Bodies have been claimed to be an 'absent presence' and touch 'risky business' in physical education (PE). We have now witnessed how these claims are intensified in pandemic times of COVID-19, particularly in countries that have adopted extreme lockdown measures. This paper explores how PE practices have become 'touchless' and bodies absent using…

The teaching profession requires an understanding of teachers' and students' emotions, and teachers' emotions can influence their teaching practice, professional development and pedagogical approaches. Furthermore, emotions are embodied and they may have a detrimental effect on wellbeing if they are not addressed properly. This paper explores the…

Socio-cultural theorists have argued that having a diverse understanding of subjectivities of "normal"/"ideal" bodies is important for Health and Physical Education (HPE) teachers. When teachers hold a single understanding and perception of "normal"/"ideal" bodies, such as a thin body as normal or ideal…

Background: Physical education (PE) has been traditionally considered as a practical and 'hands-on' subject in schools, where close proximity and physical contact is common, particularly in Spain which has a high proximity culture. Significantly, the delivery of PE has changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this brings significant…

The importance of the Physical Education (PE) teacher's body, particularly for teaching PE, has been highlighted in literature. PE teachers are expected to be clear role models to students through their acts, behaviours and bodies. However, their strong embodied subjectivities, particularly those related to their teaching practices, may be…

This paper explores how a cohort of pre-service Health and Physical Education (HPE) teachers from an Australian university describe and construct their understandings of health and the body. Given that the courses that these undergraduates take in their degree programme present different perspectives on health and the body, a relevant question is…

Research among former Physical Education (PE) school students has demonstrated how fat phobia in PE classes is oppressive and makes it extremely difficult for most students to develop positive subjectivities. This study explores how a group of pre-service Health and Physical Education (HPE) specialist teachers from an Australian university…

This paper describes a new learning experience, which was introduced following an examination of the literature regarding preservice primary school teachers' (PPST) notions of their past experience in Physical Education (PE) (Elliott 2013). PPSTs were given the opportunity to recognise, reflect, interrogate and reframe a critical incident from…