Pedagogical Tourism

Pedagogical Tourism is a kind of tourism relatively new in Brazil, when compared to the other traditional types of tourism.  Its basic concerns are centered in the best way of conducting educative activities, in a way of reaching pedagogical goals, using the touristic experience. Pedagogical Tourism has appeared as a possibility of making the knowledge pertinent, inside a real context.  The trip is the element that motivates and gives charm to the education. In Pedagogical Tourism, the different knowledges and realities are articulated as necessities of recognizing and knowing the problems of the world, in an environment of amusement and pleasure.

This is one of the activities that most harmonizes the concept of sustainable tourism, since that its motivation is purely educational, and the educational activity is practiced on its three dimensions:  concepts, procedures and attitudes.  Other thing is that knowing the localities of their own region or country, the student/tourist starts to develop a feeling of worth and conservation of the social, cultural and environmental patrimonies of the communities, which makes possible the development of the sustainable tourism. Pedagogical Tourism also shows the great advantage of promoting the expansion toward the interior and the diversification of tourism offers in the State.

In the State of Rio Grande do Norte there are two boroughs that are pioneers in this kind of tourism, showing possibilities of pedagogical exploration and interdisciplinary pedagogical projects, very rich and different:

• The Environmental Question – The Athmospheric Polution. Environmental problems in coastal boroughs that are in expansion.  The ecological problems of the borough.  The degradation of natural resources decuring of the touristic occupation.

Pedagogical Project:  Field Trip to the Aquatic World – The students will meet the environmental problems that exist in the coast of Parnamirim, in the Pium’s and Pirangi’s Rivers and its consequences to the biodiversity and to the life quality of the people who live around it.  They will reflect about the possible actions and solutions to solve the problems of the Rivers.  They will also meet the richness of the marshlands and the coral reefs of Pirangi.  The course to the corals will be made by boat ride of the Marina Badauê company.

Information: marcelotour@uol.com.br

• Ways of Transportation – Historical evolution of the ways of transportation; Air Transports: Kinds of aircrafts that are used; features of the airports; main airports and companies in the world.  Differences between civil and commercial flights. The workers and their activities.  Road Transports:  Classes and organization of the road transport companies; bus: rules and uses. Railway Transports:  Features and kinds of trains.  Water Transports:  characteristics of the water transports; Types of ships; cruises.

Pedagogical Project:  Knowing the Transports – Starting from the Railway Station of Natal, located in Ribeira neighborhood, the students will leave to Parnamirim, headquarter of the borough.  On this course, the students will notice how some people live along the Railroad, as will also learn the train operation system and its social-economic importance in certain times of history.  When they get to Parnamirim they will go to the International Airport Augusto Severo where they will have the opportunity of meeting a commercial airplane and the functioning of an airport.  At the airplane visit, they will receive explanations about the physical, biological, chemical, geographical aspects and more, related with the procedures made during the flights.  Continuing the trip to the beach of Pirangi in a bus, the students will have access to information about the Road transports, its rules and uses.  When they stop in Pirangi, many ludic activities will be developed to make the educative action more pleaseful.  The motivation activities will continue on the course until the Corals of Pirangi.  There the students will know the formation of the coral reefs and a part of the marine ecosystem.  Back to the land, they will enjoy some Physical experiments in a Junk Iron Workshop.

• Economical Activity and Geographic Space – Economic Structure and its characteristics: Salt factories, oil extraction, shrimp farms, harvesting of shellfish and seafood, fishing and tourism. The productive processes and the work relations.  Organization and transformations of the geographic space.  How society faces the technological advances:  The equipament used.

 Pedagogical Projects:  Oil Route – Fossils trajectory, marshlands, Pathway of Salt, Fishermen’s life and shrimp cradles.  These projects demand a trip plan of two or more days, where the students will know all the economic activities of the borough and its productive processes, through the different pedagogical projects.  In this trajectory, the educative action will be given in a planned environment so the students will be able to have educational experiences out of the school routine.

Information: http://www.macau.com.br

• The local community – The local base of:  fishing, harvesting of shellfish and seafood, and tourism.  Multicultural aspects of the borough, tipical gastronomy, the urban development and the social relations in the local politic-economic process.

Pedagogic Process: Fishermen’s Village – The students will make a pedagogical excursion in two stages:  The first by boat – starting from the Conceição River marging the mangues, where they will observe the biodiversity of this kind of ecosystem, the economic and social aspects of the lifes of the populations that are benefited by the harvesting of shellfish and seafood.  In this Route, it will have a stop to provide the students an inner contact with the marshlands, its natural richness and the necessity and importance of its preservation.  In the second stage, the students will meet the Ecological Reserve of Diogo Lopes and the Fishermen’s Colony, as well as the way of living of the fishermen, the industrialization process of fish, the cultural manifestations of the natives, the kinds of fish that are most caught and sold.  This project will offer the students a unique and unforgettable experience about environmental questions and the millenary art of fishing.