WHAT ABOUT PHYSICAL EDUCATION? NARRATIVES OF TEACHER-RESEARCHERS ABOUT REMOTE CLASSES IN FEDERAL INSTITUTES

Abstract

The implementation of remote learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has become a new and complex reality for school communities. In this context, the aim of this study was to analyse the experiences of Physical Education teacher-researchers with remote learning in federal institutes. Based on the Freirean perspective and social learning theory, the study was developed with a qualitative and collaborative approach, through autobiographical narrative method. Eight teacher-researchers participated in the study. Data were generated from narratives produced by teacher-researchers and were analysed through constant comparisons. As findings, four themes were identified: new scenarios and challenges; collaboration among peers; connecting with students; and rethinking Physical Education classes. In conclusion, teachers’ experiences involved transformative responses to the limits faced in remote learning, including listening to students’ voice, and forming a study group for collaborative learning.

Keywords:
Education, primary and secondary; Learning; Pandemics; COVID-19

Resumo

A implementação do ensino remoto em decorrência da pandemia da covid-19 se configurou como uma nova e complexa realidade para as comunidades escolares. Neste contexto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar as experiências de professores-pesquisadores de Educação Física com o ensino remoto em Institutos Federais. Embasada na perspectiva freireana e na teoria social da aprendizagem, a pesquisa foi desenvolvida com abordagem qualitativa e colaborativa através do método da narrativa autobiográfica. Oito professores-pesquisadores participaram do estudo. Os dados foram gerados a partir de narrativas produzidas pelos professores-pesquisadores e foram analisados através de comparações constantes. Como resultados, quatro temas foram identificados: novos cenários e desafios; aproximação e colaboração entre pares; conectando com os estudantes; e repensando as aulas de Educação Física. Em conclusão, as experiências docentes envolveram respostas transformadoras frente aos limites encontrados no ensino remoto, incluindo a escuta dos estudantes e a formação de um grupo de estudos e aprendizagem colaborativa.

Palavras chave:
Ensino Fundamental e Médio; Aprendizagem; Pandemias; Covid-19

Resumen

La implementación de la enseñanza remota como resultado de la pandemia COVID-19 se ha convertido en una realidad nueva y compleja para las comunidades escolares. En este contexto, el objetivo de este trabajo ha sido analizar las experiencias de profesores-investigadores de Educación Física con la enseñanza remota en Institutos Federales. Con base en la perspectiva freireana y en la teoría social del aprendizaje, la investigación se desarrolló con enfoque cualitativo y colaborativo, a través del método de la narrativa autobiográfica. Ocho profesores-investigadores participaron del estudio. Los datos se generaron a partir de narrativas elaboradas por los profesores-investigadores y se analizaron mediante comparaciones constantes. Como resultados, se identificaron cuatro temas: nuevos escenarios y desafíos; aproximación y colaboración entre pares; conectando con los estudiantes; y repensando las clases de Educación Física. En conclusión, las experiencias docentes implicaron respuestas transformadoras frente a los límites encontrados en la enseñanza remota, incluyendo escuchar a los estudiantes y formar un grupo de estudios y aprendizaje colaborativo.

Palabras clave:
Educación primaria y Secundaria; Aprendizaje; Pandemias; COVID-19

1 INTRODUCTION

The year 2020 was marked worldwide by the COVID-19 pandemic scenario. The health crisis impacted several segments of society, including educational institutions. As a preventive measure, schools were closed due to social distancing, which required the creation of strategies to enable the continuity of teaching remotely (HOWLEY, 2021; MACHADO et al., 2020).

With the transition from in-person to remote teaching, the subject of Physical Education (PE) underwent a major didactic-pedagogical transformation, mainly by the establishment of the teaching-learning process via virtual platforms (VILCHEZ et al., 2021; GODOI; KAWASHIMA; GOMES, 2020; VAREA; GONZÁLEZ-CALVO, 2020). Recent studies on the reality of PE in remote learning show a lack of professional training and teachers’ difficulties with the use of technological tools, a feeling of insecurity and anxiety (GODOI; KAWASHIMA; GOMES, 2020; MACHADO et al., 2020), as well as the diversification and innovation of experiences in remote PE classes (VILCHEZ et al., 2021; HOWLEY, 2021; MERCIER et al., 2021).

