Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance

ISSN: 0730-3084 (Print) 2168-3816 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ujrd20

The Role of Teacher Work Samples in Developing

Effective and Reflective Physical Education
Teachers

Sue Sutherland & Jackie Goodway

To cite this article: Sue Sutherland & Jackie Goodway (2010) The Role of Teacher Work
Samples in Developing Effective and Reflective Physical Education Teachers, Journal of Physical
Education, Recreation & Dance, 81:2, 51-57, DOI: 10.1080/07303084.2010.10598435

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07303084.2010.10598435

Published online: 26 Jan 2013.

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 Teacher Work Sample MethodologyPart 2

The Role of Teacher Work Samples in Developing Effective

and Reflective Physical Education Teachers
Sue Sutherland Jackie Goodway

This real-life example demonstrates the benefits of using teacher

work samples in physical education teacher education.
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The following two articles
complete this two-part fea-
ture. In the January issue,
after an introduction by
feature editor Phillip Ward,
Mary Jo Sariscsany discussed
the use of work samples
to develop and assess best
practices in physical educa-
tion teacher education. Part
one concluded with Melissa
Parker and Christina Sin-
clair showing how teacher
work samples have been
used at the University of
Northern Colorado. Ed.
I
n the words of a teacher candidate, Teacher Work Sample made me think
of my students first, rather than just me and my teaching. It really made me
realize that what I did had a direct impact on what students learned and I
learned a lot about myself as a teacher as a result of it.
For the past eight years, Ohio State University (OSU) has systematically infused
teacher work samples (TWS) into their physical education teacher education (PETE)
undergraduate curriculum in order to develop effective and reflective teachers.
Teacher work samples are made up of five main parts: (1) community mapping,
(2) unit planning, (3) data collection on goals, (4) data-based reflection, and (5)
final reflective essay. The teacher candidates (TCs) are introduced to TWS in the
elementary content course in the fall of their third year. During this course each of
the components of TWS are explained, and the TCs work through a mock example
of TWS using a hypothetical set of students to complete the process. The TCs
then develop the TWS with real students during both the field-based elementary
methods and secondary methods courses. During these three sequential courses, the
faculty, university supervisors, and mentor teachers helped to refine the TWS skills
for each TC. The culminating TWS occurs during student teaching. The capstone
experience of student teaching is the development of a complete TWS written prod-
uct and a formal presentation before undergraduate PETE majors, faculty, university
supervisors, and mentor teachers. This article discusses the components of a TWS
and the journey and results of TCs at OSU as they negotiated this process.

Community Mapping
The first step in the TWS journey is to conduct a community mapping to help the
TCs understand the nature of the community in which the school they will work
in is situated and the implications this knowledge might have on the children who
attend that school. This involves looking at factors such as mean family income,
types of housing (rental/owned, apartments/single dwelling), crime rates, educa-
tional backgrounds, employment levels and types, community resources (e.g., parks,
library, YMCA, etc.), and school-community affiliations. In addition, the TCs map
the climate and characteristics of the school by looking at school proficiency-test
data, and they interview the principal, classroom teachers, and physical education
teacher to gain a better understanding of their perspectives.
In her community-mapping experience, one TC, Sue, found out that the com-
munity in which the school was situated had a high crime rate; predominantly
rental properties, many of which were run down and did not have yards; and no

