Criteria for implementation of pedagogical practices in physical education teacher education and implications in pedagogical content knowledge of prospective teachers

Abstract

Pedagogical content knowledge is conceived as responsible for transforming teachers` content knowledge into teachable knowledge comprehensible to students. For the entire development of the pedagogical content knowledge during Physical Education teacher education, the approximation between contexts of formation and basic education, especially through strategies of pedagogical practices, has been recommended. Considering these concerns, this theoretical essay has aimed to present and discuss some criteria which subsidize formation programs in Physical Education in tasks for structuring and implementing these pedagogical practices. The information analyzed allows to identify five different aspects which can orientate formation programs: place of execution (higher education institution, school or community spaces); number of prospective teachers who will give the pedagogical practice (groups, trios, pairs or individually); students participating in the activities (classmates or community students); number of students participating (one, two, small groups or the whole class); and the number of activities which will be given (one, a pedagogical sequence, or a complete teaching unit). Literature also suggests that the achievement of pedagogical practices goals in prospective formation programs depends on conceptions that formation programs, teacher educators, and prospective teachers have concerning the participation of these forming strategies in the formation of future Physical Education teachers. Therefore, it is believed these five criteria may contribute for the implementation of different modalities of pedagogical practices which will allow pedagogical content knowledge to function as interlocutor between the knowledge base for teaching and the teaching and learning context, which will maximize both gradual development of pedagogical content knowledge itself and prospective teachers' professional and teaching formation during Physical Education teacher education programs.