Presentation

3rd Conference – TIME AND SPACE IN HISTORY
AND SOCIAL SCIENCES EDUCATION
Universidade do Minho, Braga, Portugal // 7 – 9 September, 2016

The aim of the 3rd IRAHSSE Conference is to reflect on the epistemological dimension of the concepts of time and space in history and social sciences education. Particular attention will be given to periodization and cartography and to their use in the teaching of history, geography, economy and education in citizenship. The Conference invites participants to focus their thinking in particular on the following issues:
1. Emerging Challenges – This initial theme opens an epistemological discussion on the construction of disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge and on their importance in understanding the concepts of time and space.
2. Places and experiences of space and time – Between theoretical discussions and educational experiences, this is to examine how practices can focus on places like spaces defined by time and regarded as a source of learning involving schoolchildren, community groups, private or public institutions … Artistic Heritage, historical centers, social and cultural spaces, morphological dynamics of landscapes, presence and use of new technologies … are all possible anchors of this approach.
3. Official texts and educational policies – The impact of official texts (laws on education, school programs, teacher training programs …) on the teaching of history, geography and other social sciences, particularly regarding the place or relevance given to time and space in the conceptualization of disciplinary knowledge.
4. Time and space in textbooks – To initiate expert teaching practice, we must provide a critical analysis of how textbooks make use of the concepts of time and space: basic text, other forms of narrative, graphs, maps, diagrams, diverse iconographic representations, tasks … should be examined in terms of discursive strategies, relevance of information conveyed by teaching tools and of cognitive processes generated by them.
5. Empirical studies on the space-time in the school context – Such studies may include: a) teaching and learning projects developed on individuals or group level; b) teaching and learning process centered on the analysis of teacher interactions – students.

On behalf of the IRAHSSE Board:
Pierre-Philippe Bugnard, Luigi Cajani, Maria do Céu de Melo