A formação de professores nos cursos do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (1961-1972)

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate the influence of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) on the training of Geography teachers in the 1960s and 1970s, based on the training offered by the institute's enhancement courses. The selected courses include the Vacation Courses for High School Geography Teachers Improvement, the Geographic Information Courses for High School Teachers and the Geography Courses for Higher Education Professors. The selection was made based on the relevance of the IBGE as a producer of scientific knowledge for Brazilian Geography and its importance in terms of elaborating materials for the recognition and dissemination of information about the national territory. The objective seeks to answer the central question of the research: were the vacation courses an instrument of the IBGE to influence the training of teachers and, consequently, the teaching of Geography in Brazil? To meet the general objective, three specific objectives were established: to identify activities and productions of the IBGE that contributed to Geography teaching and, more broadly, to Brazilian education; to describe the content, methodologies, and general aspects involved in the enhancement courses; and to understand the individuals who participated in the construction of the courses, both teachers and students. The delimited time frame comprises the years 1961 to 1972. This delimitation is justified because, during this period, the IBGE fully assumed responsibility for promoting the courses. The methodological procedures involved the investigation and reading of historical documents, including course handouts, editions of the Brazilian Journal of Geography, the Brazilian Journal of Statistics, the Geographic Bulletin, and the Carioca Geographic Bulletin. Photographs and interviews were consulted in the IBGE archives, the GEOBRASIL Research Group, in periodicals such as Geo UERJ and GEOSUL magazines, and in academic productions such as theses and dissertations. The study is organized into three chapters: the first is dedicated to relating the IBGE to the educational context and teacher training; the second presents the enhancement courses; finally, the third discusses the curriculum organization of each course and the teachers involved in the activities. It is concluded that the IBGE influenced teacher training through enhancement courses, as they reached a considerable number of teachers from different Brazilian cities. The courses brought together prominent geographers in their teaching staff and offered activities such as fieldwork, visits, conferences, as well as scholarships. Thus, through these activities, the institute expanded its influence on the Geography taught in schools, since teachers would apply the knowledge gained in the courses in their classes.