Historical time and chronology: the known versus the taught by elementary school teachers

Abstract

By expressing the pluralism f the historical time and the social-cultural context of its construction, and by seeing chronology as representative of its own time and space, this study tried to recognize in the discourse and pedagogical actions of four (4) fourth grade Elementary School teachers, their assumptions about the recent changes in historiography, specifically in regards to chronology. The alternatives used by the teachers to meet the needs of their students due to their heterogeneity were analyzed, taking into consideration the impact of their education on these options/alternatives and justifications for the teaching of History. Using as reference the theoretical assumptions from the “Les Annales” movement, the research used two semi-directive interviews, observation of school facilities, the lessons plus the collection and analysis of the textbooks and students notebooks, school curriculum, and programs from University History Course disciplines. Listed among the theoretical references used in this study are the following authors: Piaget, Vygotsky, M. Bloch, L. Febvre, Furet, Certeau, Le Goff, Nora, Rüsen and Kosseleck.