Teachers in La Araucanía promote educational projects linking art, science, and nature to address socioecological issues

Fostering resilience in educational settings through transdisciplinary learning and sensory experiences in nature has been the central focus of various projects implemented in the municipalities of Curarrehue, Pucón, and Villarrica in Chile’s La Araucanía region. These efforts were part of the Docente Activo 2024 program by Fundación Mar Adentro (FMA), which brought together nine pairs of educators to develop strategies addressing specific challenges in their school contexts, ranging from enhancing socio-emotional skills to tackling environmental issues in their communities.

Since 2012, the Docente Activo program has invited educators to participate in a collective learning experience in nature, aimed at promoting socioecological, artistic, and biocultural connections. This year, under the theme of resilience, participants engaged in artistic, scientific, and sensory activities to gain new tools for integrating art and ecology into their teaching practices. Manuela Méndez, FMA’s Director of Learning, emphasized that “processes of observation in nature, in dialogue with a socioecological perspective, offer tools and creativity that enrich our educational practices.”

Using ecological metaphors that highlight collective learning, self-organization, and adaptation after crises, educators developed initiatives focused on challenges such as children’s disconnection from their natural surroundings and biocultural knowledge, the need for support in school adaptation processes, classroom conflict resolution, efficient water management, and restoring social relationships in educational communities, among other topics.

Sensitive Pedagogies for Regeneration

Through methodologies based on play, active listening, and sensory experiences, socio-emotional skills such as conflict resolution and self-care were strengthened, benefiting students, teachers, and families alike. Additionally, educational actions with a territorial focus were established to highlight and integrate local knowledge while reconnecting children and youth with the natural environment.

An example is the Puelche Project: Using Conflict as a Seed, carried out at Colegio Santa Cruz in Villarrica by Karla Leiva (Natural Sciences) and Alberto Cofré (Visual Arts). Faced with communication issues among students, often leading to conflicts and acts of school violence, they implemented activities aimed at fostering communication skills, emotional development, and empathy. Cofré explained that these issues had been exacerbated by the impact of social media and the pandemic, a situation reflected in the latest National Youth Survey, where 46% of young people aged 15–19 reported experiencing violence in their schools.

The plan included activities based on aesthetic and sensory experiences to encourage active listening, observation, and effective communication. For example, students participated in exercises where some had to follow instructions to prepare food while blindfolded, and others created personal narratives inspired by images. The only rule was not to interrupt while someone else was speaking. “This exercise had a significant impact: students discovered unknown aspects of their peers and learned to value the act of listening,” Cofré noted.

These experiences also highlighted the importance of providing safe spaces for personal expression. “When young people cannot find a safe place to express themselves, repressed emotions may manifest as conflicts or violence,” Cofré said. He reflected on the importance of dedicating time to addressing the socio-emotional needs of children and youth, stating, “Even a few minutes at the start of a class to attend to their needs can make a significant difference.”

Well-Being and Relationships in the Educational Community

The relationships among members of the educational community—students, teachers, administrators, and families—form a fundamental pillar of classroom teaching. On one hand, teaching involves numerous challenges, including fostering workplace well-being in schools. On the other hand, families and guardians must actively engage in their children’s learning processes.

At the Ruka Ngen Educational Complex in Curarrehue, professionals faced significant challenges after the pandemic, particularly related to stress and a lack of motivation. To address this, educators Valentina Campos (Special Education) and Doris Quintuman (Intercultural Elementary Education) developed the pedagogical plan The Awakening of Ngen: Adapting the Educational Community After the Socioecological Crisis as part of Docente Activo.

Through artistic and sensory activities, teachers reflected on personal and collective resilience, as well as the value of self-care, collaboration, and the exchange of perspectives within the educational community. Campos noted that the aim was to help educators understand that transmitting well-being to students requires cultivating their own well-being. “Like nature, we need to go through cycles: breaking, renewing, and flourishing while remaining aware of each stage,” she reflected.

In rural schools, challenges are unique. Special education teacher Natalia Salazar explained that in these areas, adults face barriers such as illiteracy, alcoholism, and low self-esteem, which not only affect them but also hinder children’s emotional development. “If a child is not emotionally connected to themselves, they cannot learn effectively,” she said.

Together with her colleague Braulio Muñoz, Salazar designed a project at Escuela Particular No. 200 Panque in Curarrehue, focused on strengthening connections between youth and their families through artistic methodologies and socio-ecological education. Playful and reflective activities were used to strengthen emotional bonds between parents and children, fostering an environment of respect, trust, and collaboration.

Reconnecting with the Territory

Promoting care, respect, and defense of environmental values from an ecological and intercultural perspective was the focus of Chöyun: Restoring the Trancura River, led by Gerela Lifche Lepin (Visual Arts and Indigenous Language) and Helga Krause (Science, Language, and Mathematics) from Escuela San Luis in Curarrehue. Through workshops on science, agroecology, art, and Mapudungun, participants learned to recognize the natural environment and its biodiversity. They also identified and collected pollutants from the Trancura River and created maps to differentiate contaminants with a focus on recycling.

By sharing stories about the territory with their parents, children and youth connected with the memories and ancestral knowledge of their families, becoming more aware of environmental changes over time. Lifche emphasized that involving parents in the learning process strengthened the bond between students and their homes. “By valuing this knowledge, participants understood the richness of local wisdom and how it intersects with their education, creating an intercultural experience and a strong sense of belonging and gratitude towards their community,” she concluded.

Docente Activo 2025 Call for Applications

The Docente Activo program by Fundación Mar Adentro (FMA) provides training and support for teachers and educators, offering co-learning experiences to foster ecological connections and care for ecosystems through artistic experimentation. Program coordinator Amparo Irarrázaval explained that the program aims to share meaningful experiences and provide tools for implementing educational methodologies that “foster active hope in the face of the socioecological crisis, promoting the development of change agents committed to ecological, social, and educational sustainability.”

The 2025 call for applications will invite educators from the municipalities of Villarrica, Pucón, Curarrehue, Pitrufquén, and Freire to participate in a nature-based learning experience. The application process will run from February 24 to March 24, 2025. Full details will be announced soon on Fundación Mar Adentro’s website.