Place-Based Education and Heritage Education in in-service teacher training: research on teaching practices in secondary schools in Galicia (NW Spain)

Abstract

This paper analyses what occurs when in-service secondary teachers face a new subject, Landscape and Sustainability. Recently implemented in Galicia (NW Spain), this subject has no strong curricular constrictions. It is opened to diverse contents that can be integrated into Social Sciences. It promotes an environmental, social and critical consciousness. The hypothesis was that teachers may present deficiencies when approaching a subject which, due to its characteristics, requires training extending beyond disciplinary knowledge, thus impeding better performance and a greater degree of learning among pupils. The study was organised in three axes: (a) observation of the teaching and learning process in schools (n = 3); (b) teacher’s conceptions (n = 38) on the subject, its context and their pupils’ learning; and (c) pupils’ reflections (n = 70) derived from their learning process. The objectives were: (1) to elaborate a theoretical substantiation for the subject and, in accordance with it, making a critical analysis of the practices observed; (2) to analyse how teachers conceive the subject; and (3) to analyse the pupils’ reflections regarding the experience and to what extent they acquire social, civic and/or academic skills. The methodology was qualitative, using in the data analysis a quantitative perspective too. The instruments used were the participant observation, interviews, a closed questionnaire and a semi-opened questionnaire. The results are presented in a descriptive-interpretative way, but also quantitative. It can be advanced that teachers designed the subject in line with Place-Based Education and Heritage Education, but the lack of specific training in those theories ends up blurring their holistic approach in the nearby places. Teachers show similar conceptions about the subject and its teaching process. And the majority of students value positively the methodology used in the initiatives and acquire a socio-critical consciousness.

Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions on the Use of Heritage in Secondary Education and Their Reception of Educational Materials from the Heritage and Museum Sector: A Case Study in Flanders (Belgium)

“…Relying on a conception of heritage that combines past, present, and future perspectives [28], the general aim was to introduce teaching methods regarding heritage education in a holistic and interdisciplinary way. This ambition has led to a considerable increase in scientific output on the use of heritage from the perspective of different subjects taught, both in primary and secondary education [29][30][31][32]. In general, these studies mainly indicate that active teachers find it hard to incorporate heritage into their practice.…”

As cavernas como tema interdisciplinar na formação de professores da educação básica no Vale do Ribeira

“…No contexto educacional, a conexão das comunidades com o lugar não poderia ter espaço melhor para ser promovida do que as escolas localizadas próximo às áreas de relevante patrimônio espeleológico. Abordar tais questões de maneira interdisciplinar, atrelada ao contexto local, dá ainda mais significado e engajamento tanto para quem aprende e, portanto, melhor entende o seu papel no ambiente, quanto para quem ensina (Compiani, 2015;Semken et al, 2017;Riveiro-Rodríguez et al, 2021).…”