We Propose! as a possibility for civic education through the development of spatial thinking

Abstract

The article aims to systematize the implementation of the We Propose! Project as an initiative for the development of spatial thinking and the strengthening of geographic education, articulated with the resolution of everyday problems, as a strategy to enhance civic education among pre-service teachers in the Social Sciences Teaching Program at the University of Tolima. The experience promoted geo-inquiry processes oriented toward the critical understanding of concrete territorial issues.

Methodologically, the project was carried out over one academic year with fifth and sixth-semester students within the courses Geography Didactics I and II. In the first phase, problematization activities and the strengthening of spatial thinking were addressed through three dimensions: concepts, representations, and spatial relationships. In the second phase, urban field visits and fieldwork activities were conducted to connect theory and practice, culminating in the design and collective presentation of contextualized teaching proposals. Among the main results, the strengthening of skills in observation, description, analysis, and spatial explanation was evident, as well as greater territorial awareness and the ability to formulate viable pedagogical proposals. Furthermore, it was found that solving everyday spatial problems fosters the development of critical civic competencies. The article presents two significant experiences developed by the pre-service teachers.