O livro didático de história: um caleidoscópio de escolhas e usos no cotidiano escolar (Ceará, 2007 2009)

In the first decade of the XXI century, it is possible to assert that school textbook is part of the material culture of most public Brazilian schools by means of National School Textbook Program (PNLD). This research aimed at identifying and analyzing textbooks choice in Ceara, relating it to the uses of such tool within school daily life. The setting for the study was four public schools, two of them placed in Fortaleza, and the other in Quixada. It evaluated the uses of textbooks in the 6th grade. As part of methodology, public managers were interviewed, teachers answered surveys, and a direct observation during History classes in 2008 school year was carried out. The observation was over after round chats with students in the class, in which each one designed draws and sentences concerning to the textbook. Furthermore, the study was based on MEC official documents that regulate the textbook choice process with National textbook Program announcement (PNDL/2008) and PNDL/2008 Textbook Guide, in addition to History textbooks schools used. Roger Chartier‟s concept of appropriation was an analysis category, as well as Michael de Certeau s strategy and tatics‟, and Dominique Julia‟s concept of school culture . The study recognizes textbook in the perspective of Alain Choppin and Egil Borre Johnsen, since it is a complex cultural object. For this reason, the study designs an analogy with a kaleidoscope that sends different images depending on who uses it, within a set of colorful lines, since textbook comprehends nowadays different sources and languages, as it offers countless possibilities of use in teaching History. The study concludes that only the main text of each chapter is really worked in daily class practice. Therefore, although theoretical and graphic changes in textbook production, the textbook is underused, which is central to a later rethought of teachers instruction, since, depending on the conception of teaching and learning, textbook potentialities will be used to improve the development of knowledge in History.