Pedagogical foundations and structures of national curricula for basic education in Brazil and Italy: a comparative reading

Abstract

In this article, we present the results from the comparative reading of the Brazilian and Italian national curricula, focusing on the pedagogical foundations and structures of these regulations with regard to fundamental education, in Brazil, and its corresponding “Primo Ciclo d'Istruzione”, in Italy. In order to identify and understand the context of the curricular norms in question, we initially approach the differences between the national curriculum and the school curriculum. Starting from the relevant information for understanding the context of the analyzed documents, we present the school division in Brazil and Italy, the historical context of the regulations and, finally, the objectives and teaching-learning strategies present in the curricular regulations in general scope and in both countries. The results reveal that the curricular norms compared are partially convergent, notably regarding the proposition of competence development, student autonomy, the use of active methodologies and problem solving. The differences between them emerge as the specific and individual analysis of school subjects is taken.