O Jogo do Ensino: Uma Viagem de Regresso à Casa de Partida

Abstract

This report, developed within the scope of the School Placement of the Master's Degree in Physical Education Teaching in Basic and Secondary Education, focuses on the teaching practice carried out in the Professional Course of Sports Technician (CPTD), complemented by experiences of observation, involvement in the school community, and initiation into research. This journey brought a confrontation between expectations and reality: starting from the initial motivation to teach Physical Education and to educate students through sports, I was faced with the challenge of teaching more theoretical contents, centred on training methodology and on the learning of how to teach. Although this context initially generated apprehension, it proved to be profoundly enriching. The responsibility of teaching how to teach brought the awareness that, in the long term, it is possible to contribute to a broader and more meaningful sports education. By preparing future sports technicians, the pedagogical impact can be multiplied, reaching more children and young people. Throughout this process, lesson planning became an essential tool, requiring constant adjustments to the heterogeneity of students and to the emerging needs of the teaching and learning process. Assessment, initially more traditional, evolved into an approach oriented towards reflection and learning, valuing students' pedagogical practice and their role as coaches. Active methodologies, particularly the Flipped Classroom, proved to be effective resources for fostering participation, interest, and autonomy among students, and were also acknowledged in the outcomes of the research conducted. Observation, both of students and of peers, constituted another central dimension, enabling the development of critical analysis, the identification of good practices, and the recognition of mistakes as opportunities for growth. Taken together, these experiences contributed to the consolidation of pedagogical, reflective, and research competences, as well as to the construction of a professional identity grounded in flexibility, adaptability, and the conviction that teaching is a continuous, dynamic, and ever-evolving process.