Reflexive portfolio, pedagogical praxis, and child cultures in Physical Education classes

Abstract

Social inequality and the threats to the rights of Brazilian children are on the rise due to pressures from the global neoliberal agenda and the advance of ultraconservative political groups in the country. This context requires children Physical Education professors and researchers to be committed with a pedagogy that consider the multiplicity of children, their cultures, and their rights to participate in the pedagogical process. The processes of educational documentation, construction of narratives and researches about the practice itself can be resources for the development of this type of education. This research carries out a thematic content analysis about the reflective portfolio of a PE teacher, analyzing relationships between life experiences, the early and continued formation of the teacher, and her process of reflection and research about her own practice. The analysis shows that these teacher’s personal experiences with children and youth in the periphery; her early formation, including extension projects, internships, and research; and her constant documenting of her practice, jointly with other teachers, allowed her to elaborate educational practices that originate from listening children and allowing their participation, mobilizing multiple languages and curriculum integration. We concluded that the personal dimension of teaching, including the reclaiming of one’s own childhood, the early formation in professional contexts, and the constant processes of documentation of the pedagogical practice are strategies to construct pedagogical theories that consider the culture of the children in PE classes.