“Ferrovia Japeri-Brasil, um trem para identidade”: um jogo para ensinar geografia e valorização do sujeito e seu lugar

Abstract

This dissertation for a Professional Master's Degree in Teaching Geography in a Network addresses a reflection on the importance of developing activities in geography classes that lead to success in the teaching-learning process amid issues of low self-esteem of students who live in a municipality known for poverty and violence. Therefore, in its title, we highlight that we present a game to teach geography and the appreciation of the subject and their place. In this research, we observe whether conditions of poverty and violence are elements that favor low self-esteem and how this implies in the lack of interest in learning and aggressiveness of students towards teachers. Thus, the general objective of the dissertation is to develop and analyze a teaching methodology for Brazilian regions, geography content for the 7th grade of Elementary School that presents success amid issues of low self-esteem, lack of interest and aggressiveness of students. In the methodological path of the research, we used interviews with teachers and students of the public education network of the municipality of Japeri-RJ, verifying issues of school violence and students' feelings towards Japeri and its symbolic spaces. We highlight the bibliographical research on the concept of place, identity, geography teaching and educational games where we use knowledge from renowned authors such as Ana Fani Carlos, Paulo Cesar da Costa Gomes, Rodrigo Capelle Suess, Yi-Fu Tuan Michael Young, Sônia Castelar, Lana Cavalcante, and other important researchers. We also address the history of the municipality of Japeri, located in the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro, and its political, economic and cultural peculiarities. The Ary Schiavo Municipal School is located in this municipality, where we developed the geography teaching methodology for the 7th grade of Elementary School, which includes: the educational game and a didactic sequence that preceded it. This didactic sequence includes activities such as the production of texts involving personal issues of the students, their relationship with the space they live in and painting symbolic places of the municipality highlighted in the interview. The game “Railway Japeri-Brazil” was developed by a class from the aforementioned school and includes the content of Brazilian Regions determined for the 7th grade of Elementary School according to the Annual Planning of the Japeri Department of Education. We present the positive results obtained with the application of the didactic sequence and the application of the game, such as increased self-esteem of students, better relationships between students and teachers, reduced aggression in the classroom, and better learning of the content of the 7th grade of Elementary School. We believe that the didactic sequence applied and the game “Railway Japeri-Brazil” can be reproduced in different cities in Brazil, to value local identity and to achieve success in teaching Brazilian Regions. Therefore, the model and method of production of these will be available in a digital book.