The teaching of geography in Full-time Citizen Schools in Paraíba, Brazil

Abstract

This study aims to reflect on the contemporaneity of school Geography through its teaching in Full-Time Citizen Schools (ECI) in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. Full-time education is not an initiative exclusive to Paraíba; rather, it is part of a broader neoliberal reform movement that has taken place across the country and culminated in the 2017 Upper Secondary Education Reform. In the case of Paraíba, this change took place one year prior to the national reform and established the provision of two curricula: the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC), which includes the school subjects already taught (such as Portuguese, Mathematics, Geography, among others), and the Diversified Curriculum, composed of new curricular components such as Life Project, Protagonism Clubs, and elective subjects. In fact, there is a reduction in the workload of certain subjects in order to emphasize these so-called “educational innovations.” Accordingly, this study adopts bibliographic and documentary review as its methodological approach to understanding this educational phenomenon in Paraíba. The relevance of this research lies in situating contemporary school Geography within current times and practices, allowing us to examine the directions taken by this subject. Finally, we conclude that the integral citizen education offered by schools within this program ultimately deprives students of opportunities for critical reflection and social transformation, as there is a reduction in geographical knowledge in these schools. Regarding teachers, they are experiencing a process of work overload, as they are required to teach several subjects in addition to Geography in order to meet the minimum workload, which leads to a process of professional de-characterization resulting from the flexibilization of the New Upper Secondary Education model (NEM).