Ensino em Construção: Capítulos de uma Docência em Formação

Abstract

This report presents the school placement of a preservice teacher (the author) within the practicum of the Master's program at Faculdade de Desporto da Universidade do Porto, detailing work carried out in 2024/2025 at a school in Espinho. The intervention aimed at Quality Physical Education, grounded in inclusion and differentiated learning, and combined research-informed decision-making with contextualised practice. The pedagogical design integrated a hybrid approach that combined Direct Instruction with Teaching Games for Understanding (and core elements of the Sport Education Model. Adopting a student-centred perspective raised early challenges in classroom management, formative assessment and differentiation, progressively addressed through systematic reflection, student feedback and close collaboration with the cooperating teacher. In the Youth Participatory Action Research study on health-related fitness, students engaged in needs diagnosis, inquiry, training-plan design, implementation and evaluation. Average improvements were observed in FITescola tests (sit-ups, push-ups and lower-limb flexibility), alongside consistent gains in motivation, autonomy and self-regulation. On a personal note, this year strengthened my professional identity: I gained confidence in lesson orchestration, anticipatory planning and a reflective stance that helps me tailor instruction to each learner while maintaining high expectations.