The production of swimming in the social interactions of children: “look at what i know how to do!”

Abstract

This article presents the results of a master's research, which aimed to analyze how children produce swimming, based on their interactions, in educational swimming practices. The study was based on the theories of the Sociology of Childhood, which recognizes children as active subjects of their own history and generation, as they produce and share culture in interactions with their peers, and the Sociology of the Body, which understands corporeality as a language of communication between the pairs. The field research was carried out at the Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina – UNISUL and Colégio Dehon, belonging to the university campus, in the city of Tubarão, Santa Catarina. The subjects of this investigation were children from 6 to 9 years old, swimming practitioners of the Extension Program of this university and of the Full Time Education of Colégio Dehon. Data were produced through field diary recording, video recording, photographs and children's conversations. The analyzes indicated that children build strategies specific to children's cultures, as well as negotiate with adults the right to play time, with water and with each other, in swimming lessons. Water proved to be a toy in aquatic experiences, overlapping with the pedagogical materials available in the pool. The body manifested itself as a vector of communication between children, through emotions, gestures, mimes and games. In the experiences lived by children with their peers, the research indicated that they learn and teach about swimming and play is the guiding thread in these processes. Thus, the evidence indicates the importance of valuing peer culture in the educational practices of swimming.