The National Geography Curriculum for Primary Education in Portugal: (re) interpretations by Geography Teachers

• Type: Article in International Conference Proceedings Book
• Date: 2011

Authors

Maria Felisbela Martins (Author) FLUP

Conference proceedings International

Title: London Symposium

Pages: 106-113

Curriculum Making in Geography

London, 18 a 20 Abril de 2011

Scientific classification

FOS: Social sciences > Other social sciences

CORDIS: Social sciences > Geography

Other information

Abstract (EN): In 2001, the Currículo Nacional do Ensino Básico. Competências Essenciais [National Curriculum for Primary Education. Essential Competences] was published in Portugal. This document reorganizes basic level education from a curricular point of view. It is a fundamental reference document for curricular management in Portuguese schools and outlines guidelines for educational experiences as well as the essential competences, both general and specific, that students are to develop in each subject or subject area throughout their primary education. Since its implementation until today, at initial teacher education level, working documents were produced by the Department of Geography of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto reflecting the interpretation of the documents issued by the Ministry of Education. These documents were shared by students, future teachers in the subjects of Geography Teaching Methodologies and Didactic of Geography.Now that teacher training in Geography in Portugal follows a new model, and the National Curriculum has been in force for over eight years, it seems relevant to understand how it is being implemented at the schools by the teachers who collaborate with the Faculty of Arts and with the Geography Department. This article aims to contextualize the National Curriculum for Primary Education in Portugal, Curriculum Guidelines for Geography, present guidelines for the initial training of Geography teachers at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto, as well as to introduce the empirical study that aims to identify (re)interpretations carried out by teachers at schools within the scope of the National Curriculum for Primary Education and the Curriculum Guidelines for Geography. We can inferred that, at least with these teachers, the concept of curriculum as project, the teacher’s role as mediator between the curriculum designed at national level and the curriculum as actually experienced locally, are not being totally appropriated and the National Curriculum and Curriculum Guidelines for Geography are largely being (re)interpreted as a normative curriculum to be followed supposedly in a similar manner in Geography classes, regardless of the context.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific