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An alternative to Kirk's idea of the ideaand a future for Physical EducationWayne Smith PhD. aa University of Auckland , New ZealandPublished online: 12 Mar 2012.

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Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education 2 (2) 2011 23

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Introduction

In his book ‘Physical Education Futures’, David Kirk (2010) offers alternative possibilities for

the future of physical education. He also introduces the notion of the idea of the idea of physical

education, shortening it to the id2, arguing that an imaginary single idea that captures the essential

purpose of physical education may move our collective understanding of the field beyond the

limitations of multiple definitions. Kirk argues that the predominant practice of teaching sport-

techniques in physical education, despite globe variations, since the 1950s is sufficient basis for

assuming that the idea of the idea of physical education is ‘physical education as sport-techniques’.

That is, the underlying essential essence that makes physical education unique, across the world,

is the teaching of sports techniques. This article offers an interpretation, reflection, and comment

on Kirk’s idea of the idea of physical education, before proposing an alternative idea of the idea of

physical education and a future for the subject underpinned by a modest critical pedagogy (Tinning,

2002, 2010).

An alternative to Kirk’s idea of the idea and a future for Physical Education

Wayne Smith - University of Auckland, New Zealand

In his book ‘Physical Education Futures’ (Routledge, London) David Kirk (2010) introduces the

notion of the idea of the idea of physical education, which challenges all physical educators to think

more deeply and broadly about physical education as a school subject. The notion of the idea of the

idea enables a ‘big picture’ conceptualisation of physical education as a field of practice. Kirk uses the

notion of the idea of the idea to speculate on possible futures for physical education. This article accepts

the challenge of the futures debate, challenges Kirk’s idea of the idea, and proposes the adoption of

Tinning’s (2002, 2010) modest-critical pedagogy as a way forward for physical education.

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24 Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education 2 (2) 2011

The purpose of physical education has long been the topic of debate and the focus of a perceived

identity crisis facing physical education as a school subject. Many definitions of physical education

abound, all of which attempt to draw some degree of unity and future direction for this field

of practice. As Kirk did, this paper attempts to move the debate beyond the many and varied

definitions of physical education using the notion of an ‘idea’, which rests on the assumption that

an idea allows greater flexibility and variability within a realm of commonality, than the notion of a

definition. Implicit in Kirk’s (2010) writing is a challenge to physical educators to think more deeply

and broadly about the role and purpose of physical education as a school subject, asking and seeking

to answer the question - what is the underpinning idea of physical education?

Empirical evidence suggests that the answer to this question, says Kirk, is ‘the teaching of sport-

techniques’. He argues that the idea of the idea of physical education, meaning the common,

enduring, and underpinning characteristic that defines physical education above all else, is its focus

on the teaching of sport-techniques. He then speculates that physical education faces a bleak future

as a school subject if this idea of the idea of physical education continues.

The notion of the idea of the idea is borrowed from Rothblatt (1997) who introduced it in his

discussion about the central purpose or ‘idea’ of a university. Rothblatt argued that the practices

of universities are not underpinned by a single idea or purpose. However, as Rothblatt states, it is

the idea that a university began as, and may endure as, an idea that allows us to look for a central

idea for institutions we recognise as being universities. Thus, Rothblatt claims that it is the idea

that a university is, in the first instance, an idea that allows us to recognise something as being

a university. Rothblatt asked, what is a single unifying, but imaginary, idea that may capture the

defining essence of a university? Kirk has applied this line of thinking with reference to his interest

in physical education.

The idea of the idea

The plasticity of an idea enables an unshackling of the constraints imposed by definitive

statements or definitions about the role and purpose of physical education. The introduction of

an idea attempts to move beyond the restrictive extremes of essentialism and relativism that most

definitions impose. Essentialists argue that if physical education is to survive in the future it requires

a single definition that all physical educators agree on. Questions such as, ‘what kind of subject is

it that cannot agree on its essential character?’ and ‘how many purposes can physical education

have?’ represent essentialist challenges to physical educators. Such challenges are then typically

followed by the presentation of yet another all defining definition in an attempt to unify the field.

