 2024 SHAPE America National Physical Education Standards for middle and high school students. Ultimate Frisbee is different from other invasion games in that it is a no-contact and self-officiated (i.e., without a referee) game in which the “spirit of the game” prescribes how students should behave on the field. This article outlines an eight-lesson unit aim…
Lessons My Hair Stylist and Other Professionals Have Taught Me That Teachers Can Use
All professionals face similar problems based on the nature of their work. For example, teachers, hair stylists, chefs, and physicians might appear to have nothing in common, but they must all get better at completing the tasks they are performing. They must all communicate effectively with others and encounter challenges in their work that they must adapt to. Though the contexts are different, teachers can learn a lot from other professionals ab…
Strategies for the Teaching of Content Courses in Physical Education Teacher Education
A teacher cannot teach what they do not know. Previous studies have demonstrated that increasing teachers’ content knowledge (common content knowledge [CCK] and specialized content knowledge [SCK]) enhances teachers’ teaching effectiveness, which in turn results in better student learning. In the limited curricular space available in physical education teacher education (PETE) programs, maximizing the allocated time for developing content knowled…
Developing adaptive teaching competence in preservice physical education teachers
This study examined how preservice teachers (PSTs) develop adaptive competence in teaching peers in an introductory physical education pedagogy course underpinned by a pedagogical cycle designed to promote adaptive teaching competence. Two guiding research questions were: (a) what was the total number of adaptations that PSTs made in their peer teaching? and (b) what were the total numbers of missed content (MC) that PSTs had in their peer teachi…
Using Parkour to Step Up Your Elementary School Curriculum
The goal of parkour is to cross various obstacles in an efficient and creative way by jumping, swinging, climbing, and running. Parkour aligns with the SHAPE America national standards for K-12 physical education and has demonstrated its potential to highly engage both boys and girls in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). In this article, we present a knowledge packet for teaching parkour to elementary children. First, we discuss the k…
The role of specialised content knowledge in teaching basic life support
Objective: To investigate the role of specialised content knowledge in instructor training on the teaching and learning of basic life support (BLS) in secondary schools. Design: Cluster randomised controlled trial. Setting: Data were collected in three Flemish secondary schools during physical education classes. Method: Three secondary schools were randomly assigned to a 60-minute BLS instructor training without (one school, three teachers) or wi…
Teaching Sports in Physical Education
In Physical Education Teacher Education programs, we argue that a focus on fewer models to be taught and learned would provide time for higher competence to be attained by preservice teachers in a curriculum limited in terms of contact hours. During their teacher training, preservice teachers should be given ample opportunities to practice the model and reflect upon their effectiveness in teaching it. We conclude the article by addressing in-serv…
Core Practices for Preservice Teachers in Health Education Teacher Education
This article discusses core teaching practices for health education by defining, unpacking, and describing the use of core practices in teacher education. Core practices offer health teacher-educators and health educators a set of teaching practices that can be introduced during professional preparation and then refined and mastered as health educators begin and continue their careers. Implementing core practices in health education allows teache…
Relationships between university instructors’ and preservice teachers’ content knowledge
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between instructors’ common content knowledge, knowledge of instructional tasks, and knowledge of student errors and preservice teachers’ common content knowledge and knowledge of instructional tasks in gymnastics, soccer, and volleyball. Participants were 23 university instructors and 819 preservice teachers enrolled in 9 physical education teacher education programs in Turkey. Common co…
Skill Analysis for Teachers
In this article, essential knowledge for teacher educators in the teaching of skill analysis is discussed. The research literature shows that preservice and practicing teachers are not well trained in skill analysis and content knowledge as they need to conduct and act on their diagnoses. First, the reasons why skill analysis deserves much more attention in teacher education are described. Next, skill analysis is defined and essential knowledge f…
The tennis common content knowledge measure validation
The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable common content knowledge (CCK) instrument for pre-service teachers who teach fundamental tennis in secondary schools. The instrument, called the tennis CCK test for pre-service teachers (CCK-Tennis), was administered to 117 undergraduate students who were enrolled in physical education (PE) teacher education programmes at three universities in the United States. Two tennis content expe…
The effect of a content knowledge teacher professional workshop on enacted pedagogical content knowledge and student learning in a throwing unit
Background: Recent studies have found the effects of improvements in teachers’ content knowledge (CK) on enacted pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and student learning outcomes. However, there is little research exploring the relationship between PCK and student learning in an individual fundamental motor skill-based elementary physical education setting.Purpose: The primary focus of this study was to examine the influence of teacher content kn…