Howley (2021) points out that PE remote learning took different forms according to the variety of contexts in which it was implemented. Thus, it is important to know the different realities and experiences developed in contexts that are still little investigated, such as the Federal Institutes (FIs) of the Federal Network for Professional, Scientific and Technological Education.

Considering that there is still much to be understood about online or hybrid teaching-learning processes in PE, it is important to reflect on teaching experiences in order to understand how this turbulent period impacted PE classes and the possible future implications for the subject (HOWLEY, 2021).

This study aimed to analyze the experiences of PE teacher-researchers with remote learning in two FIs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two questions guided the research: what were the impacts of the pandemic on PE classes? How have PE teachers been dealing with the new teaching realities imposed by the pandemic?

2 THEORETICAL BASIS

Seeking to uncover teachers’ experiences with the concrete and complex reality of PE in this pandemic scenario, this study was based on the critical perspective of Freire (2018), the notion of experience (MIRAGEM; ALMEIDA, 2021) and the Social Theory of Learning (STL) (WENGER, 2013).

According to Freire (2018), we live in a dialectical relationship in the world, where we find several “limit situations” as a result of the concrete and historical dimensions of the reality in which we live. These “limit situations” can generate dismay, but if understood, from a critical perception, as a fact of a given historical moment, it is possible to establish ways to overcome them.

It is not the ‘limit situations’ themselves that generate a climate of hopelessness, but the perception that men have of them at a given historical moment, as a brake on them, as something they cannot overcome. At the moment when critical perception is established, in the action itself, a climate of hope and trust is developed, which leads men to commit to overcoming ‘limit situations’ (FREIRE, 2018, p.126).

“Limit situations” require transformative responses and give rise to action on concrete reality. Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, transformative responses became urgent to maintain the teaching and guarantee the right to education. These responses were only possible to be materialized by the protagonism of the subjects involved, evidencing the notion of experience as a category that enables the understanding and appreciation of the dimension of the lived in its unpredictability and historicity (MIRAGEM; ALMEIDA, 2021). The experience involves reflection on reality and exposes us to uncertainties and the confrontation of the new with the old, allowing us to rethink the limits and possibilities of action in the educational context (MIRAGEM; ALMEIDA, 2021).

The responses constructed by the subjects as knowledge from experience included the professional development of teachers to face this “limit situation”. According to Wenger (2013), learning is an integral part of social practice and takes place in the context of lived experiences as a social phenomenon. The subject, the activity and the world are mutually constituted, and education needs to incorporate this mutual relationship.

The STL presupposes an understanding of the learning subject as a whole, considering the motivational aspect of developing their identity in a constant process of becoming and the cognitive aspect of developing knowledge in and with the world, as opposed to the idea of transmitting a body of knowledge about the world (WENGER, 2013).

Among the basic premises of the learning process described by Wenger (2013), the following stand out: “we are social beings” and we are inserted in communities; knowing requires active participation and involvement with the world; and the learning must be meaningful.

Participation here refers not only to local situations of involvement in certain activities and with certain people, but to a broader process of being an active participant in the practices of social communities and building identities in relation to these communities […]. This participation shapes not only what we do, but also who we are and how we interpret what we do (WENGER, 2013, p.248).

Thus, the STL, the notions of “limit situations” and experience present themselves as interpretative keys for us to understand how teacher-researchers have been dealing with the reality of remote classes in the pandemic context.

3 METHODOLOGICAL DECISIONS

With a qualitative and collaborative approach (GUBA; LINCOLN, 1989), this research used the autobiographical narrative method (JOSSO, 2020; WITTIZORECKI et al., 2006). This study was also guided by the notion of teacher-researcher (STENHOUSE, 1983), recognizing the investigative stance and active participation of the teacher in knowledge production as a way to bring applied research closer to educational practice. Thus, the researchers in this study, two male and six female PE teachers, were considered teacher-researchers (STENHOUSE, 1983).

