Abstract
This paper explores the role played by Gymnastics and Physical Education in the training of elementary school teachers in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in 1877-1909. We analyzed the state’s legal documents, especially those providing guidelines related to educational structures in the period. The interpretation of research materials, based on the theoretical contributions of History of Academic and School Disciplines and Disciplinary Knowledges, indicated that the inclusion of contents referring to Gymnastica and Educação Physica in the curriculum gained increasing importance in the state’s educational scene, particularly regarding teacher training. Thus, that inclusion may have influenced the establishment of pioneering actions carried out in the years after the period investigated.
Keywords:
Teacher training; History; Physical Education; Gymnastics