The Collaborative Map as a Possibility for Reflecting on the City: Perspectives and Contributions of Adult Education Subjects

Abstract

School cartography has proved to be an important methodology in the teaching and learning process. In this way, the mental maps understood as a language, contribute to the critical formation of the students, enabling the reading and spatial analysis. Therefore, the present proposal has as an objective, investigate from the teaching and learning process in Geography how cartography can, through the different forms of construction and representation of geographical knowledge, promote the displacement and autonomy of the student of Youth and Adult Education (EJA). Methodologically, we based on readings with the focus on school geography, from the geographical concepts and on the Historical-Cultural Theory of Vygotsky. We sought support in the methodology of Kozel (2007) and Lynch (1997) for the analysis and interpretation of mental maps. The intervention based on dialogue was carried out with students from EJA, stages of elementary school, from a municipal school in Pelotas-RS. As a result, based on the landscape and place concepts, it can be perceived that students as they become familiar with the elaboration of mental maps, they share knowledge, knowledge and experiences, brought from their daily lives. The home-school route was the focus of observation and recording for purposes of representation. Subsequently, it was possible to elaborate the collaborative/participatory map collectively, noting the diverse symbols and spellings that expressed the students' experiences. It’s noted that the methodology assigned to the analysis of mental maps, articulated to geographical concepts, enabled greater interaction and autonomy of the student in the teaching and learning process.