The data collection covered the production of autobiographical narratives of the teacher-researchers between October and November 2020, reflecting the pedagogical experiences developed from March to September 2020¹. For Wittizorecki et al. (2006), the narrative exercise requires an effort of self-writing that contributes both to the research process and to the permanent training of teacher-researchers.

The data analysis was conducted on three levels: individual, peer review, and group (GUBA; LINCOLN, 1989). In the process of peer review analysis, each narrative was examined by two teacher-researchers (excluding the author of the narrative), who first performed an individual analysis of the data and then a discussion of the analyses. After this step, group analysis was carried out with the systematization of the data, identification of themes, and elaboration of a synthesis table of analysis.

The analytical process was guided by the method of constant comparison, enabling the analysis of the approximations and distance between the teacher-researchers’ narratives (CHARMAZ, 2009). The procedures adopted included successive readings for familiarization with the data, initial coding with the elaboration of provisional themes from data segments, and focused coding with the development and selection of themes relevant to the study objective.

3.1 CONTEXT AND STUDY PARTICIPANTS

This study was conducted on five campuses of two FIs in the state of Minas Gerais in which PE was a curricular component in technical courses integrated to high school. The subject was taught to students aged between 15 and 20 years old. During the study period, the PE classes in each campus attended 417 students from ten classes, among the three grades of high school.

The two FIs implemented remote learning on March 17, 2020 (FI1) and March 30, 2020 (FI2), almost immediately after the suspension of in-person classes on March 16 and 18, 2020, respectively. In both FIs, there was a standardization regarding the platforms used for remote learning, namely Google Classroom and Google Meet, with the aid of additional interaction tools such as institutional email and the WhatsApp application. Physical Education classes were organized differently among the campuses, according to institutional decisions: (a) on four campuses, classes were held every two weeks, and one campus maintained weekly periodicity; (b) on four campuses, synchronous classes were mandatory (although students were not required to participate simultaneously and could follow the recordings of classes made available later), and on one campus it was up to the teacher to decide on the format of the classes; (c) the duration of the synchronous classes ranged between 30 and 100 minutes, and the workload was complemented by asynchronous activities; (d) on all campuses, assistance was provided to students to clarify questions and interactions through messages via Google Classroom and email, and on two campuses, teachers provided at least a fixed time for synchronous assistance.

Faced with the implementation of remote learning, the teacher-researchers joined in a group whose objective was to build a space for exchanging experiences and developing studies on remote classes. The meetings took place every two weeks in an online format from May to December 2020, totaling 13 meetings.

The teacher-researchers are briefly introduced below:

Teacher 1: 39 years old, with a bachelor’s degree in PE and a master’s degree in Education. The construction of the identity as a teacher and researcher was based on the multiple experiences lived during the work in the different schools where I taught and in the interaction with students and colleagues belonging to different realities.

Teacher 2: 44 years old, 17 years of experience, and for the last five years I have been working with integrated high school. I completed the full degree course in PE, as well as my graduate degree in specialization and master’s level. In teaching practice, I seek to develop actions that bring closer connections between School PE and Human Development.

Teacher 3: 38 years old, working for ten years with integrated high school. I have a license and a bachelor’s degree in PE, a master’s degree, and a doctorate in Education in progress, getting involved in graduate research. In my pedagogical practice, I seek to present experience and knowledge to the students as possibilities for transformation.

Teacher 4: 33 years old, eight years of experience with integrated high school. I completed a license, a bachelor’s, a master’s and a doctoral degree in PE. Involvement with research began at the undergraduate level. In teaching practice, I seek to explore possibilities for transformation in the lives of students and society.

Teacher 5: 34 years old, I’ve been working for eight years with integrated high school. I have a license, a bachelor’s, a master’s degree and a doctorate in PE. The first contact with research occurred while I was still an undergraduate. In teaching, I seek to provide students with a set of knowledge and experiences of bodily practices that can enhance and expand their view of the world.

Teacher 6: 59 years old, 31 years dedicated to teaching, teaching the fundamentals of PE and learning from students. Right and wrong, but always doing my best under the conditions that were offered to me. My training originated in public school, I have a license degree in PE and a master’s degree in Technological Education.

