Comparative Study on Approaching Inclusive Physical Education from the Perspective of Alternative Pedagogies

Abstract

This century is characterized by rapid changes in society. In this light, education must help children by guiding the school to new forms of learning that give the students the opportunity to respond to unforeseen situations. Various ways to promote inclusive education are being explored nowadays, as an alternative for children with special educational needs (SEN). In this context, inclusive physical education is a methodological orientation aimed at organizing the learning process with mixed teams, which include pupils with and without deficiencies. A child-centered pedagogy is being promoted in this way, intended to reduce segregation and provide educational solutions regardless of the children’s level of abilities. Alternative pedagogies are one of the resources of conceptual and methodological development of inclusive physical education. These are present perspectives of approaching education by providing the teacher with variants of organizing the teaching-learning-assessment activity in accordance with the needs of students with SEN. This paper aims to highlight the specific way in which alternative pedagogies provide educational resources for the successful implementation of inclusive physical education programs. In this respect, a comparative analysis of educational alternatives is presented according to the organizational, curricular and didactic criteria that apply to the teaching process of physical education to classes in which children with SENs are integrated. At the same time, methodological suggestions are offered on optimizing the teaching of inclusive physical education.