Philosophical analysis of the Physical Education curriculum in Chile

Abstract

Modern Physical Education arises with the foundation of modern philosophy, in which the rationalist and positivist current stands out. Thus, the first curricular bases were developed with the behaviorist approach of pedagogy by objectives, oriented by standardization, ideological univocity, the objectivist view of corporeality, the reproduction of didactic contents, passive learning, rigidity, the discourse of neutrality and the obsession with efficiency. After several decades of that perspective, theoretical perspectives emerged in the world, especially in Europe, that proposed postmodern philosophical bases. Oriented by relativity, ideological plurality, the subjective view of corporeality, flexibility, contextualization, historical-cultural positioning and active learning. That postmodern look would not be very much reflected in the Chilean school context, so this essay was proposed to analyze from a philosophical perspective some problematic aspects that would exist around the school Physical Education curriculum in Chile. The results of the analysis show three conflicting curricular aspects, associated with the SIMCE of Physical Education, the health-oriented approach proposed by the new name of the subject and the different curricular paradigm between initial teacher training and school reality. This knowledge reflects that there are important curricular challenges around the subject and the context studied, above all, to integrate new contemporary knowledge. This also requires a broad debate on the subject and a wide participation of both teachers and students.