Teacher 7: 50 years old, licensed and specialist in PE, teaching elementary, secondary, technological and higher education for 19 years, dedicated to training students in public schools.

Teacher 8: 31 years old, license and master’s degree in PE, where I developed my main research. My teaching practice is directly linked to the knowledge established from undergraduate, graduate and acting as a teacher in the career of Basic, Technical and Technological Education.

4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The results encompassed four themes: (a) new scenarios and challenges, (b) approach and collaboration among peers, (c) connecting with students, and (d) rethinking lessons.

4.1 NEW SCENARIOS AND CHALLENGES

We identified three situations experienced by teacher-researchers. The first, called “drastic change”, referred to the sudden transition from in-person classes to remote learning in a short period, without preparation and training of professionals. Impacts were inevitable and new challenges emerged.

In-person classes ended on March 16 and only days after this fateful event, we were already returning to teaching activities in remote mode. A situation that took everyone by surprise, no one was prepared, whether teachers, students, pedagogical coordinators or parents, for such a drastic change in such a short time. (Narrative 1)

In addition to the turbulent context brought about by the “limit situation” of the pandemic, we identified the lack of training offered to teachers. To deal with the new educational needs, teachers had to seek their own means of learning. Previous studies have already indicated that, generally, professionals are introduced into virtual learning environments without being sufficiently trained and end up having to mobilize their own resources to develop online teaching (MERCIER et al., 2021; LEWIS, 2006).

The second situation, called “scenario of uncertainties”, refers to the moments when teachers realized that remote learning would last for an indefinite time.

Amidst the uncertainties, each school institution sought different alternatives to face this situation. While some have completely interrupted their classes, anticipated school holidays, modified their calendars, others have tried, through technology, to reinvent their classes and continue remotely. The latter was the decision adopted by the Institute in April. Since then, teachers have had to look for alternative ways of teaching. (Narrative 5)

There was a break in school routines towards an unknown future, in which teachers did not know how to continue the remote classes and needed, from experience, to build answers to the problems they found (MIRAGEM; ALMEIDA, 2021; GODOI; KAWASHIMA; GOMES, 2020; VAREA; GONZÁLEZ-CALVO, 2020).

The third situation, called “remote learning development”, was characterized by the extension of the pandemic and remote learning, which demanded new ways of coping in addition to an emergency approach.

With the extension of the quarantine and the increase in the number of deaths and those infected by COVID-19, it was decided that in-person classes would no longer return in 2020. So, I decided to change the initial plan, as the situation demanded […]. (Narrative 1)

At the same time, we identified a common characteristic in the data collected: the mischaracterization of PE classes and the threat to the area’s identity (MACHADO et al., 2020; VAREA; GONZÁLEZ-CALVO, 2020). The narratives showed that the teachers were faced with the emblematic issue of how to teach PE in a virtual environment.

I don’t even know how many times I’ve heard: ‘how do you teach Physical Education classes at a distance?’. I confess that I didn’t know the answer either. Not for lack of content and/or possibilities for their development, but I knew that on the other side of the computer screen (or, in most cases, the cell phone screen) would be, waiting for me, teenagers with different realities and conditions of coping with the crisis caused by the pandemic. (Narrative 2)

For the teachers, the organization of remote classes in the absence of practice, distancing from bodies and artificialization of human interactions represented a complex challenge for which they did not have adequate pedagogical support.

With regard to Physical Education, the issue of remote learning proved to be even more worrisome […] a subject that is configured in the contents of the movement body culture, whose main characteristic is practical classes, direct involvement in bodily practices, contact, finally, how the teaching-learning of Physical Education would be made meaningful and true through the screens. (Narrative 1)

Without the court, without the practice, without materials, without interaction, without an appropriate pedagogy […]. It is a Physical Education of absent, invisible bodies. Much has been lost from the learning that takes place from human situations and relationships. Even in synchronous activities, the rules of behavior in a virtual environment seem to make interactions more artificial, which leads us to often say the expression ‘it’s not the same thing’ (Narrative 4).

These concrete situations demonstrated the complexity of remote classes. The specificity of bodily practices in PE, the lack of contact with students and doubts about methodological choices constituted the experience of online classes as a complex whole.

