A Natureza no ensino de geografia e a geografia da Natureza que se ensina no ensino básico

Abstract

This research aims to analyze how the category of Nature is being developed in Geography. As a science, Classical Geography began its journey with the dichotomy of Human and Physical which, based on positivism and methodologically descriptive, is still very present in basic and higher education, during classes and in the production of works (articles, books, etc.). In Brazil, this “heritage” lasted throughout the first half of the 20th century. From this period onwards (mainly after 1970), Geography emerged based on historical and dialectical materialism. Despite the paradigm shift driven by Marxism, thinking of Nature as a commodity, however, traditional teaching practices continued to be based on the teacher and outdated teaching materials, and Nature being treated in the dichotomy between it and society The perceived difficulty is to develop a much more comprehensive view and with more meaningful discussions for school realities, or even the student. In other words, understanding the various relationships between Nature(s). So, which spheres and/or actors in society have been generating this dichotomous continuity in the way geography is done/taught in the school environment? The general aim of this research is to understand how the category of Nature has been reflected in the teaching of geography. From then on, some specific objectives were systematized, also seeking to: identify in the didactic school material how the contents present Nature; understand how the contents referring to Nature have been introduced in the teaching of geography; verify how Nature is presented and assimilated by elementary school students; verify active methodologies used, or not, to understand Nature and to what extent there are critical analyses of it; understand how the national curriculum proposals have stimulated this discussion in the teaching of geography. There is no intention of seeking a statistical or numerical investigation. The research does not deny the numbers that emerge, but the main idea is not simply to quantify and measure. Methodologically, two schools in the municipality of Manaus are considered: Colégio Lato Sensu and Escola Municipal Jornalista Sabá Raposo in a non-analogous way, understanding both environments according to their peculiarities. To this end, the degree of teacher qualification and the ways in which they work were verified through interviews, checking for successes and difficulties. This research uses semi-structured questionnaires with students to find out which subjects they find most difficult to teach about Nature. It is therefore necessary to present the results to the schools, already with relevant proposals for active methodologies, horizontal dialogues or any other methodology that emerged during the research, in order to experience these in practice. The analysis of the data and information shows that the category of Nature is still little worked on in the classroom. And this absence can be explained by the still strong presence of the dichotomy throughout the structure of Geography teaching, involving the National Common Curriculum Base - BNCC, schools, textbooks and teachers.