O uso de mapas mentais como recurso didático no ensino de cartografia para alunos do 6º ano nas escolas municipais Júlio Lopes Lima e Professora Ana Vitória de Carvalho Santos na cidade de Teresina, Piauí

Abstract

The subject of this study focuses on the use of mind maps as a teaching resource in cartography for sixth-grade students at the Júlio Lopes Lima and Professora Ana Vitória de Carvalho Santos municipal schools in the city of Teresina, Piauí. The overall objective of this research was to analyze the use of mind maps as a teaching resource in cartography. The specific objectives were to verify geography teachers' understanding of the use of mind maps in the schools surveyed, to understand the importance of using mind maps for 6th grade students in the schools surveyed, and to evaluate students' performance in using mind maps. The methodology used involved a literature review of various authors in the field of geography and education, with emphasis on authors such as Ritcher (2011), Boligian and Doin (2011), and Oliveira (2011). In addition, there was practical application of activities in the schools surveyed, with the implementation of an expository and dialogued class, followed by the elaboration of mind maps representing the route from home to school by the students. Questionnaires were applied to assess performance and collect data on the understanding of students and teachers. The results showed that mind maps contribute to the development of spatial reasoning and understanding of the basic elements of cartography, such as title, legend, scale, orientation, and source, which is a skill included in the Teresina curriculum, related to the BNCC competency in geography, which is to develop spatial thinking, using cartographic and iconographic languages. It was also observed that the use of this resource arouses students' interest and promotes more meaningful learning by relating geographical content to their everyday experiences. It is concluded that the use of mind maps is an effective teaching strategy for teaching and learning cartography, as it constitutes an active methodology in the teaching of cartography, favoring the construction of geographical knowledge in a critical, participatory, and contextualized way.