Some of these obstacles expose contradictions in PE teaching. For Freire (2018), obstacles and “limit situations” are historically objective. The historical issues of PE were potentialized in the pandemic scenario: the classes in the virtual environment were presented as particularly challenging considering that, traditionally, they are developed from movement and interactions among students (VILCHEZ et al., 2021; MACHADO et al., 2020; VAREA; GONZÁLEZ-CALVO, 2020; GODOI; KAWASHIMA; GOMES, 2020).

By understanding “limit situations” as a concrete and historical dimension of a given reality, we consider that obstacles are historically constituted, just as overcoming them can only occur also historically in the experience (FREIRE, 2018; MIRAGEM; ALMEIDA, 2021). In this study, the constitution of obstacles and transformative responses can be observed in the new ways of teaching PE, including the use of digital technologies.

In the beginning, together with the students, I faced the challenge of learning to use new technological tools […] we had to reinvent our teaching practices and we realized that there are work possibilities and technological tools available that contribute to the educational processes. (Narrative 4)

Many were already familiar with digital tools, while some had to learn about teaching resources. I fit in this last situation, as I had no knowledge of virtual educational platforms. In addition to the requirement of suddenly having to learn the use of such tools. (Narrative 5)

Some weaknesses in teacher training were notorious. The teachers were, in general, not prepared for teaching via digital technologies. Thus, the overcoming of part of the challenges of remote learning came from the continuing training of teachers, contributing to qualify the teaching-learning processes in the pandemic context.

4.2 APPROACH AND COLLABORATION WITH PEERS

The “limit situation” of the pandemic not only brought new challenges but also highlighted problems that already existed in the school context, such as the lack of technical and pedagogical support for teaching. In the absence of support for the transition to remote learning, teacher-researchers mobilized available resources and engaged in professional development processes, through which they were able to develop their own learning from experience (WENGER, 2013).

In narrative 1, the learning of teachers can be considered as an advance: “As positive points of this scenario, I can say that teachers demonstrated their ability to adapt and learn since the vast majority were unaware of virtual teaching tools”. This perspective was also reported in narrative 4: “remote learning brought us opportunities for new learning, both for students and teachers”.

The limits and possibilities of the concrete reality provided an approach between peers and became an important strategy for the professional development of teachers. Thus, the teacher-researchers formed a group to share experiences and discuss the pedagogical practice in remote learning.

This new reality brought us, teachers, discovery, experimentation […]. As a result, there were more spaces for exchanging experiences between teachers, listening to their doubts, uncertainties, successes and failures and, as far as possible, discussions on strategies for the subject of Physical Education in remote education were increased. (Narrative 5)

As a construction process, this experience was permeated by challenges and obstacles. The first was to discuss how to operationalize the group and analyze whether it would work. For the experience to be meaningful, participation in the group should be voluntary, creating a space to support collective thinking that would be of common interest to all. (Narrative 8)

The training experience of the group of teacher-researchers consisted of learning as a social practice, involving active participation and mutual engagement as a way of knowing (WENGER, 2013). The group assumed a character of pedagogical support, but also of emotional support in relation to the feeling of abandonment of teacher-researchers:

The group felt adrift in face of the difficulties that arose, insecure in decision-making in relation to the pedagogical practice of content historically developed in a practical way and that suddenly began to be taught in virtual learning environments. The transition from in-person classes to remote classes, something unthought of for Physical Education until then, generated anxieties that were only alleviated with the group’s conversations and the progress of the meetings. (Narrative 8)

The approach and collaboration between teacher-researchers during this turbulent period can be considered not only as an immediate result. It should be noted that, prior to the pandemic, in the two FIs there was no kind of collective organization focused on dialogue and reflection on school PE. The pandemic scenario acted as a trigger for collaborative teaching practice and boosted the formation of the group. Potentially, this group can provide a context for teachers´ continuing professional development (VANGRIEKEN et al., 2017) and enable future actions aimed at strengthening PE in the FIs.

