Field work in Geography teaching: Importance and challenges for its implementation in basic education

Abstract

Context: The present work aims to plan a fieldwork and understand the dynamics related to its planning and execution. The practice was carried out with the 6th grade students of Santa Helena Municipal Elementary School, in the Camobi neighborhood, in Santa Maria/RS. Methodology: For the planning, visits to the school were made, during which questionnaires were developed about Urban Geography topics, contextualized with the neighborhood and school surroundings issues, to be applied with residents of the area. The questionnaire responses served as a basis for the students, organized in groups, to create posters about what could be improved in the neighborhood. From the questionnaires, questions arose regarding infrastructure, environment, and safety. In addition, concepts such as community, place, belonging, and right to the city were worked on. Considerations: The initial idea included conducting a fieldwork, however, it was not possible to go out due to the rain. For this reason, the work was based on the questionnaire responses and aims to address the importance of fieldwork in Geography teaching, with a focus on the challenges for its realization.