Similarities and differences in pedagogy and content: 5 years later

The present investigation reports on changes in the pedagogy and content of one teacher as a function of experience. The teacher was observed in Year 2 and in Year 6 teaching basketball and gymnastics in the same school. Data were collected using direct observations from videotapes of the lessons and semistructured interviews. Direct observation categories included lesson time, content type and sequence, instructional methods, teacher interactions, and student opportunities to respond. Three interviews were conducted with questions derived from videotape observation. A comparison of instructional units conducted in Year 2 and Year 6 reveals similarities in the pedagogical organization of the lessons, but differences in the content; less skill development occurred in Year 6 than in Year 2. Interviews revealed that skill expectations were less in Year 6 than they were in Year 2. These findings are interpreted in terms of three recurring themes: pedagogical reductionism, typicality, and isolation.