Question:
The name of my project is “Affectivity of the Physical Education Teacher in their Pedagogical Practice.” This research arises from observing the ways some teachers treat students: some are very verbally aggressive, while others are aggressive in their actions with students. These observations led me to work on this aspect. Investigating emotions and affectivity is where I want to go. As you mention in your book, the competencies that a teacher should have, that loving teacher, the teacher who needs to be affectionate. As you just said, so that the students can connect better with them. This affectivity is supposed to make students more eager to attend class, and make their learning more enjoyable.
Answer:
I believe that physical education is a very appropriate subject for the development of emotional competencies, for multiple reasons. Let me comment on this. First, we could distinguish between aggressiveness, which is a natural trait of human beings. People are aggressive by nature, but we must channel our aggressiveness so that human irritability and aggression don’t lead to violence. Sport is a great way to channel aggressiveness. Sport that does not lead to violence. There can be sports with elements of aggression, even public violence. But for me, it is very important that there must be sports education that serves as a symbolic channel for this aggressiveness. There are some fascinating experiences in certain Latin American countries where urban tribes, for example, have faced off in sports. Sometimes here in Barcelona, there have been confrontations that have cost the lives of adolescents. It is a shame that it has come to this. Teachers who work in schools and have students in their classes who belong to these gangs. The situation is sometimes as absurd and difficult as wanting to dominate territories, wanting a park, for example, or wanting to start a tribal war, just because they are from different tribes, simply to confront each other. There are experiences where confrontations are held just to win territory. Through football symposia or football, or any sport, one can channel a lot of energy, all their aggressiveness. At the end of a football match, one can release that aggressiveness, as if they had experienced a physical confrontation, a war practically, but without the risks that come with it. Moreover, sport involves physical effort, an effort that curiously activates neurotransmitters, activates serotonin, and produces a sense of well-being through physical activity. This further enhances physical activity. It is also a source of health, both physical and mental. But much more than physical exercise is needed, such as not sitting too long in a traditional class copying extensive content that may not even interest them. The biogenesis of human emotion. They spend a number of hours sitting, much more than their biological capacity allows. If we add to that that in almost all classrooms there are children who can be hyperactive, and we won't get into the topic of hyperactivity disorders. Simply put, they need sports training, they need to practice sports, and create teamwork. A team can function like an orchestra, an orchestra where coordination is key. The winner isn’t an individual effort, but a collective one. One must yield, coordinate, and always be together. When they play, they win, and they feel satisfaction—it’s something extraordinary. When they’re winning a championship, it’s not just the competitors, but also the spectators. So, they need to train not only to win but also to learn how to lose, because in any sporting competition, there are usually more than two competitors. Knowing that one will win, they need to know how to lose, so that frustration doesn't overwhelm them. This is where there is a great opportunity to train tolerance for frustration.
Affectivity in Physical Education teaching: Impact on pedagogical practice