Ensinar Onde Aprendi: A Construção da Identidade Docente, na Escola e na Ilha que me Viu Crescer

Abstract

2 Abstract The Professional Internship (PI) is part of the 2nd year of the Master's Degree in Physical Education Teaching in Basic and Secondary Education at the Sports School of University of Porto. This document, entitled "Teaching Where I Learned: Building a Teaching Identity in the School and on the Island That Raised Me", portrays the experience of the Student Teacher (the author) throughout the 2024/2025 academic year at the Graciosa Basic and Secondary School - an institution that had also welcomed him as a student. During this period, the author was responsible for teaching Physical Education classes to lower and upper secondary schools students (8th and 11th grades). This document reflects upon my first professional experience after four years of academic education. This report is divided into three sections: a) Biographical Framework: Presents my personal, academic, and sporting background, providing context for my life philosophy and the motivations that led me to chose this profession. b) Professional Practice Framework: Describes the institutional and pedagogical context in which the PI took place, outlining the characteristics of the school, the assigned classes, and the subjects taught, in order to situate and justify the developed experience. c) Implementation of Professional Practice: This section details the development off all activities carried out during the PI, covering lesson planning and management, pedagogical strategies applied, challenges faced, and lessons learned. It also includes the student assessment process, projects and activities carried out, and finally, the research project, which aimed to understand the influence of the island environment on students, physical fitness levels, lifestyle habits and motivations for sports participation. To this end, physical fitness tests, personal characterization questionnaires, observational records, and informal interviews were used. The research sought to identify both limitations and opportunities within the insular context, propose adapted pedagogical strategies, and integrate innovative activities - such as canoeing - making use of the island's natural resources. Overall, this report offers a portrait of my first professional intervention as a Student Teacher, with the aim of reflecting on the experiences and learning acquired, in a space of knowledge sharing and professional development