‘Embodied learning is everywhere’: physical education teachers’ reflections on embodied learning in relation to the Norwegian curriculum

This study examined physical education (PE) teachers’ reflections on the concept of embodied learning following its introduction in the revised Norwegian PE Curriculum within a framework that positions teachers as curriculum makers. Given growing international interest in embodied learning as a means of promoting holistic, experiential, and reflective approaches to movement, understanding how teachers interpret embodied learning within local curricular contexts is important. Drawing on Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology of the body as a conceptual framework, this study examined how PE teachers interpreted embodied learning following its introduction into the revised PE curriculum. In-depth interviews were conducted with five PE teachers at two lower secondary schools. The findings indicate that teachers view embodied learning as fundamental to PE but largely interpreted it through established practices emphasising physical activity, motor skills, practice, and students’ experiences of progression and mastery. Reflective, experiential, and intersubjective dimensions were acknowledged but were less systematically foregrounded in pedagogical practice. The findings underscore the importance of collaborative structures and professional support in helping teachers develop more holistic and phenomenologically informed approaches to embodied learning.