About the lecture
Physical Education has, for generations, charted a familiar course in schools across the country: a sequence of lessons shaped by tradition, sport, and the often-unseen inertia of “the way things have always been.”
Physical education is at a crossroads, facing the persistent pull of tradition and the exciting promise of pedagogical innovation. This lecture asks why so many schools continue to teach physical education through familiar traditions of practice, and whether new approaches centred on pedagogical models and Models-based Practice can create deeper, more meaningful learning for all students.
Drawing on 15 years’ experience as a secondary physical education teacher and another 15 years as a teacher educator and academic, this lecture charts my personal journey from inherited ways of teaching toward the adoption of pedagogical models and Models-based Practice that purposefully align teaching strategies, curriculum, assessment and learning outcomes. It considers the challenges and possibilities that arise when teachers experiment with pedagogical models not simply as isolated frameworks, but in combination and through sustained practice.
Rather than delivering an outline for change, the lecture explores how embracing Models-based Practice encourages teachers and schools to move beyond “one right way” of teaching physical education and create new traditions of practice.
About the lecturer
Professor Ashley Casey (aka Ash) is the University’s Director of Teacher Education. He is Editor-in-Chief of Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy and was selected as the Scholar Lecturer 2024 by the British Educational Research Association (BERA).
In 2023, he was awarded the prestigious National Teaching Fellowship title by Advance HE in recognition of his sustained excellence and leadership in teaching and learning.
Ash is internationally recognised for his work on models-based practice (MbP) in Physical Education (PE). His research is widely cited and used to inform teaching in primary, secondary and higher education contexts globally.
He has authored multiple books, edited influential volumes and published extensively in high-impact journals. His work has attracted significant funding and led to successful collaborations across Europe, Asia and North America.
A former secondary school PE teacher, Ash brings deep practical knowledge to his academic work. He has supervised numerous PhD students to completion and regularly delivers keynote addresses and guest lectures worldwide.
His work focuses on bridging research and practice – and he continues to shape policy, curriculum and professional development in PE through research, scholarship and public engagement.
For further information on this lecture, please contact the Events team.
