Do you know what Physical Education is? The term Physical Education refers to the idea of educating the physicist. But what does it mean? Strengthen the musculature? Play sports? Acquire posture? Well, Physical Education was born as a discipline whose objective was to discipline individuals from their bodies. In other words: Physical Education is historically linked to a method of individual domination.
To better understand how this process happens, it is necessary to resort to an important concept of the philosopher Michel Foucault: docile bodies. According to him, modern society (constituted from the Industrial and French Revolutions) was marked by the rural exodus and, consequently, by the swelling of people in large European cities. Simply put, since the authorities didn't have enough people to work with, a method had to be developed in which people controlled themselves: the lookout. It is a mechanism in which the person feels constantly watched and, therefore, will hardly do anything that goes against social rules. One of these mechanisms is the control of the body: now, as the body is disciplined, its conduct is being disciplined. It is possible, therefore, to understand that making the body docile – or disciplined – was once one of the fundamental roles of Physical Education.
Nowadays things have changed. There are some authors, such as Medina, for example, who claim that Physical Education does not only take care of the body, but above all of the mind. The current connotation of the concept of Physical Education is that this is an area that works not only with the moving body, but that works from the moving body. Explaining: the purpose of this discipline is not to make people know how to play basketball, but that they are able to experience this practice, understand its origin, structure reflections on the trade involved in sporting materials, on the purchase and sale of athletes, among others stuff. That's why Medina says that Physical Education works body and mind.
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Another important thing for us to better understand Physical Education is to clarify what content should be taught at school. You know that the contents of Mathematics or Portuguese Language are well structured and you must know how to say what you are learning at that moment. But can you tell if this also happens in your Physical Education class? Are you learning anything new in this subject? There is a document from the federal government called “National Curriculum Parameters” that presents in blocks all the contents that the teacher must work throughout elementary school. The blocks are:
1. Sports, fights, games and gymnastics – All individual sports or collectives, the different types of fights, popular and/or traditional games and different types of gymnastics;
2. Rhythmic and expressive activities – The different types of dance are located here (popular, folk, classical, salon and contemporary), in addition to other practices that use the body as an expressive means, such as like the theater;
3. Body Knowledge – This block is perhaps the most important as it relates to the other two. It proposes that the teacher work on biological, anatomical and social aspects related to the body, stimulating theoretical classes in the classroom.
Thus, it is important that you reflect if your teacher has already proposed different activities such as capoeira, modern dance, theater or obstacle courses for your class. This is because all these contents, this diversity of bodily practices, are part of the school curriculum. If not, ask your teacher when he plans to tackle different activities with you. Who knows, your suggestion or curiosity may not result in a very interesting class!
By Paula Rondinelli
Brazil School Collaborator
Graduated in Physical Education from the São Paulo State University “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” – UNESP
Master in Motricity Sciences from the São Paulo State University “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” – UNESP
Doctoral Student in Integration of Latin America at the University of São Paulo - USP
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
RONDINELLI, Paula. "What is Physical Education?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/educacao-fisica/o-que-educacao-fisica.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.