4.3 CONNECTING WITH THE STUDENTS

The exchanges of experiences carried out by the group of teacher-researchers enabled the development of strategies to deal with the challenge of connecting² with students during remote classes. Teachers perceived difficulties in interacting with students in a virtual environment and, throughout the classes, a reduced level of their involvement with remote activities (HOWLEY, 2021; LUGUETTI et al., 2021; MACHADO et al., 2020):

As the weeks went by, I detected that student participation was gradually decreasing both in class time and in the delivery of activities. At that moment, I realized that I needed to ‘stop’ and ‘listen’ to my students, to understand what their feelings were in face of so many new situations, how their daily routine was being and what was their opinion/suggestions regarding remote activities. (Narrative 5)

Dialogue plays an essential role in the teaching-learning process. Education takes place in mediation with the world and starts from dialogue (FREIRE, 2018). Without dialogue, there is no communication. Without communication, there is no education. Thus, we find in silence one of the main weaknesses of remote learning.

On the border between the limits and possibilities brought about by the pandemic (MIRAGEM; ALMEIDA, 2021), the teacher-researchers sought changes in their own pedagogical practices, including listening to and welcoming students. Dialogue was presented as a central element for the reorientation of the teaching-learning process (FREIRE, 2018). In fact, the challenges of the pandemic world have made it urgent to establish new avenues of dialogue for the constitution of pedagogical experiences.

In response, the teacher-researchers collaboratively developed a diagnostic assessment instrument³ to identify the different realities in which students were inserted, as well as to listen and welcome students.

The diagnostic evaluation proposal was positive, as it provided a broad view of the health conditions and quality of life in which our students were in this period of social isolation and remote work. Besides that, it was also a tool that helped me in planning remote activities. (Narrative 6)

The students pointed out some issues regarding Physical Education classes in remote education: tiresome classes, too many texts to read and a long list of exercises. The students’ main demands were aimed at something more practical that they could do at home and that the explanations of the content were complemented with videos and tasks that they could interact with their class. Therefore, I realized the need to reorganize and re-signify the contents, as well as learn new technological tools to improve the quality of classes and students’ interest in the subject. (Narrative 5)

The experience of seeking dialogue with students allowed the identification of limits and possibilities for PE remote classes. For Freire (2018, p.121), “the moment of this search is what inaugurates the dialogue of education as a practice of freedom. It is the moment when the investigation of what we call the thematic universe of the people or the set of its generating themes is carried out”.

In addition to the instrument developed, listening to students became a strategy present throughout the practice of two teachers:

Between one class and another, the conversation about their needs, what they would like to learn, to execute, and so we organize ourselves in the planning. I have been receiving requests for practical activities, because they feel very stuck, sitting all day long in front of the computer studying […]. Among all activities, we were always trying to understand what our students’ needs were. (Narrative 3)

I adopted other strategies as a way to understand the students’ perspective, such as forums with generating questions about the activities performed, experience reports, self-assessment and offering options for carrying out activities, in which each student’s choice reflected the tastes, interests and preferences regarding the content in focus. (Narrative 4)

The inclusion of choice opportunities for students throughout the activities has been considered an important practice to increase participation in PE classes (VILCHEZ et al., 2021). The experiences of teacher-researchers in remote learning showed their concern with the interaction and engagement of students in the proposed activities. However, despite the teachers’ efforts, the construction of the processes of listening and approaching students was not linear and presented difficulties.

As a novelty, I created a topic on Google Classroom - ‘Forum’ for questions and discussions. The intention was to improve the interaction between student and teacher. However, I believe that there was no significant interaction, and it was hardly used by students to ask questions. (Narrative 6)

Therefore, teachers were concerned about the lack of contact during activities and narrated experiences of seeking to (re)connect with students through strategies aimed at welcoming them. Listening to students raised reflections among teachers about the classes.