At the other extreme, relativists argue that physical education may have multiple purposes and

that there is no need for all physical educators to agree on a single purpose for the field. The more

important focus of the debate however, is the enduring identity problem and crisis issues that follow

physical education as a field of practice and school subject. Essentialists contend that it is the lack

of a common definition that has led to a lack of unity and a survival problem for physical education.

This is the problem Kirk is aiming to address.

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Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education 2 (2) 2011 25

Unfortunately, in seeking to find a single definition for the subject, essentialists have unintentionally contributed to the relativism problem. Their attempts to find a common purpose and definition have been self-defeating, due to the variability of their contributions. Finding a single definition has not been possible in the past and is unlikely in the future. Future attempts to find an absolute definition can only add to the multiplicity of definitions and exacerbate the very problem they seek to solve. The idea of the idea of physical education has the potential to move beyond this, as it offers the imaginary possibility of an ‘essence’ of physical education without the inflexibility of an absolute definition.

Just as Rothblatt argued that there are no essential characteristics that define a university, Kirk argues, there are no essential, transcendental characteristics that define physical education. Physical education, he says, has no enduring characteristics, because as history shows it has changed over time. As such, it is not possible to find a single unifying definition of this field of practice. He, therefore, proposes that we adopt the notion of an ‘idea’ as an ‘as if ’ proposition, that imagines the possibility of some essential characteristic or characteristics. The idea that an idea of physical education exists offers the possibility of hope for the future of the subject. The value of an idea lies in its imaginary ‘essence’ because it allows us to conceive of an essence, as if it were real and distinguish physical education from other phenomena.

Kirk (2010) argues that the idea of the idea “is not what we wish physical education might be, but of how we make sense of the range of practices that go on in the name of physical education” (p. 18). In his representation, an idea of an idea is empirically generated, relying on observation of phenomena that represent the field; it is practice referenced and not theoretically generated. This is not, however, how Rothblatt (1997) described the idea of the idea. In providing an interpretation of Coleridge’s notion of an idea, Rothblatt stated an idea is a priori; an antecedent of the mind that gives a particular thing a unique identity or essence. He continued, “[ideas] are certainly not dependent upon external stimuli as received through our senses,…rather ideas exist in the mind, to be recovered whenever awakened by stimuli or experiences received from the outer world” (Rothblatt, 1997, p. 9).

According to Rothblatt (1997), the notion of an idea is consistent with an idealist philosophy in which one’s intuitions are independent of time and circumstances. Rothblatt (1997) presents the view that the search for an idea is striving after one ideal that “must be pure, like a platonic ideal, and it must be lasting, superior to all apparent transformations” (p. 1). An idea is like a genetic code, an essential element, or an inherent purpose embedded in a particular phenomenon. An idea is antecedent to a thing’s history, embedded in its history, and dictates its subsequent development and transformations (Rothblatt, 1997). As such, an idea “cannot be abstracted from any particular state, form or mode in which the thing may happen to exist at this or any other time” (Rothblatt, 1997, p. 9). If we accept Rothblatt’s idea of an idea then we must also accept that the transformation from one state, form or mode to another cannot be deemed a change in the underlying idea of a thing whether it is an institution, a school subject, or field of practice. As such, the idea of the idea of physical education cannot be changed from the teaching of gymnastics to the teaching of sports techniques as Kirk proposes.

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26 Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education 2 (2) 2011

Using his description of an idea, Rothblatt contends that the idea of an idea is a useful way of thinking about diverse and complex institutions, or indeed complex fields of practice, because it is able to capture the spirit of, or the essential essence of the institution. The true value of an idea lies in its ability to allow us to examine the essence of institutions (or fields of practice) independently of their inherent instability and unpredictable social and economic change (Rothblatt, 1997). It is a means of steering between outmoded practices and passing fads and fancies, while offering the possibility of stabilising against narrow interests and advocates of revolutionary change (Rothblatt, 1997).

