The ‘Good!’, the ‘Great!’ and the ‘Brilliant!’: exclamations and teacher artwork in volleyball teaching

Background: Physical education (PE) research has contributed to learning-based perspectives on the why, what and how of teaching PE. Within this context, ball games have been criticized for reflecting the traditional sport discourse, which is not always conducive to a PE curriculum that focuses on equity and movement capability. Furthermore, research highlights the complexity of the teacher’s role in the gym, where clear and simple communication should clarify learning objectives and support enhanced student engagement. This article seeks to reinterpret a frequently observed behaviour in the teaching of ball games, namely teachers’ common use of exclamations like ‘good!’, ‘great!’ or ‘brilliant!’ Purpose: This article aims to (1) describe and explain how teacher exclamations during a volleyball lesson are pertinent to the teacher's and students’ creation of purposeful contexts, and (2) identify how the use of exclamations can be conducive to students learning specific PE content and aesthetics during a volleyball lesson. This article adopts a transactional perspective of teaching, framing it as a creative action that shapes the learning environment. Method: The data consist of video recordings of volleyball lessons in Year 9. A video-ethnographic approach enables an in-depth analysis of teacher–student transactions throughout a full PE lesson. In addition to a fixed camera view of the gym, a wireless GoPro camera attached to the teacher provided a unique perspective, capturing the nuances of the teacher's verbal and non-verbal communication. Findings: The findings reveal that exclamations are not merely expressions of encouragement but integral to creating a cohesive and purposeful learning environment. Exclamations serve as confirmations of students’ actions and operate at individual, local and general levels to address diverse student needs. This helps students remain attuned to the flow of the lesson and contributes to the accumulation of meaning. Conclusions: By reinterpreting a frequently observed behaviour in PE teaching, namely teachers’ common use of exclamations, this analysis demonstrates that such exclamations can be important tools in the art of PE teaching and learning. Through voice, tone and timing, the teacher calls into existence an experience from multiple and durational educational transactions, guiding students towards ‘the good play’ rather than ‘the competitive play’.