4.4 RETHINKING THE CLASSES

The limits found by teacher-researchers with remote learning led to a process of restructuring the classes and production of knowledge from experience (MIRAGEM; ALMEIDA, 2021). This process of pedagogical reorganization has been pointed out as the “reinvention” of PE classes (MACHADO et al., 2020; GODOI; KAWASHIMA; GOMES, 2020). In this study, the teacher-researchers sought to re-elaborate the teaching planning from the students’ perspectives. In narrative 7, the teacher prioritized the relevance of the themes in the pandemic context: “I tried to observe which content could be more relevant at this time of the COVID-19 pandemic for our students and that could contribute or at least alleviate this moment”. This concern was also presented in narrative 1:

It would be important to work on content that brought significance and contribution to the moment the students were experiencing, such as isolation at home, lack of contact with friends and family, little or no physical activity, psychological and physiological aspects of the isolation, among others.

Thus, the teachers adopted as a criterion for selecting the contents the potential for dialogue with the students’ concrete reality. According to Freire (2018), the present, existential and concrete situation ends up reflecting the set of aspirations of teachers and students, and it is in this place of experience that it becomes possible to organize the syllabus. Regarding teaching planning, in narrative 3, we verify that “the choices of class contents happen according to the needs and reality of my students”.

Initially, the teachers prioritized the conceptual dimension of the contents, corroborating the findings of Machado et al. (2020) among teachers of basic education in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. In narrative 6, the teacher showed that “the criterion used was to consider conceptual and sociocultural aspects”. Similarly, we can observe in narrative 4:

Facing the difficulty of developing practical and traditional components of Physical Education, I glimpsed possibilities to develop pedagogical proposals focused on theoretical-critical discussions related to bodily practices, such as the evolution of women in sports [...].

Another criterion also adopted by the teachers for the selection of content was the potential to stimulate family interaction.

It seemed more coherent to encourage students to learn about themes and activities that could, in some way, help and/or provoke them to relate to people whose coexistence would be more intense than they could imagine and/or desire: their family (or lack of it). (Narrative 2)

Encouraging family participation and integration in PE online classes has been pointed out as an unexpected benefit during the remote learning period (VILCHEZ et al., 2021). Other knowledge produced from the experience included the creative use of technological tools to modify classes (VILCHEZ et al., 2021; LUGUETTI et al., 2021, GODOI; KAWASHIMA; GOMES, 2020), personalized attention to students and the provision of feedback (VILCHEZ et al., 2021; LUGUETTI et al., 2021), and greater flexibility regarding teaching and assessment policies in order to favor the inclusion of students who were facing difficulties following remote classes (HOWLEY, 2021; VILCHEZ et al., 2021).

In general, the contents worked during PE remote classes had as main focus the articulating theme of health. In narrative 7 it was also evident that “the main concern was to emphasize health-related content”. In narrative 4: “the pandemic affected the bodies, movement, social interactions and the daily lives of students. In addition, the pandemic highlighted the great issue of health”. According to studies by Vilchez et al. (2021) and Machado et al. (2020), teachers perceived PE classes as essential during the pandemic period because it is a curricular component that focuses on health-related content; therefore, they could help students to broaden their understanding of the situation experienced.

In addition to health-related topics, the contents of remote classes involved thematic units of gymnastics, games and play, sports and dance, as described in Table 1.

Table 1
Brief description of the contents and activities developed by the teachers of the study in the remote classes of PE.

Themes	Number of teachers who addressed the topic	Topics covered	Examples of methodological strategies and activities developed
Health	7	Health benefits of physical activity, aging and functional capacity, eating habits, quality of life, mental health, self-care, self-knowledge, postural education, and physical fitness.	Conceptual approach, practical challenges, physical activity projects, health tips with a multidisciplinary team, life stories, proposals for physical exercise at home, mind map, lectures, video classes and question forms.
Gymnastics	5	History, types of gymnastics, main movements, fitness gymnastics (Pilates, functional training, CrossFit) and body awareness (yoga, stretching)	Mind maps, video and photo production, experiences, exercise challenges, and experience reports.
Games and play	5	Traditional and virtual games, recreation and e-sports, cooperative games and indigenous games.	Interviews and games with family members, recreational activities developed by the students, toy workshop, adaptation of e-sports, experiences with virtual games, and text production.
Sociocultural themes	4	Body cult, doping, racism and ethics in sport, inclusion and adapted PE, women’s participation in bodily practices.	Analysis of documentaries, elaboration of stories and question form.
Sports	3	History, Olympic and Paralympic sports, anatomy applied to sports.	Seminars, athlete biographies and research activities.
Dance	3	Folk dances, urban dances, creativity and synchrony in dance.	Experiences, video production, creative exercises and question forms.

