Abstract:

In the study of the social sciences, spatial representations are a key concept for understanding and representing physical displacements, the understanding of the spatial networks of which we are a part; they are used to represent events that take place over geographical space, such as population mobility, migratory flows, world climates, social and economic development, to mention a few. This topic has been part of the Geography curriculum at the National Preparatory School of the UNAM, at least for the last 20 years. The problems regarding its understanding and comprehension are not new, especially the distinction between its features, the advantages, and disadvantages that each one offers, to recognize which one is the most adequate for the solution of a specific problem. To achieve the understanding of this topic by high school students, it was proposed to use active learning strategies, in particular, project-based learning (PBL), information seeking and collaborative work.

This paper describes a didactic sequence that involves the solution of a specific problem "in the event of an eruption by the Popocatepetl volcano, what type of spatial representation is most appropriate to point out the main population centers, risk areas and evacuation routes for the population of the villages of Tetela del Volcán and Ocuituco, both in the state of Morelos? For students to build a solution, they must know the properties of the spatial representations, compare them with each other, and finally, use the most appropriate one for the resolution of the proposed project.

Throughout the development of the proposed didactic sequence, different technological tools are used to support the realization of the activities. Kahoot is used to explore previous ideas on the subject; a WebQuest, published on Google Drive, is used to guide the research on the subject; the organization of the research is done with the support of Evernote; mobile devices and the Sketch app are used to build the solution. This didactic sequence was used with 9 group classes, 460 students in total.

The development of the proposed activities represented an excellent alternative for students to understand the subject of spatial representations. The chosen ICT helped the construction of the solution, and it was possible to obtain evidence of the expected learning of the students from the product they built, as well as the argumentation they make about their solution.

This work allowed us to show the role of active teaching strategies supported by ICT to achieve significant learning.

Keywords:

Project-based learning, spatial representations, geography, learning strategies.