Body and pedagogical practice: dialogues between personal and professional dimensions in Physical Education teaching

Abstract

School and Physical Education have a fundamental role in shaping views and conceptions of the body to the students, therefore it is important to have an education that considers the differences and reflections on issues related to the body. The Physical Education teacher is immersed in a sociocultural context of body ideals and self-care that, in a way, can be related to their pedagogical intervention. To what extent can the teacher’s social standpoint and personal and/or professional trajectory impact their pedagogical practice? The aim of this study was to understand the possible relations between the ways Physical Education teachers deal with their own bodies and the possible implications to their pedagogical practice. From a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 Physical Education teachers from a federal institution, who worked in the first segment of elementary school. There were also records in a field diary and verification of documents from the institution. The work on the empirical material was carried out based on content analysis and the basic principles of repetition and relevance. It was found that body-related personal experiences interfere with the pedagogical practices of those teachers. There is also an effort to update body experiences in search of a renewing pedagogical practice. It is concluded, therefore, that there are relations between the personal and professional life of Physical Education teachers, as their conceptions interfere with their pedagogical practices, but what they develop and seek to work in class also affects their bodies and can change their conceptions.