Representações sobre a imagem na aprendizagem geográfica

IMAGE REPRESENTATION IN GEOGRAPHICAL LEARNING. The word «image» can convey countless different meanings. Of the «author-work-audience»trilogy, the study of the two former has traditionally been the object of the greatest attention, and only recently has the focus started to shift to the reception of the visual messages as well. Every message is liable to being interpreted in a variety of different ways, but this polysemic characteristic is especially important in the case of images. Every image is an analogy, a representation, of reality – one so «natural» that reality and its representation are often mistaken for one another. In order to avoid this erroneous superposition, it is necessary to move beyond recognition and into interpretation. Several factors are involved in the latter: some easily discernible, others considerably more obscure. These include the habit of looking at images, the associations evoked by the elements present in the image, the expectations of the recipient, the degree of resistance to analysis and the presence/absence of additional comments. In conclusion, an account is rendered of carrying out an analysis of two cartoons with a strong geographical content with 9th and 11th grade students. Thisis used to draw a number of conclusions and suggest ideas for urther research