JOPERD Volume 81 No. 2 February 2010 51

 businesses other than a convenience store selling liquor.
There was one park for children to play in, but it was covered
in gang graffiti and filled with garbage. Sue said,
I was shocked to see that the children had no place to play.
I guess I never really thought about how environments like
this limit childrens opportunities to be physically active and
so affect their motor development.
Later on during the student teaching placement, when Sue
noticed how delayed the motor skills of the children were,
she made the connection between their home environment
and their performance in the gymnasium:
In the beginning I never really understood the point of com-
munity mapping; it seemed so pointless. But I get it now.
So much of what I learned about them in the community
mapping influenced the opportunities they had, the skills
they brought to the gymnasium, and the way I needed to
work with them.
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By the end of the student-teaching experience, Sue began
to adopt a social justice approach to her teaching, becom-
ing indignant that there were such inequities between these
urban children and their suburban counterparts. She said,
Im amazed at how resilient these kids are; they have nothing
but are so enthusiastic. We need to provide safe places for
urban children to play and be active. They deserve the same
opportunities as any other child.
Sues experiences are typical. The community-mapping
piece of the TWS secures its value for TCs toward the end
of their student-teaching experience. In the beginning, TCs
often question the relevance of learning this information.
Even when the instructors point out the value of knowing
this information, they still do not make the connection to
their instruction. It is not until they have experienced life
as a teacher at the school that the pieces of the community
mapping drop into place and become culturally relevant
and meaningful. At the end of student teaching, TCs often
refer to their community-mapping data in their final reflec-
tive essay and TWS presentation, making the connection
between the outcomes of their unit, their instruction, and
the lives of the children.
Unit Plan Development
The second step in a TWS is unit planning. At OSU, unit
planning consists of (1) a rationale for the unit (why this
unit and why at this time of year); (2) a behavior manage-
ment plan; (3) unit goals (motor, physical activity, cognitive,
affective); (4) alignment of unit goals to district, state, and
national standards; (5) task analysis (developing a series of
tasks, from easy to hard, to be used in the unit); (6) a block
plan; and (7) an assessment plan (specific ways in which
unit goals will be evaluated). Although this article does not
have the room to elaborate on this aspect of TWS (for more
details, visit http://ehe.osu.edu/paes/physical-education/
pete/joperd/), it is worth emphasizing the cyclical nature of
the unit-planning process for steps three through seven. The
52
unit plan is constantly being revised, and as students com-
plete the next step in the unit plan, they realize they need
to go back and align the previous steps, which is sometimes
a source of great frustration for them. For example, as TCs
develop the block plan, they might recognize that they have
too many goals to fit into the specified period of time and
thus go back and cut unit goals.
Data Collection and Data Reflection
The third and fourth steps in the TWS process at OSU are data
collection and reflection. The task for the TCs in this section
is to document that when they teach, students learn. The
focus in this part of the TWS is on student performance data
(i.e., documenting student learning), on the TCs ability to
interpret and reflect on their pedagogical accomplishments
in fostering student learning, and on reflecting and describ-
ing how this information informs future practice. During the
unit of instruction, the TC formally assesses five instructional
goals: two motor, one cognitive, one affective, and one physi-
cal activity. The TCs determine the assessment strategy and
when assessments will occur for each goal during the unit-
planning process. Once student assessment data are collected,
the TCs present a chart (often a bar graph) summarizing the
learning data for (1) the average of the overall class, (2) a
high-performing student, and (3) a low-performing student.
The purpose of looking at the high- and low-performing stu-
dents is to examine the boundaries of instructional learning
and whether instruction brought about learning for each of
these students, regardless of their performance level. Follow-
ing the presentation of data, the TCs analyze and reflect on
these data relative to their pedagogical instructional choices
and the impact on student learning. The next two sections
will elaborate on this step of the TWS process, highlighting
examples of motor and affective goals.
Pedagogical Reflection on Motor Goals
The motor goals that TCs select vary greatly depending on the
nature of the unit of instruction and the grade levels taught.
Almost all TCs select an isolated skill as one of their goals;
however, in team sports, they are also encouraged to write
motor goals that focus on tactics, such as moving to an open
space in soccer. The writing of a precise, measurable unit goal
is usually challenging for TCs. In the beginning of the unit-
planning process, the TCs tend to develop motor goals that
are imprecise and unmeasurable, such as The student will
be able to perform a handstand with good form. However,
as they develop the assessment plan for the unit, the TCs
realize that they need to specify parts of the goal like good
form and be more specific about the conditions under which
the skills are to be performed. As they get further into the
unit-planning process, the TCs become more critical of the
way they have written their goals. Aha moments happen
when TCs figure out that the unit goal they had written