A national analysis of the content knowledge of Turkish physical education teacher education students
Background: Content knowledge is universally acknowledged as one of several knowledge bases that inform pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Content knowledge has been both hypothesized and demonstrated to influence PCK in two ways. First, teachers must know the rules, safety, etiquette, technique, and tactics of a movement form to teach it. This domain of content knowledge is called common content knowledge (CCK), that is the knowledge that one …
Five Trends in Physical Education Teacher Education
In this article we present five trends that are impacting physical education teacher education (PETE). The trends are (a) practice-based teacher education that refines the knowledge base for teacher education, (b) core teaching practices that define the critical teaching practices for successful lifelong teaching, (c) pedagogies of practice that operationalize practice-based teacher education with core practices, (d) the reconnection of health ed…
Core Practices for Preservice Teachers in Physical Education Teacher Education
This article contributes to the ongoing discussion on practice-based teacher education in physical education teacher education (PETE) programs. In this article we situate core practices within the practice-based teacher education movement, define and describe core practices for physical education, and discuss how to use them in the PETE curriculum and in coursework. Defining the knowledge base of PETE, in this case in terms of core teaching pract…
Confronting the Challenge of Continuous Professional Development for Physical Education Teacher Educators
The purpose of writing this article is to draw attention to the practice of physical education teacher education. The hope is to engage in an ongoing conversation with teacher educators about promoting personal continuous professional development. Similar to P-12 physical educators, and those who prepare future physical education teacher educators, physical education teacher educators have a responsibility to engage in Continuous Professional Dev…
A test of common content knowledge for gymnastics
Common content knowledge (CCK) is comprised of the knowledge of rules, techniques, and tactics and can be used to define the scope of what teachers teach in their lessons. Developing reliable and valid measures of teacher knowledge such as CCK strengthens our understanding of what teachers know and in turn the field’s ability to help teachers in their practice. There are, however, few validated tests of CCK of sport for teachers. The primary purp…
How important is perception of safety to park use? A four-city survey
Our purpose was to determine the relative importance of individual- and park-related characteristics in influencing both local park use and specific engagement in active sports, walking and sedentary pursuits. We surveyed 3815 adults living within 0.80 km of one of 24 study parks in four US metropolitan areas. Chi-square statistics and baseline-category logit models examined how perceived safety and park characteristics were related to park visit…
Physical Activity in Physical Education
This study assessed if wearing a heart rate monitor influenced student activity levels in elementary physical education. Data were analyzed for 4 students using an alternating treatment design to assess differential effects between accelerometer activity counts obtained from students when wearing the heart rate monitor and when they were not wearing the monitor. Results show that (a) there was no difference in activity counts between the 2 condit…
Chapter 7
How important is perception of safety to park use? A four-city survey
Our purpose was to determine the relative importance of individual- and park-related characteristics in influencing both local park use and specific engagement in active sports, walking and sedentary pursuits. We surveyed 3815 adults living within 0.80 km of one of 24 study parks in four US metropolitan areas. Chi-square statistics and baseline-category logit models examined how perceived safety and park characteristics were related to park visit…
The tennis common content knowledge measure validation
The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable common content knowledge (CCK) instrument for pre-service teachers who teach fundamental tennis in secondary schools. The instrument, called the tennis CCK test for pre-service teachers (CCK-Tennis), was administered to 117 undergraduate students who were enrolled in physical education (PE) teacher education programmes at three universities in the United States. Two tennis content expe…
A test of common content knowledge for gymnastics
Common content knowledge (CCK) is comprised of the knowledge of rules, techniques, and tactics and can be used to define the scope of what teachers teach in their lessons. Developing reliable and valid measures of teacher knowledge such as CCK strengthens our understanding of what teachers know and in turn the field’s ability to help teachers in their practice. There are, however, few validated tests of CCK of sport for teachers. The primary purp…
Chapter 7
Physical Activity in Physical Education
This study assessed if wearing a heart rate monitor influenced student activity levels in elementary physical education. Data were analyzed for 4 students using an alternating treatment design to assess differential effects between accelerometer activity counts obtained from students when wearing the heart rate monitor and when they were not wearing the monitor. Results show that (a) there was no difference in activity counts between the 2 condit…
How important is perception of safety to park use? A four-city survey
Our purpose was to determine the relative importance of individual- and park-related characteristics in influencing both local park use and specific engagement in active sports, walking and sedentary pursuits. We surveyed 3815 adults living within 0.80 km of one of 24 study parks in four US metropolitan areas. Chi-square statistics and baseline-category logit models examined how perceived safety and park characteristics were related to park visit…