Physical education as sport-techniques

Kirk argued that the introduction of mass secondary education during the early 1950s, together with the contingent constraints of institutionalised schooling, such as timetabling and subject structuring, and the greater number of male physical educators entering the profession during the 1950s were responsible for the introduction of the idea of the idea of physical education as sport techniques. He contends that these social conditions changed the idea of physical education from physical education as gymnastics to physical education as sport-techniques. These social conditions, he argues, changed the essence, that is, the essential idea of physical education.

Kirk’s view, that the idea of the idea of physical education is sport-techniques, is based on his argument that, despite national differences and internal variations, sport-techniques prevail as the dominant form of physical education across the globe. It is through the practice of teaching sports-techniques that physical educators globally give identity to physical education. Kirk’s rationale, that a change from the teaching of gymnastics to the teaching of sport-techniques is sufficient enough to signify a change in the idea of the idea of physical education, is based on his interpretation that an idea is empirically generated or practice referenced. It follows that if, in the future, physical education as sport-techniques is superseded by a more dominate discourse then the idea of the idea would once again change. This shows that his idea of an idea is dependent on external stimuli, and that it is not necessarily an enduring, inherent essence that transcends time and circumstantial change. However, this is not consistent with Rothblatt’s notion of the idea as an a priori, transcendental essence.

Kirk also introduced the notion of a dominant idea suggesting that the idea of the idea of physical education as sport-techniques has been dominant since the mid-1950s. By implication this acknowledges the possibility of other ideas. But the possibility of a dominant idea defies the notion of the idea of the idea as an a priori, transcendental essence. It is not possible to have a dominant idea of the idea of physical education or a transformation of the idea of the idea because this defies the very idea of an idea, which must be enduring; transcending time and circumstantial change.

In his analysis of the idea of the idea of a university, Rothblatt focused on Cardinal John Newman’s 1850s presentation of the idea of the university, in which he stated “the idea of a university is a place for teaching universal knowledge - such is a university in essence” (Rothblatt, 1997, p. 13). Although it captured the notion of an ‘essence’, Newman’s idea of the idea of a university was found wanting

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Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education 2 (2) 2011 27

when others reported that this did not capture their core work as researchers and therefore their idea of a university. One could argue, as I do here, that Kirk’s idea of the idea of physical education, that is to say, the idea of physical education as the teaching of sport-techniques, faces the same problem as Newman’s idea of a university. For me, it does not capture the quintessential, enduring essence of physical education. In my view, a change from a focus on gymnastics to sport-techniques is not a change in the idea of the idea of physical education but rather a change in cultural practice.

Although well supported by historical evidence and Kirk’s extensive argument, the idea of the idea of physical education as sport-technique (or as gymnastics for that matter) does not, for me, capture the antecedent, transcendental essence, the genetic code, the essential element or the spirit of physical education, that is the ‘idea’ of the idea of physical education. The idea of the idea of physical education as sport-technique is not the idea of the idea, but Kirk’s idea of an idea. In explicating his idea of an idea using empirical references, Kirk opens the door for others to offer alternative ideas of the idea of physical education, and as such the notion of ‘the idea of the idea’ potentially faces the same relativity problems as do those of the numerous definitions of physical education.

Not-with-standing the difficulty of interpretation and lack of agreement of what constitutes an idea of the idea of physical education, the notion of the idea of the idea, when interpreted as Rothblatt presented it, is valuable for pushing beyond the constraints of an absolute definition. The value of the idea of the idea, however, lies in its quintessential essence that allows for diversity and the complexity of physical education as a field of practice, and the flexibility to encompass historical differences and future transformations. As Rothblatt writes, inevitably an idea is a moral concern such that “departures from it, or modifications of it, are a form of betrayal” (p. 3). As such, the idea of the idea of physical education cannot be exclusionary in nature as we find in the idea of the idea of physical education as sport-techniques.