• Source: Research data.

The teachers’ narratives indicated that the contents selected emphasized the importance of caring for physical and mental health in times of pandemic, as well as knowledge about the body and sociocultural aspects, such as racial and gender issues in sports.

The reports of muscle pain by most students directed the inclusion of topics on body posture, postural deviations and stretching exercises, seeking to make them aware of the importance of adopting a proper position in their daily lives, especially during study times. (Narrative 5)

Regarding the forms of content development, the teachers diversified their teaching and assessment strategies. Methodological strategies represented a change in teachers’ pedagogical practice, as they included the use of technologies.

Regarding the methodologies used, the focus was on the diversification of strategies in order to maintain student involvement. Additional teaching possibilities that were not previously used as much in our classes began to be more explored, including the use of video classes, readings, audio recording, elaboration of mind maps, use of electronic forms, use of virtual game platforms, and a home exercise challenge. (Narrative 4)

The re-planning of content and methodological strategies were constantly discussed and a reason for insecurity among teacher-researchers.

The biggest challenge when starting remote learning was based on content, how to adapt it to remote learning, assessment instrument, tool to be used, and the teaching-learning process. The main question: are the students learning? (Narrative 6)

In this context, the teachers sought to diversify assessment instruments, such as the development of mind maps, infographics, experience reports, production of videos, photographs and collaborative murals, self-assessment, participation in discussion forums and seminars.

Thus, the teacher-researchers recognized the shared challenges and built transformative possibilities for PE classes in a virtual environment (FREIRE, 2018). The complex reality required, in the field of experience, the construction of complex solutions involving the learning of subjects (teachers, students and school community) in the relationships and practices with each other (WENGER, 2013).

5 CONCLUSIONS

This study sought to analyze the experiences of PE teacher-researchers with remote learning in two FIs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results indicated that, given the “limit situation” generated by the pandemic, the experiences of teacher-researchers encompassed challenges with the new scenarios, as well as the development of transformative practices.

Teacher-researchers faced challenges related to the sudden transition to remote learning, the lack of support and professional training, and the need to learn to use technologies in classroom. On the other hand, the teachers also narrated experiences of reflecting on their PE classes, incorporating new ways of teaching, implementing student listening practices, and reaching out to and collaborating with peers.

Faced with the difficulties imposed by the pandemic, the teachers needed to adapt to the new educational scenario and mutually engaged with the formation of a group as a space for professional learning.

We believe that the hybrid and online teaching format will show a growing trend in different educational contexts in the post-pandemic scenario. We understand that the teaching experiences with remote learning explored in this study can be useful for long-term reflections, such as the problematization of the use of technologies in education, the planning in PE, and the need for investment in the professional development of teachers facing social demands.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of South of Minas Gerais - IFSULDEMINAS. Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of the Triângulo Mineiro - IFTM.

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• FUNDING

  This work was not supported by any funding agency.

• 1
  Referring to the period of the first semester of 2020 that was held remotely in the two FIs.
• 2
  Initially, the problems of students’ access to the internet and equipment for monitoring remote classes were evident. However, these problems were alleviated with the implementation of care policies in the institutions participating in the study.
• 3
  In this instrument, aspects about physical and mental health, physical activity practice, sedentary behavior, sleep, use of time for studies and leisure, routine changes, and a general evaluation about the PE remote classes were addressed, with an open space for criticism, demands, and suggestions.

• RESEARCH ETHICS

  This research project followed the Resolutions 466/12 and 510/2016 of Brazil’s National Health Council.

Edited by

EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Alex Branco Fraga*, Elisandro Schultz Wittizorecki*, Ivone Job*, Mauro Myskiw*, Raquel da Silveira*

*Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, School of Physical Education, Physiotherapy and Dance, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  11 Mar 2022
• Date of issue
  2021

History

• Received
  06 Aug 2021
• Accepted
  20 Oct 2021
• Published
  26 Dec 2021