The Potential of the Physical Education Lesson Study Approach in “Sport and Development”: Through Participation in the Project “Physical Education Teacher Capacity Development Support in Peru”

Abstract

In recent years, physical education has become one of the subjects in school education in many countries worldwide. Reports exist that physical education is insufficiently implemented in many developing countries and improving the quality and ability of physical education teachers is an urgent issue.

Under these circumstances, as part of the Sport for Tomorrow (SFT) project implemented by the Japanese government in preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the “Physical Education Teacher Capacity Development Support in Peru"project was implemented. This project, whose activities focus on the introduction of Physical Education Lesson Study (PELS) and its joint development between the two countries, was implemented for five years from 2016-2020. Exchanges between the two countries have continued even after the project ended.

This paper divides this project into four phases: (1) activities mainly focused on the capital city of Lima, (2) activities that attempted to expand locally and nationwide, (3) activities that attempted to expand nationwide and to South American countries through online methods, and (4) post-SFT activities. We verified results of the activities and issues as they were organized in chronological order.

This project produced many results both domestically and internationally, and the PELS approach in the context of “Sport and Development” should be further investigated not only in Peru but in other countries as well.