Pedagogy of Metamorphosis in a Service-learning Program in Physical Education with Students with Special Educational Needs

Abstract Book of the 10th International Conference on Teaching, Learning and Education

Year: 2025

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Pedagogy of Metamorphosis in a Service-learning Program in Physical Education with Students with Special Educational Needs

Sheila Parra Gomez, Celina Salvador-García, Maria Maravé-Vivas, Xavier García-Garcés, Òscar Chiva-Bartoll, Jesus Gil-Gómez

ABSTRACT:

Alleviating social inequalities has always been a pending task for society, where exclusion continues to occur based on sex, gender, race, or condition. Within formal education, there are ways to tackle this through social justice-based approaches such as Service-Learning, which seek to go beyond the academic sphere, and develop students’ sensitivities and values. The present work focuses on a Service-Learning program carried out in the field of Physical Education. Specifically, students had to design and lead Physical Education sessions for young people with Special Educational Needs. In this study, we examined the experiences lived by the participants to identify the relationships that were developed among them during the program. To do so, we collected information through photographs taken during the sessions. We carried out a visual analysis, in which we followed the methodological basis for photographic interpretations that combines the theory of Marzal-Felici (2007) with that of Barthes (1999). The results take the form of a story, revealing the process of openness and closeness, in which the professional relationship is permeated by kindness, connection and care. This story offers an example of a pedagogy of metamorphosis, which is urgently needed in today’s turbulent society in order to promote educational experiences that bring about changes toward equality.

Keywords: Care, Disability, Pedagogy, Photographs, Sport