A importância da formação inicial dos Professores de Ed. Física, para uma verdadeira Escola Inclusiva: Análise dos planos de estudo dos cursos reconhecidos como habilitação para a docência da disciplina de Ed. Física

Abstract

The term "Inclusive Education" covers various attempts to meet the full diversity of the educational needs of students in schools. I challenged myself to reflect on the significance of the role of the school, in a general way, and the training of Teachers of Physical Education in particular. This challenge led me to question the practices currently in force, in order to avoid the linear and unidirectional model traditionally adopted in most schools and to start with alternatives that contemplate diversity and difference. For this, I consider it fundamental to start from below, by the initial formation of the teachers, in order to get the teachers to acquire a range of specialized knowledge about possible specific needs of their students. Only then will it be possible to verify an increase in the abilities of the teaching practice, in the application of teaching methods and strategies that aim at an improvement of the educational and social aspects of inclusion. The motivations that led me to the realization of this work are related to a concern centered on the urgent need to review curricular programs of initial formation of Physical Education teachers in order to train and prepare future teachers for truly inclusive practices. During my career as a Physical Education teacher, I experienced contradictions and conflicts, present between the discourse and the professional practice, in the process of inclusion of students with disabilities in the Physical Education classes of regular education. In addition, I do not identify, nor have I ever conformed to, the overly technical and elitist approaches that considerably mark the interventions of teachers in Physical Education classes, and do not allow ample scope for inclusive practices. After unfortunately attending to wholly exclusive teaching practices (perhaps because of lack of knowledge on the part of my colleagues), I wondered what has actually been done to identify real advances in the inclusion of students with disabilities in Physical Education classes. Why is it still so difficult for some fellow teachers to think and act in an inclusive way? Following this question, I analyzed and compared study plans for all higher education courses, which give me the qualification to teach Physical Education in a school context (either at the level of Extracurricular Activities, first, second or third cycle of basic education and secondary education). Only in this way can I equate higher education institutions with one another in disciplines related to special educational needs and inclusive education, and to verify the weight of one curricular unit over others (based on ECTS). Bearing in mind that one of the most significant pillars of a child's education is regular teachers, it seems to me to be very pertinent that they should acquire a mix of knowledge that will equip them with the necessary tools so that the rights of students with significant SEN be assured, based on the reinforcement of attitudes and dynamics of implementation of inclusive organizational and pedagogical cultures. Certainly, all teachers want to ensure quality education for students with SEN who attend their classrooms and will make every effort to acquire the basic skills necessary for the success of each one. However, as DeMiranda Correia (2017: 15) points out, "many of them feel insecure because they have not had the adequate preparation of these materials throughout their formation." Therefore, my reflections are based on the teacher's performance from his initial formation, focusing on the importance of this in the direction of a truly inclusive practice.