Cartographic Language in the Context of Geography Teaching in Brazil

Abstract

This chapter analyses the didactic functionality of the relationship between school geography and cartographic language in the elaboration of activities for primary school education in Brazil. This study is based on the demands of a group of educators who teach 5th grade students (10–11 years old) in a public school in the Brazilian state of Paraná. The educators had all observed and verified the importance of theoretical cartographic knowledge in the classroom. This stimulated the elaboration of an in-service training course with a disciplinary syllabus based on the development of academic knowledge in workshops. The 13 educators included in this study taught 6–11 year-olds in a public primary school. The importance of the theoretical geographical concepts as a baseline for the development of classroom practices was acknowledged. The study showed that the teachers must be taught how articulate the elements of the learning process with lesson plans that prioritise teaching objectives, pedagogical procedures, didactic resources, and a means of assessing both teaching and learning processes systematically. These processes should have a sound theoretical basis that justifies both the contents and the procedures used to develop them.