Ensino de história na educação básica: uma experiência na formação de professores com WebQuest sobre a formação do sertão maranhense

Abstract

Amidst cyberculture, where knowledge is no longer confined to school spaces and information circulates rapidly in digital environments, History teachers are urged to rethink their pedagogical practices in the classroom. However, the lack or scarcity of training opportunities that address the demands of this educational scenario hinders the process of re-signifying teaching praxis, highlighting the urgency of proposing alternatives for teacher education that integrate methodologies, digital technologies, History, and its teaching. In this context, the study was guided by the following question: Can the WebQuest methodology, when used as a formative strategy, enable History teachers from the Regional Education Unit of São João dos Patos–MA to establish new teaching-learning relationships concerning historical knowledge about the formation of the southern Maranhão backlands? Based on this question and the demands observed in the school environment, the central objective of the research was to assess the potential of using the WebQuest methodology in teacher education for teaching and producing historical knowledge about the formation of the sertão maranhense. Theoretically, the study articulates discussions involving History teaching, the WebQuest methodology, and the production of historical knowledge in the digital age. Methodologically, the research is characterized as a single and educational case study, descriptive in nature and with a qualitative approach. Participants were History teachers linked to the Regional Education Unit (URE) of São João dos Patos–MA. Data collection involved the use of questionnaires, document analysis, on-site observations, a field diary, and interviews with the teachers. As a result, the study found that when systematized and structured within a purposeful plan aimed at teacher education, the WebQuest methodology can promote a re-signification of History teachers’ praxis in the classroom, open pathways for establishing new teaching-learning relationships with historical content—specifically the history and formation of the southern Maranhão backlands—and point toward a new horizon of expectations that aligns with current educational demands. Furthermore, as a concrete outcome of the research, an educational product was developed: the digital teaching guide Pensar.com a História, aimed at History teachers interested in applying the WebQuest methodology in their classrooms.