IT IS A NEVER-ENDING JOURNEY: LEARNING TO BECOME A FACILITATOR IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER EDUCATION COLLABORATIVE PRACTICES

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the contribution of collaborative reflection to individual and collective processes of learning how to become a facilitator in Physical Education teacher education (PETE). Collaborative self-study of teacher education practices (S-STEP) was used as methodology. Participants were three teacher educators from Brazil, Turkey, and the USA. Group meetings, individuals’ memory work, field notes, and reflective journals were the data sources. Data were collaboratively analyzed by using constant comparative content analysis. Results were organized in two themes: (a) Challenges and opportunities to become facilitators; (b) Self-study: the rise of new insights; which represented their pathways to become facilitators in PETE programs. This self-study process challenged the understanding of the process of becoming a facilitator and demonstrated that this process is a never-ending journey in which teacher educators’ careers are continuously shaped and redefined.