Learning Amid Drought: Socio-Educational Responses to Environmental Crisis in Rural Chilean Schools

• In Event: Place-based and participatory learning

Abstract

Over the past two decades, Chile has been severely affected by climate change, particularly by a prolonged drought in central inland valleys. This study explores the socio-educational responses of rural schools facing socio-environmental crises in Petorca Province. Using in-depth sedentary and walking interviews, territorial mapping with students, and photo-intervention techniques, the research examines how students and teachers understand and respond to environmental degradation. Findings reveal that educational responses extend beyond formal environmental curricula, rooted in lived experiences and local territorial contexts. Pedagogical actions emerge that are deeply intertwined with community engagement, highlighting how rural schools become sites of critical environmental learning and resistance. These responses reshape educational practice through place-based, participatory approaches that challenge traditional curricular boundaries.

Author

• Juan de Dios Oyarzun, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso