The role of problems in the elaboration of school contents on Geography. Considerations from the Educative Reform in Argentina

Abstract

The need to organize school contents around specific problems is increasingly invoked in Geography. Problems are considered a useful tool to give relevance to contents and therefore reassure its innovative character. This is particularly evident in Argentine since the Educational Reform of 1994, at least in what concerns curriculums design and other associated materials of the subnational educative jurisdictions. What’s sense is given to the concept «problem» in these texts and which are the consequences of the uses of these meanings? From a more propositive view, what do imply the constructions of schools contents in Geography around problems? First, we will distinguish and analyse some of the main meanings of the concept «problem » that are presented in the selection and/or elaboration of school contents, either as a reference of a social conflict, as a learning strategy or as a theoretical and conceptual organization of a subject. Second, we analyse the potential uses of the third meaning in the construction of school contents and we present some tools that help to make these uses operative.