The idea of the idea of physical education should allow alternative and competing curriculum practices

In my view, Kirk was closer to presenting the idea of the idea of physical education when, in 1993, he, along with two of his colleagues Tinning and Evans (Tinning, Kirk, & Evans, 1993), wrote that physical education is “education in, through and about the physical, including the body and physical activity” (p. 61 [italics in original]). In this text, Tinning, Kirk, and Evans named “physical activity as the essence of physical education” (Tinning et al., 1993, p. 63). With reference to Arnold (1979, in Tinning et al., 1993) they discussed the centrality of movement as the essential element for learning in physical education. Drawing on this, I propose that the idea of the idea of physical education as education in, through, and about movement is a more appropriate and a more encompassing idea of the idea of physical education than Kirk’s idea of the idea of physical education as sport-techniques. In physical education as education in, through, and about movement, we find the essence that allows us to capture the diverse and complex practices that are, or have been physical education. It is possible to read antecedent roots, historical transformations and future possibilities into this idea of the idea of physical education.

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Within the diversity and complexity of physical education practices we should expect sub-groups

who share the space of physical education to have alternative and at times conflicting ideas about

the nature of the subject. However, such variability should not cross the boundaries drawn by the

essential essence. Nor should it be seen as a betrayal, of the essence, a state of disunity or physical

education in crisis. The true value of the notion of the idea of the idea is that it enables contestation

at an operational level, while at a more abstract philosophical level it remains intact. The idea of the

idea is the touchstone about which contestation is permissible.

Therefore, we should expect there to be internal factions and differing views about the nature

of physical education, and we should accept that there will be different cultural practices, but we

should also expect that these different practices will fall within the boundaries as defined by the idea

of the idea of physical education.

The future of Physical Education

Following his presentation of the idea of the idea and an analysis of the current state of physical

education, Kirk presented three possible scenarios for the future: more of the same, which he says, is

possible in the short term, but not in the long term if we persist with the idea of the idea of physical

education as sport-techniques; radical reform, which could secure the long term future of physical

education as a school subject; or the demise of physical education if we do not address the identity

issues facing physical education. His prognosis is that we will see more of the same in the short term

leading to the demise of physical education in the longer term. Implicit in this prognosis is a call for

physical educators to engage in self-reflection and to decide what future we want for our field and,

once decided how we might achieve it.

This future talk led me to compare Kirk’s 2010 prognosis with those made 20 years earlier by

contributors to Messengale’s (1987) edited book Trends Toward the Future in Physical Education.

Hoffman (1987) presented a theoretical hypothesis in which he forecasted a bleak future for

physical education if physical educators did not address pressing issues of that time. Hoffman,

as Kirk has done, was aiming to draw the reader’s attention to the central issues facing physical

education of the day. Two of the issues Hoffman described were: “a lack of systematic measurement

of achievement” and “an inability to reach consensus over what to teach and how to teach it in the

name of physical education”. He predicted that these two issues would lead to the demise of the

subject in schools by the year 2010. Clearly, twenty years on, Hoffman was wrong.

There is no real evidence to suggest that Kirk’s prognosis will prove to be any different from

Hoffman’s but we should not dismiss futures talk for this reason. We could, however, ask ourselves

why physical education has survived in spite of the internal disquiet and critical commentary.

What is it that physical education offers that is valued by society? Could it be the value society

places on its quintessential essence, that is, the importance of education in, through and about

movement?

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Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education 2 (2) 2011 29

Adapting to social change while remaining true to the Idea of the Idea

In his presentation Kirk highlighted how the broader social conditions of society influence what is

taught in the name of physical education. Importantly, he demonstrated that the future of physical

education requires physical educators to recognise and respond to the broader social issues of the day.

He also expressed his concern for the future if we persist with physical education as sport-techniques.

In response, we could ask ourselves if we have viable alternatives to the teaching of sports-techniques.

We should also ask if we have a body of professionals able to teach alternative forms of physical

education. I believe we have both the professionals and pedagogies required, which can meet the

variable and dynamic demands of today’s societies. However, our pedagogical responses require a

different set of lenses than those that focus solely on curriculum content, such as sports techniques

or sport education, for example. In my view, we should be true to the idea of the idea of physical

education as education in through and about movement and we should adopt an ecological perspective

encompassing different knowledge views. We need to recognise the value of physical education in its

broadest sense rather than just the teaching of specific sport-related, content knowledge.

