Does the body count as evidence?

Exploring the embodied pedagogical content knowledge concerning rhythm skills of a Dutch specialist music teacher

Abstract

In educational research, the teacher’s body tends to be neglected as a source of evidence of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). However, the music teacher’s body might communicate knowledge about teaching that is key to the profession of music teachers. Therefore, this qualitative single case study set out to explore what the embodied PCK of a music teacher regarding teaching rhythm skills could be. Through a stimulated-recall interview, two video-analysis tasks, a digital notebook and a semi-structured interview the PCK of a Dutch music teacher teaching rhythm skills to preschoolers was mapped. The findings show that physical modelling, but also instructional, guiding, and representational gestures, the way the body occupies space and embodied ways of assessing reflect embodied aspects of a music teacher’s PCK regarding rhythm skills. More research is needed to gain further insight into the embodied PCK of music teachers to be able to develop a bodily-based pedagogy for music, drawing on empirical research.