CIEDS-RIEDI: Sensitive pedagogies to strengthen interculturality and sustainability in education

Under the motto Dialogue and diversity: Building an intercultural and sustainable world through education, the conference brought together education and research professionals, community leaders, non-governmental organizations and students from different parts of Chile and the world. The topics addressed included reflections on the challenges of the socio-ecological crisis and interculturality from pedagogical perspectives sensitive to biocultural contexts, promoting a connection between students with their territories and local realities.

During her keynote address at the conference, researcher, educator and activist Catherine Walsh raised a central question about the role of education in crisis contexts: “How and in what ways can we sow life in current times through situated practices?” Her reflection invited us to rethink education as a space to generate significant transformations, in connection with the social, cultural and environmental contexts of each territory.

Our learning area contributed to the meeting with a dialogue on transdisciplinary projects and workshops on artistic and ecological education as a methodological tool to work on current challenges. In this regard, our learning director , Manuela Méndez, who was part of the academic committee of the event, highlighted the importance of sharing transdisciplinary approaches in education. “Providing tools to build diverse educations is essential to generate possibilities that promote the care of life, facilitating dialogue and encounters between diversities,” she said.

In this instance, we organized the round table Art and ecology: Learning for resilience in the Active Teacher program , where five pairs from our learning program presented transdisciplinary educational projects that integrate art and ecology as pedagogical tools to strengthen the connection with the territories and community resilience. In addition, we held two workshops: Nature in my body , an exploration of body movement inspired by the manifestations of nature, which culminated in the creation of microsculptures; and Natural oracle: micro-stories about my territory , where participants developed a symbolic language based on observation and connection with their environment.

Education from the territory

The round table brought together five educators from La Araucanía, who presented initiatives focused on challenges such as the disconnection of children from the natural environment and biocultural knowledge, the need for support in school adaptation processes, conflict resolution in the classroom, efficient water management and the restoration of social ties in educational communities, among other topics. Participating in this round table were Dr. Johanna Lochner, from PFLANZET collaborating with the German School of Villarrica; Karla Leiva, from the Santa Cruz School of Villarrica; Gerela Lifche Lepin, from the Private School No. 92 of San Luis, Pucón; Valeska Duten, from the Pichares Elementary School; and Elisa Tironi, from the Bayos Foundation .

The importance of nurturing learning and teaching from an intercultural and sustainable perspective, as well as the need to create spaces dedicated to exploring and developing ideas within school planning, were some of the topics that emerged during the discussion table. The visual arts and indigenous language educator, Gerela Lifche Lepin, who presented a project that connects students with the natural environment through sensory exploration, emphasized the value of the territory and its inhabitants as a source of learning: “We work with the territorial space as a third educator, learning directly from the place we inhabit. Thus, we have managed to establish a link with families, incorporating this space as an essential component in the students’ learning process,” she said.

For her part, the natural sciences teacher, Karla Leiva, reflected on the need to generate spaces for innovation in the educational field and highlighted the experience lived in the Active Teacher 2024 program. When presenting her educational project on conflict resolution in the classroom, she commented: “Having a specific space for innovation was valuable, since in the school routine the opportunities to create and generate new ideas are scarce. This poses the challenge of integrating transdisciplinary learning, often perceived as alien to our area.”

Body exploration to connect with nature

At the meeting, we held two workshops of the Sala Libre project , an initiative that encourages curiosity and wonder through sensory, listening and drawing exercises to explore the territory we inhabit. The workshops were guided by Fiorella Angelini, mediation coordinator, and Amparo Irarrázaval, strategic learning manager at our foundation.

The workshop, Nature in my body , invited participants to experience how body movement can reflect various manifestations in nature. Through a guided experience, participants explored the link between physical movement and natural processes.As a culmination of the activity, participants created micro sculptures to represent their explorations. According to Fiorella Angelini, this activity “sought to promote ecological sensitivity, and collective reflection on how art and movement help us connect with nature in a deep and meaningful way.”

The workshop, Natural Oracle: Micro-stories about my territory , offered a playful and symbolic approach to explore the relationship with the territory through writing. For the workshop assistant, Alejandra Meneses, the activity allowed her to “connect with the meaning of inhabiting a territory and strengthen my relationship with the beings that inhabit this place like the lake or the volcano . ” Using 13 pieces of wood, which acted as an “oracle,” participants wrote micro-stories inspired by their environment, reflecting on their territorial identity. The activity underlined the connection between biodiversity and languages, highlighting how sounds and observations of the landscape influence our culture and identity [1] .

This meeting highlighted the importance of promoting educational practices that are sensitive to contexts, which allow those who work in education, together with students, to understand current challenges through their bodies and experiences, and to develop concrete proposals aimed at caring for life.