Physical Education and Life in Nature: Practices, scenarios and curriculum

Abstract

This paper analyzes interviews and the voices of Physical Education educators who carry out pedagogical proposals in natural settings in different provinces across Argentina. From these voices emerge pedagogical models being put into practice, a diverse curricular culture, and academic perspectives and contributions that nurture the teaching practices, giving new meaning to the experience of teaching in outdoor settings. The research team from the project “Las prácticas pedagógicas de montaña en educación física al sur del continente americano: formación docente y diversos niveles educativos” (Mountain-Oriented Pedagogical Practices in Physical Education in Southern South America: Teacher Training and Various Educational Levels) from the Physical Education Teacher Training Program at Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Bariloche conducted and analyzed a number of interviews. The interviews analyzed revealed how training and professional trajectories give rise to new meanings that are constructed and emerge in relation to the locations, trainees’ knowledge, sociocultural contexts, and the approaches of the institutions where teaching takes place. The concept of Vida en la Naturaleza (Life in Nature) prevails as the guiding principle that links the teaching practices in cross-cultural environments.