The goal of this research is to contribute to better understand the place of the body in the educational context, through the study of narratives on our school experiences. The purpose is to give voice to a body that has been forgotten by the educational system itself and to explore the insights it may provide.

Phenomenology and sociology of the body have expanded the concept of corporeality beyond the boundaries of the anatomical figure and its physiological functioning. The concept was enlarged to something wider which includes the communicative, social and cultural dimensions. Our body is a place of relationships with others and a place of connection with the world. In this sense, it is a space under continuous construction, where meanings are created and recreated. This semiotic dimension of the body makes it the leading actor of human presence, giving it the unavoidable purpose of communication and connection. (Le Breton, 1992; Merleau-Ponty, 2005; Reis, 2011; Louppe, 2012; Tavares, 2013)

We find important to clarify that this research is not about making a prescription of non-verbal behaviors, because "there is no proper picture, correct posture or even a correct move. There is a way of functioning that at a given moment, simultaneously leads to unity and openness“ (Irene Dowd, in Louppe 2012: 71). Instead, we follow the suggestion of Le Breton (1992) of having the body as a research path, because it is a projection (and the projector) of a constellation of human dimensions, which makes it an appealing viewpoint to a different understanding of man and the world, in different fields of knowledge.

From this multidimensional perspective of corporeality, we seek to look at the body as a structure of meanings and of emotional, psychological, social and physical mediation with the world. It is a place where we record our life stories and carve memories of our lived education and the stories that have contributed to our identity. Yet, the educational practices and research in education have paid little attention this question so far (Estola & Elbaz-Luwisch, 2003; García et al, 2014).

Educational context is a space for communication and relationship, transformation and human development. Nevertheless, discussions about education have been more and more centered on measurements and outcomes. There is a need to reconnect with the purpose of education. (Rogers, 1985; Biesta, 2009)

Our body is an element that is inevitably present in all our life experiences: “Before anything else, existence is corporeal.” (Le Breton, 1992:7; Damásio, 2000). This study may contribute to rescue the relevance of the dialogical, relational and teleological essence of pedagogical relationship. How important can this be for the field of Education, particularly in teacher education and professional development?

BARDIN, L. (2011). Análise de Conteúdo. Lisboa: Edições 70. BIESTA, G. (2009). Good education in an age of measurement: on the need to reconnect with the question of purpose in education. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability. 21(1): 33-46. BOLÍVAR, A. (2002). "De nobis ipsis silemus?": Epistemology of biographical-narrative research in education. Revista electrónica de Investigação Educativa. 4(1): 124. BREEN, R. (2006). A practical guide to focus-group research. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 30 (3), 463-475. DAMÁSIO, A. (2000). O Sentimento de Si. O corpo, a emoção e a neurobiologia da consciência. (5ª Ed.). Publicações Europa-América. DAMÁSIO, A. (2003). Ao Encontro de Espinosa. As emoções sociais e a neurologia do sentir. (Edição revista). Temas e Debates, Círculo de Leitores. ESTOLA, E. & ELBAZ-LUWISCH, F. (2003). Teaching bodies at work. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 35 (6), 697–719. FOUCAULT, M. (1987). Vigiar e Punir: Nascimento da prisão. (20ª Ed.). Petrópolis: Vozes. GARCÍA, M., MEGÍAS, E.P. & ARCOS, D.P. (2014). Relatos escolares y construcción del curriculum en la formación inicial del professorado. Biodeducamos. Tendencias Pedagógicas, 24, 113-132. L’ÉCUYER, R. (1990). Méthodologie de l’analyse développementale de contenu. Méthode GPS et Concept de Soi. Quebec: Presses de l’Université du Québec. LE BRETON, D. (2007). A sociologia do corpo. (2ªEd). Rio de Janeiro: Vozes. LITTLEJOHN, S. & FOSS, K. (2009). Encyclopedia of Communication Theory. California: SAGE Publications. LOPES, A. & PEREIRA, F. (2004). Escritos de trabalho e construção social da acção educativa institucional: (E)feitos de um processo de investigação-acção. Educação, Sociedade & Culturas, 22: 109-132. LOUPPE, L. (2012). Poética da dança contemporânea. Lisboa: Orfeu Negro. MANARTE, J., LOPES, A. & PEREIRA, F. (2014). Contributions to the empirical study of immediacy in the pedagogical relationship through self-naratives. Journal of Pedagogy, 5(2), 209-225. MERLEAU-PONTY, M. (2005). Phenomenology of Perception. United Kingdom: Taylor and Francis e-Library. POLKINGHORNE, D. (1995). Narrative configuration in qualitative analysis. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 8(1): 5-23. REIS, A. (2011). A subjectividade como corporeidade: o corpo na fenomenologia de Merleau-Ponty. Vivência, 37, 37-48. ROGERS, C. (1985). Tornar-se pessoa. (7ª Ed.). Lisboa: Moraes Editores. TAVARES, G. M. (2013). Atlas do Corpo e da Imaginação. Alfragide: Editorial Caminho.