Environmental education and socio-historical representations of the environment: the view of children from watershed areas

Abstract

The research was applied in two hydrographic basin areas in Joinville (SC / Brazil): Pirabeiraba community - in the Rio do Braço Hydrographic Sub-Basin; and Vila Nova community, in the Piraí River Basin. The definition by the localities was because they are similar regions in colonization (German and Italian), economic exploitation, development and growth. Characterized as rural communities, lately they have been showing intense population and industrial growth that drives the economy and consequently generates impacts on the environment. The objective was to involve children from the six elementary schools in these locations in order to make them active in dealing with the environment with regard to Environmental Education actions, considering their social representations regarding the concepts of historical, cultural and environmental heritage. The study was based on Environmental History, with Environmental Education actions and research carried out in the three schools in each location. To the children, the same questionnaire was applied at the beginning of the research actions and at the end, for a comparative analysis as to the understanding of the issues worked in the Environmental Education actions carried out and that dealt with socio-historical and environmental references of the studied areas. The manifestations of the knowledge acquired by the children show the positive results of the research.