Old social science textbooks for elementary schools

the Ariosto Espinheira collection

Abstract

The text intends to contribute to the study of the history of textbooks, performing the analysis of a collection elaborated from a curricular program of Social Sciences, implemented in Rio de Janeiro in the 1930s, in a conjuncture of debates for reformulation of the principles of national education. The collection was authored by Ariosto Espinheira, based on the Programa de ciências sociais of 1934, proposed by the Department of Education of the Federal District, directed by Anísio Teixeira, and published by the Institute of Educational Research, under the direction of Carlos Delgado de Carvalho. By following the guidelines of the official program, arising from the intense pedagogical debates that included the contributions of north american authors, such as those of John Dewey, the analysis of the school makes it possible to evaluate how to approximate the educational ideas defended in the context, presenting texts and activities that instigated teachers and students to transform their teaching practices and approach the reality of their community. At the same time, the text seeks to pay attention to the characteristics of this didactic collection and the historical specificities of its editorial production.