A test of common content knowledge for gymnastics
Common content knowledge (CCK) is comprised of the knowledge of rules, techniques, and tactics and can be used to define the scope of what teachers teach in their lessons. Developing reliable and valid measures of teacher knowledge such as CCK strengthens our understanding of what teachers know and in turn the field’s ability to help teachers in their practice. There are, however, few validated tests of CCK of sport for teachers. The primary purp…
The effect of a content knowledge teacher professional workshop on enacted pedagogical content knowledge and student learning in a throwing unit
Background: Recent studies have found the effects of improvements in teachers’ content knowledge (CK) on enacted pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and student learning outcomes. However, there is little research exploring the relationship between PCK and student learning in an individual fundamental motor skill-based elementary physical education setting.Purpose: The primary focus of this study was to examine the influence of teacher content kn…
A national analysis of the content knowledge of Turkish physical education teacher education students
Background: Content knowledge is universally acknowledged as one of several knowledge bases that inform pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Content knowledge has been both hypothesized and demonstrated to influence PCK in two ways. First, teachers must know the rules, safety, etiquette, technique, and tactics of a movement form to teach it. This domain of content knowledge is called common content knowledge (CCK), that is the knowledge that one …
Five Trends in Physical Education Teacher Education
In this article we present five trends that are impacting physical education teacher education (PETE). The trends are (a) practice-based teacher education that refines the knowledge base for teacher education, (b) core teaching practices that define the critical teaching practices for successful lifelong teaching, (c) pedagogies of practice that operationalize practice-based teacher education with core practices, (d) the reconnection of health ed…
Core Practices for Preservice Teachers in Physical Education Teacher Education
This article contributes to the ongoing discussion on practice-based teacher education in physical education teacher education (PETE) programs. In this article we situate core practices within the practice-based teacher education movement, define and describe core practices for physical education, and discuss how to use them in the PETE curriculum and in coursework. Defining the knowledge base of PETE, in this case in terms of core teaching pract…
Confronting the Challenge of Continuous Professional Development for Physical Education Teacher Educators
The purpose of writing this article is to draw attention to the practice of physical education teacher education. The hope is to engage in an ongoing conversation with teacher educators about promoting personal continuous professional development. Similar to P-12 physical educators, and those who prepare future physical education teacher educators, physical education teacher educators have a responsibility to engage in Continuous Professional Dev…
Skill Analysis for Teachers
In this article, essential knowledge for teacher educators in the teaching of skill analysis is discussed. The research literature shows that preservice and practicing teachers are not well trained in skill analysis and content knowledge as they need to conduct and act on their diagnoses. First, the reasons why skill analysis deserves much more attention in teacher education are described. Next, skill analysis is defined and essential knowledge f…
The tennis common content knowledge measure validation
The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable common content knowledge (CCK) instrument for pre-service teachers who teach fundamental tennis in secondary schools. The instrument, called the tennis CCK test for pre-service teachers (CCK-Tennis), was administered to 117 undergraduate students who were enrolled in physical education (PE) teacher education programmes at three universities in the United States. Two tennis content expe…
Teaching Sports in Physical Education
In Physical Education Teacher Education programs, we argue that a focus on fewer models to be taught and learned would provide time for higher competence to be attained by preservice teachers in a curriculum limited in terms of contact hours. During their teacher training, preservice teachers should be given ample opportunities to practice the model and reflect upon their effectiveness in teaching it. We conclude the article by addressing in-serv…
Core Practices for Preservice Teachers in Health Education Teacher Education
This article discusses core teaching practices for health education by defining, unpacking, and describing the use of core practices in teacher education. Core practices offer health teacher-educators and health educators a set of teaching practices that can be introduced during professional preparation and then refined and mastered as health educators begin and continue their careers. Implementing core practices in health education allows teache…
Relationships between university instructors’ and preservice teachers’ content knowledge
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between instructors’ common content knowledge, knowledge of instructional tasks, and knowledge of student errors and preservice teachers’ common content knowledge and knowledge of instructional tasks in gymnastics, soccer, and volleyball. Participants were 23 university instructors and 819 preservice teachers enrolled in 9 physical education teacher education programs in Turkey. Common co…
Using Parkour to Step Up Your Elementary School Curriculum
