THE CONSTRUCTION OF LANDSCAPE IN GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION. A READING FROM PORTUGAL

Abstract

: The landscape has a great tradition in the French Regional School, in which Portuguese Geography has a strong affiliation. The influence of Orlando Ribeiro, a well-known representative of this school, in primary and secondary education, was felt especially after the 1974 Revolution. For students starting in the discipline of geography, this has been defined, over generations, as the “science of landscape”. In the 2001 programmes, the intention is to deepen the meaning of landscape, valuing it as a heritage and social value. This discourse is not, however, transposed to textbooks, nor is it continued in subsequent reforms.The school trajectory of landscape in geographic education in Portugal demonstrates how it is closely intertwined in the educational discourse, but also how this approach is simplistic and reductive. There is, therefore, an important didactic challenge: the landscape can be a central element in the renewal of a Geography of observation, interpretation and reflection on the territory.