was poorly constructed, and allowing the TCs to experience
these moments is more powerful than just fixing the goal
initially. At this assessment phase of the TWS process, almost
JOPERD Volume 81 No. 2 February 2010
 all TCs go back and refine their unit goals to be more precise
and measurable.
Consider this example. One TC in a five-day handball unit
selected the following motor goal: The student will be able
to perform a wrist pass to a teammate during a drill using 4
of 5 critical elements. In this situation the TC identified the
five critical elements during the assessment plan and used
peer task sheets on the second day of the unit to evaluate
the number of critical elements initially being demonstrated
by the students. On the fourth day of the unit, this process
was repeated. The graph showed that on average the class
demonstrated 1.80 critical elements on the second day of
the unit and 4.32 critical elements on
the fourth day. The high-performing
student went from three to five criti- As the TCs go through the TWS signing themselves a number, level,
cal elements and the low-performing
student went from one to three criti-
process, they shift from initial or
cal elements. This TC concluded that resistance to the process to re- the lesson. While this method is easy
the data demonstrated that he had flecting on their growth in their to administer and often efficient,
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met his overall class goal for the unit,
which was to use four of five critical
instructional effectiveness.
elements in a wrist pass:
I did a good job of explaining the critical elements to the class
and why good technique is important. I also had posters of
critical elements up around the gym, and all of my feedback
reinforced the critical elements I had chosen. I positively pin-
pointed students doing some of the harder critical elements
and used these children as peer demonstrators. The constant
use of self and peer task sheets helped students know what
they were doing well and what needed work.
The TC pointed out that the high-performing student
met the goal:
It came pretty easy to the HP [high-performing student], he
saw me explain and demonstrate the wrist pass and tried it a
few times, then quickly mastered the critical elements. It was
great having this HP as a resource, as I could call on him to
provide individual demonstrations to other students and he
could peer coach them. The HP student soon got others to his
level and I was able to extend drills using the wrist pass to keep ability varies among TCs, but includes the following: (1)
challenging him. The assessment data does not really show
how well the HP did in applying this skill into more complex
drills; I have to find a way to do that next time.
In contrast the low-performing student did not meet the
goal (only 3 critical elements):
It was so hard for the LP [low-performing] student in the
beginning; he got stuck for a while only showing 1 critical
element. I had to make the tasks easier to allow him to focus
on the technique. Even though the LP did not meet my unit
goal, a huge amount of learning occurred for this student.
Working with one of the HP students was really powerful and
motivating for this child. One thing I really learned from this
situation was that I am not the only source of information in
the gym; I think that this LP student learned way more from
his peer than he ever would have from me. In the future I
intend to tap the many resources in my gym [the children]
more thoroughly to impact learning for all.
JOPERD Volume 81 No. 2 February 2010
Overall, this TC demonstrated that student learning did
occur in his gymnasium, but most importantly he began to
make connections between what he did (his pedagogy), and
how students learned.
Pedagogical Reflection of Affective Goals
The affective goal is one area in which TCs often struggle
in terms of creating a meaningful and efficient assessment
method. It seems as though affective goals are treated as
an afterthought compared to motor, cognitive, or physical
activity goals. Early in the PETE program the most popular
method of assessing affective goals is a version of a tap-out
system. The tap-out method (physi-
cal or written) involves students as-
medal for the day based on their
personal and social behaviors during
it is not necessarily meaningful for
the students or the TCs. Often the
students tap out as they leave the
gymnasium with little accountabil-
ity, or they complete an assessment sheet by checking the
level or medal that they feel their behavior reflected. However
when analyzing the data, the TCs realize that this method
provides limited data on the students personal and social
behaviors and does not allow for critical reflection on how
instruction influenced their behavior.
As the TCs progress through the PETE program, their un-
derstanding of how to set and assess affective goals becomes
more sophisticated. However, to get them to this point it
usually takes the intervention of the faculty, university super-
visors, and mentor teachers to challenge the TCs thinking in
this area. Although the tap-out system is still popular during
student teaching, TCs begin to add greater accountability
that requires students to think more critically about their
engagement and behaviors during the lesson. The account-
an individual and a group or peer assessment, (2) different
components that differentiate behavior (cooperation, respect,
care, etc.) and students awarding themselves a level or medal,
and (3) a rationale (written or verbal) provided by students
for their choice of level or medal.
In addition, toward the end of the PETE program, fair-play
contracts (both individual and team) and full-value contracts
are frequently used by TCs to assess the affective goals of the
unit. The increased level of accountability and depth to the
data allowed one TC to reflect on how her pedagogy affected
the students in her classes:
I had never really thought about how my instruction might