The goal of parkour is to cross various obstacles in an efficient and creative way by jumping, swinging, climbing, and running. Parkour aligns with the SHAPE America national standards for K-12 physical education and has demonstrated its potential to highly engage both boys and girls in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). In this article, we present a knowledge packet for teaching parkour to elementary children. First, we discuss the k…
The role of specialised content knowledge in teaching basic life support
Objective: To investigate the role of specialised content knowledge in instructor training on the teaching and learning of basic life support (BLS) in secondary schools. Design: Cluster randomised controlled trial. Setting: Data were collected in three Flemish secondary schools during physical education classes. Method: Three secondary schools were randomly assigned to a 60-minute BLS instructor training without (one school, three teachers) or wi…
Lessons My Hair Stylist and Other Professionals Have Taught Me That Teachers Can Use
All professionals face similar problems based on the nature of their work. For example, teachers, hair stylists, chefs, and physicians might appear to have nothing in common, but they must all get better at completing the tasks they are performing. They must all communicate effectively with others and encounter challenges in their work that they must adapt to. Though the contexts are different, teachers can learn a lot from other professionals ab…
Strategies for the Teaching of Content Courses in Physical Education Teacher Education
A teacher cannot teach what they do not know. Previous studies have demonstrated that increasing teachers’ content knowledge (common content knowledge [CCK] and specialized content knowledge [SCK]) enhances teachers’ teaching effectiveness, which in turn results in better student learning. In the limited curricular space available in physical education teacher education (PETE) programs, maximizing the allocated time for developing content knowled…
Developing adaptive teaching competence in preservice physical education teachers
This study examined how preservice teachers (PSTs) develop adaptive competence in teaching peers in an introductory physical education pedagogy course underpinned by a pedagogical cycle designed to promote adaptive teaching competence. Two guiding research questions were: (a) what was the total number of adaptations that PSTs made in their peer teaching? and (b) what were the total numbers of missed content (MC) that PSTs had in their peer teachi…
The effect of specialized content knowledge in reciprocal peer learning in a university content class
Background Teaching strategies using peers to influence student-learning outcomes are commonly used in physical education. Reciprocal peer learning is a teaching strategy where students work in pairs as tutor and tutee. Effective peer tutoring requires knowledge about the critical elements for correct performance (i.e. common content knowledge, CCK) and knowing how to detect and address common errors (i.e. specialized content knowledge, SCK). Res…
Generalization and maintenance of skill trials from physical education to recess in elementary school
Background: Being skillful is a prerequisite for lifelong participation in physical activity (WHO 2022 WHO (World Health Organization). 2022. “Promoting Physical Activity Through Schools: Policy Brief.” https://www.who.int/publications-detail-redirect/9789240049567. [Google Scholar]). Hence, investigating the quality of children’s skill performance is important. If physical education wants to contribute to the development of a physically active l…
Implementing Practice-Based Physical Education Teacher Education Pedagogies
This article addresses a key theory-practice gap in physical education teacher education (PETE) programs that can lead to the inadequate preparation of teachers for the realities they will face in schools. To improve the relevance of traditional PETE programs, the essential elements of implementing practice-based teacher education pedagogies are presented. The article provides readers with pedagogies that focus on the authentic practices in teach…
Content Knowledge for Teaching Ultimate Frisbee in Middle and High School
Ultimate Frisbee is a challenging activity that can contribute to meeting the first three 2024 SHAPE America National Physical Education Standards for middle and high school students. Ultimate Frisbee is different from other invasion games in that it is a no-contact and self-officiated (i.e., without a referee) game in which the “spirit of the game” prescribes how students should behave on the field. This article outlines an eight-lesson unit aim…
The role of content knowledge in enhancing adaptive teaching among primary physical education teachers of varying teaching experience
Adaptive teaching in primary physical education (PE) requires teachers to adjust their instructions to address the diverse needs of students. Content knowledge (CK), including common content knowledge (CCK) and specialized content knowledge (SCK), is recognized as a key factor in supporting such adaptivity. However, research has focused on pre-service teachers and longer-term instructional adaptations (macro-adaptivity), leaving open the question…
Developing Skillfulness in a Game-Based Approach for Teaching Team Handball in Elementary School
This article presents an eight-lesson elementary school team handball unit designed to develop game play techniques such as throwing and catching, alongside tactical understanding in an authentic learning context. The proposed team handball unit consists of two phases. The first phase (lessons 1-4) starts with passing games with a focus on maintaining possession of the ball without time and spatial pressure and on restoring the triangle. Phase tw…
Psychology (21 works) · Mathematics education (19 works) · Physical Education and Pedagogy (19 works) · Physical education (17 works) · Pedagogy (16 works) · Inclusion and Disability in Education and Sport (13 works) · Teacher education (13 works) · Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports (12 works) · Children's Physical and Motor Development (8 works) · Medicine (8 works)