Kirk suggests that by looking at the past we can learn lessons for the future. This is a very good

place to begin but we must do this with care. As he (Kirk, 2010) notes, “no physical education future

will be born out of the same combination of the events of the past” (p. 126). In today’s society we

face unprecedented global issues of interdependence, variability, social contestation, and conflict,

which manifest in social, ecological, and economic sustainability dilemmas. We have multi-ethnic,

multi-sectarian, multi-gendered, and multi-cultural social-groupings that create opportunities

and challenges, which must be acknowledged and addressed in our schools. In a world where our

national economies are interdependent more than ever before, we face economic fluctuations on

an international scale that impact on the fortunes of some groups in our global society more than

others. Link these ethnic, cultural, and economic diversity issues with the social conditions of

the digital era and we have the social pressures on our school communities to match those that

Kirk argues demanded a change in the idea of the idea of physical education in the mid 1900s.

Globalisation and the advent of the digital age are today transforming contemporary society just

as the two world wars did more than half a century ago, but perhaps because of their more infusive

nature our response is slower in coming.

The role of physical education pedagogical work

The idea of the idea of physical education as education in, through and about movement emphasizes

the nature of the pedagogy without ignoring the nature of the content, and offers future hope. In

his recent book Pedagogy and Human Movement Tinning (2010) uses the notion of pedagogical-work

to highlight the consequences of various pedagogies employed in the name of physical education.

He encourages physical educators to examine the intended and unintended outcomes of their

pedagogy, and to critically examine the role of physical education. As Tinning (2010) says:

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[Pedagogical work] is concerned with what knowledge(s), ways of thinking, dispositions and subjectivities are actually (re)produced in/through particular pedagogical encounters (pp. 18-19).

The pedagogical work done in, through, and about movement is physical education’s

contribution to a functioning society. As Tinning says, schooling and physical education, as

compulsory childhood endeavours, have state delegated responsibilities to deliver specific

pedagogical work. One means of doing this is a phenomenological pedagogical approach, which

is likened to a process of initiation or guidance. It is the upbringing and schooling of a child

with the intention of guiding the child to mature adulthood (Tinning, 2010). Guidance and

direction are also part of critical-pedagogy in that critical-pedagogical practices ask teachers to

question whose interests are being served by particular cultural practices and in so doing seek

to disrupt taken-for-granted assumptions and beliefs about the social world.

In my view, following Tinning’s lead, physical education should be underpinned by a

critical-pedagogy that ref lects and critiques the nature of our children and youth’s experiences

of physical culture. Critical-pedagogy is concerned with issues of social justice, and physical

education has a specific role to play when social justice relates to a child’s physical culture

experiences. As Tinning states, “there is a need to educate our young to become critical

consumers of physical culture” (p. 111). Tinning also introduced the notion of a modest critical

pedagogy (see Tinning, 2002, 2010), as a possible way forward for physical education.

I argue that the idea of the idea of physical education as education in, through, and about

movement, which employs a modest critical pedagogy is a worthy future direction. I am also

encouraged in this view by Hellison (1987) who argued that we (physical educators) “are a part

of the social structure; we do have inf luence. What we do and value makes a difference in

people’s lives” (p. 151).

Given that, as physical educators, we have a mandated responsibility to educate our young to

become critical consumers of physical culture and a need to respond to local and global changes,

we are faced with the question of how we can do this. Tinning’s notion of a modest critical

pedagogy offers some hope. Tinning (2010) defines a modest critical pedagogy as:

an orientating way of thinking about how we might engage…students in self-examination of beliefs and dispositions…It does not assume that there is a set of pedagogical procedures that when found will lead to certainty….[and] it relates to the capacity of the learner to unlearn and adapt to uncertainty (p. 121).

In introducing the notion of a modest-critical pedagogy, Tinning is attempting to enable

plausible socially-critical action through the everyday classroom practices of teachers and

learners. I interpret Tinning’s use of the word ‘modest’ to mean, an approach that is modest in

its claims to bring about social transformation. It is a pedagogy that offers hope and possibilities

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Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education 2 (2) 2011 31

for teachers to contribute to a socially-just society through their own socially-critical pedagogy

at a programmatic level. It works at the level of individual or group consciousness and

implementation, and in so doing makes a modest contribution to the broader social issues facing

children and youth in today’s society, particularly as these relate to their engagement in physical

culture. It places the spotlight on the everyday practices and experiences of the students.

