The teacher members of the PAR Explora Coquimbo IIE program also received a wetland kit from the product “A trip to the coastal wetland.”

If in March some students tell you when they return home that a teacher did magic in biology, physics or chemistry class, they will not be lying. No, we are not talking about Hogwarts students, we are talking about boys, girls and adolescents who study in our region and who will be amazed by one of the initiatives that PAR Explora Coquimbo will carry out this year.

The teachers who are part of the teams of the School Research and Innovation (IIE) program were given two of the initiatives that the PAR Explora Coquimbo of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation and that is executed by the CAZALAC Water Center, has been working since 2023 and has to do with the delivery of the CTCI Briefcase: The magic of colors and the IIE Program: Wetlands kit of the product “A trip to the coastal wetland”.

In this way, in Amphitheater 1 of the Department of Chemistry, located on the Andrés Bello Campus of the University of La Serena (ULS), the Explora Products Workshop was held to strengthen competencies in Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation (CTCI). ).

The activity included authorities from the ULS, Héctor Cuevas, Vice Chancellor of Research and Postgraduate Studies; Luis Palma, Dean of the Faculty of Sciences; Iván Fernández, Director of the Chemistry Department; Jaime Pozo, Honorary Consul of Poland in La Serena, as well as Gabriel Mancilla, executive director of the Water Center for Arid and Semi-arid Zones of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAZALAC), Alejandra Gallegos, Director of PAR Explora Coquimbo, among others, in addition of nearly 30 teachers from different educational establishments in the region.

José Miguel Valenzuela, Training Route Coordinator of PAR Explora Coquimbo indicated that with the delivery of these two products “we developed one of the most important milestones in the promotion of skills in CTCI and the development of science in educational establishments,” in In detail, he specified that what was given to the teachers "consists of the La Magia de Los Colores Briefcase, which is a true laboratory in which the teachers and students will be able to develop experiences that have to do with chemistry, where they will be able to create a kind of game that allows them to expand their knowledge. We believe that it is a very significant tool to bring students closer to the knowledge of chemistry and how the world works. This briefcase can mean a new look, a significant tool to achieve a methodological change in the teaching of chemistry and science in the educational establishments that are part of the PAR Explora Coquimbo”

On the other hand, the Wetland Kit of the product “A trip to the coastal wetland” was also delivered, which according to Valenzuela “is an important tool that allows us to provide a series of necessary elements so that students can do science in the field to "That they become true researchers and can go out into nature and discover in it all those components that make it a perfect and wonderful element." From that perspective, the Training Route Coordinator of PAR Explora Coquimbo stressed that “we believe that providing these elements and opening the classroom to the world are two fundamental strategies to expand the zone of proximal development and allow students new experiences of learning. “We are making a direct contribution to the improvement of learning in educational establishments in the region.”

For his part, Professor Yanko Moreno, professor at the ULS Department of Chemistry and one of the creators of the magic of colors briefcase, indicated that “we are very happy that this has become a reality. The briefcase is a desire that I have had for many years and only through the University of La Serena and the PAR Explora Coquimbo was I able to achieve it. And I am doubly happy for the acceptance it had by the teachers in the region, because teachers came from many places, it was a total success. We hope that this is a positive qualitative leap and that it makes a difference, to continue getting closer to our students. May this help boost enthusiasm for science in general, not just chemistry.”

Meanwhile, Héctor Cuevas, Vice Chancellor of Research and Postgraduate Studies at the University of La Serena, who was invited to the workshop, stressed that “all the PAR Explora Coquimbo projects are very important for the university, since we contribute knowledge and join forces. We also thank CAZALAC with whom we are also collaborating. I hope we can have many more instances where we work collaboratively, bringing more knowledge to our region and above all to the colleges and schools that need it most.”

Words from the “New Wizards of Science”

There were more than 30 teachers who came to the facilities of the University of La Serena to receive these products and be part of the workshop offered by the PAR Explora Coquimbo. One of its protagonists was Danilo Gómez, biology teacher at the Cordillera de La Serena School, who noted that “I found the activity very interesting, I consider myself lucky to have been invited. I think all the material that they have given us and that we can use to improve the learning of our students is wonderful.”

For her part, Jessica Díaz, professor of chemistry and natural sciences at the San Martín de Porres School in La Serena, indicated that “I think the delivery of the material is excellent, especially in the pedagogical part and the administrative tools, such as planning and development of activities that are geared toward what we need. I congratulate PAR Explora Coquimbo because the initiative they have carried out this year is very good, it is perfect for us to work on, understanding the reality that we have some establishments, that we do not have the necessary means and Explora gives us the tools to be able to carry out activities which are excellent for children to learn.”

In the same sense, Marisol Wilson, a teacher at the Colegio Bernardo O'Higgins Educational Corporation in Coquimbo, mentioned that “I thought it was a pretty good activity. In all the years that I have been at Explora, this is the first time that they have given us such a complete kit and pedagogical tools so that we can work in the classroom, I found it spectacular.”

Finally, Cristian Marín, science teacher at the San Sebastián Hospital Classrooms, emphasized that “these instances of connecting again with colleagues are appreciated, even on these dates when one may be a little more relaxed. I am happy, because it is seen that the material is of a very good level, with chemical reagents and experiences. Regarding the book, as a teacher, I greatly appreciate that this pedagogical resource is presented with the planning of the incorporated activities.”

Written by Carlos Martin, Par Explora and Patricia Castro, DirCom