be perceived differently by different level performers. It was
eye-opening to see the differences between the high and low
performer. I need to focus more on low performers.
Continues on page 57
53
 levels of performance that take into account the effects of
the instructional context.
Summary
A TWS is a key assessment that provides evidence to demon-
strate program and unit accreditation standards. Developing
effective rubrics for both unit and program accreditation
is essential if TWS are to provide evidence of candidate
performance. An effective TWS can be used to demonstrate
the programs ability to develop teacher candidates who can
consider the context, plan and implement effective instruc-
tion to meet the needs of diverse students, and use reflection
to make changes that will improve student learning.
References
Butler, J. (2006). An introduction to NCATE and NASPE/NCATE begin-
ning teacher standards. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation &
Dance, 77(2), 15-19.
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Sutherland, S., & Goodway, J. D. (2010). The role of teacher work
samples in developing effective and reflective physical education
teachers. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 81(2),
51-53, 57.
Hacker, P. (2006). Selection of assessments for the NASPE/NCATE
program report. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance,
77(2), 25-31.
Lund, J. (2006). Creating rubrics for NCATE reports. Journal of Physical
Education, Recreation & Dance, 77(3), 13-17.
National Association for Sport and Physical Education. (2006). Pro-link:
Developing assessments and rubrics for NASPE/NCATE program reports.
Reston, VA: Author.
National Association for Sport and Physical Education. (2008). National initial
physical education teacher education standards. Reston, VA: Author.
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. (2008). Profes-
sional standards for the accreditation of teacher preparation institutions.
Washington, DC: Author.
Parker M., & Sinclair, C. (2010). Making teacher work samples work at
the University of Northern Colorado. Journal of Physical Education,
Recreation & Dance, 81(1), 36-38.
Kevin Lorson (kevin.lorson@wright.edu) is an assistant professor in
the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation at
Wright State University, in Dayton, OH 45435.
Sutherland
Continued from page 53
In spite of the difficulties the TCs encounter in this as-
pect of the TWS process, it is evident that they gain better
appreciation of how an understanding of student behaviors
influences their teaching. During the secondary methods
course one TC stated, Keeping track of the affective data
really helped me think about how students were behaving
and what parts of my instruction were causing good behaviors
or misbehaviors. The same TC summed up the feelings of
many of his peers when he said, If this assignment hadnt
forced me to track this, I am not sure how much I would
JOPERD Volume 81 No. 2 February 2010
have focused on how the students responded given all the
other stuff you have to think about.
Reflective Essay
The final step in the TWS process is the reflective essay in
which the TCs consider what they have learned. The es-
say provides an opportunity for the TCs to reflect on their
instructional strengths, areas for improvement, how their
instruction progressed during the unit, lessons learned in
developing and implementing an instructional unit, major
barriers and supports to effective instruction, and the overall
lessons learned about effective teaching. The reflective essay
is a valuable capstone step in the TWS process, as it allows
the TCs to reflect on the entire internship. It is during this
reflection that the proverbial penny drops and the TCs be-
gin to understand the utility of TWS relative to improving
their instructional effectiveness. Angies comment really
epitomizes the types of comments commonly seen in the
reflective essay:
One of the things I finally learned is that a teacher is never
done adapting her planning. Every day she must reflect on
what she taught and how that changes the next lesson and
the rest of the unit. Even when she walks on the gym floor
she must adapt to the students and how they respond. I wish
I had learned this important lesson earlier. It would have been
a lot less frustrating for me.
The developmental approach that OSU has taken to imple-
menting and refining the TWS over three courses, culminat-
ing with a final TWS in student teaching, provides the TCs
with support and guidance to shift their focus from concern
about their own teaching to how their teaching affects their
students. Although this developmental process is not always
easy, the growth seen in the TCs makes all the time, effort,
and hard work worthwhile. As the TCs go through the TWS
process, they shift from initial resistance to the process to
reflecting on their growth in their instructional effectiveness.
The TWS process is a valuable tool in helping teachers become
more reflective. Perhaps the most resounding testimony for
the utility of TWS has come from long-time mentor teachers.
Chris stated, It makes them focus on children rather than
themselves. I was amazed how quickly they were able to focus
on how their teaching influenced student learning. It was
great. Jane felt that, although the process was challenging
at times, it was definitely worthwhile:
This was painful for all of us at times. But they got it, really
got the fact that a broad range of tasks had to be presented
in order to meet the needs of all students. If they had not
been focusing on low and high performers, I dont think they
would have gotten this.
Sue Sutherland (ssutherland@ehe.ohio-state.edu) is an assistant
professor of physical education and Jackie Goodway (jgoodway-
shiebler@ehe.ohio-state.edu) is an associate professor of physical
education in the School of Physical Activity and Educational Services
at Ohio State University, in Columbus, OH 43210.
57