Importantly, in terms of acknowledging variable modes, forms, and states of cultural

practice, within the boundaries of the idea of the idea of physical education, a modest-critical

pedagogy, whilst underpinned by critical approaches, also recognises the contributions of

other ways of knowing and acting. It recognises different epistemological perspectives and the

various ontological positions of teachers (given their different backgrounds, experience, and

training). In a world where we place our faith in rational science, a modest critical pedagogy,

while acknowledging and valuing the contribution of rational science, recognises its limits

in solving problems of a social nature. A modest critical pedagogy “recognises the embodied,

sensual, and non-rational dimensions of human experience” (p. 164) embracing subjectivity

and creativity.

At a practice level, teachers must be equipped with the skills necessary to connect with

children on personal and collective levels and be able to facilitate meaningful pedagogical

encounters, within a modest critical paradigm. A modest critical pedagogy aims to empower

students by developing their physical, intellectual, and moral capacity to question and address

taken for granted beliefs and cultural practices that privilege particular interest groups, while

marginalising others.

It is possible to adopt a modest critical pedagogy using multiple forms of movement education

including games, dance, gymnastics, outdoor education, and more in a physical education

programme. The adoption of a modest critical pedagogy would mean that physical educators

would focus on the nature of their pedagogy and the resultant pedagogical work as much as

they do the content. A compulsory school physical education programme has the potential

to address matters of physical literacy, the sensations of pleasure, and those social justice

issues that can be addressed through children’s engagement in play. In such programmes the

children’s engagement would include pleasurable physical activity, and our pedagogy would

be underpinned by socially-critical perspectives that address issues concerning the student’s

engagement in and experiences of physical culture.

In this way, Tinning’s (2002, 2010) modest-critical pedagogy offers hope for the future of

physical education. Kirk, through his introduction of an idea of the idea of physical education

provides an alternative way to examine difference and contestation within the field of practice.

Both in their own way present future direction for the role and function of physical education.

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32 Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education 2 (2) 2011

Conclusion

Kirk’s introduction of the idea of the idea of physical education is a valuable tool for advancing

the debate about the role and purpose of physical education and moving beyond absolute

definitions, but only if it captures the essential essence of the idea. An idea must capture the

enduring, a priori, essential, transcendental characteristics of physical education for it to have

meaning and purpose. As I have argued in this article, an idea of the idea of physical education

as sport-techniques is not inclusive enough, whereas the idea of physical education as education

in, through and about movement meets the criteria of being a quintessential essence. An idea of

physical education that allows physical educators to focus on the pedagogical work done through

their students’ engagement in physical culture and one that supports a modest critical pedagogy

is one way forward for physical education. Curriculum practices that involve pleasurable

engagement in physical activity, with a focus on teacher and student connectedness, and critical

inquiry, has the potential to progress physical education beyond an idea of physical education as

sport-techniques.

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Messengale, J. A. (ed.) (1987). Trends Toward the Future in Physical Education, Champaign IL,

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Routledge.

Tinning, R., Kirk, D., & Evans, J. (1993) Learning to Teach Physical Education, Sydney, Prentice

Hall.

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Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education 2 (2) 2011 33

Author notes

Wayne Smith is Senior Lecturer in the School of Critical Studies in Education at the University

of Auckland. He is the former Head of Programme of a Bachelor of Physical Education; a

four-year professional teacher education degree. His research is focused on physical education

teacher education with a particular interest in skill acquisition and socially critical pedagogy.

His recent research has focused on health and physical education teacher education (HPETE)

in an era of education reform.

Correspondence

Wayne Smith, PhD.

School of Critical Studies in Education

Faculty of Education

University of Auckland

Private Bag 92601

Symonds St

Auckland

New Zealand

Telephone: 623.8899 ext: 48760

Email: wayne.smith@auckland.ac.nz

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