Community didactic strategies and ancestral knowledge in early education: a decolonial and transformative approach

Abstract

The objective of this research was to identify and systematize community didactic strategies based on ancestral knowledge at the initial education level, from a decolonial approach. The study was developed under a qualitative methodology, with a participatory action research design, at the Corazón de Jesús Educational Unit, in the city of La Paz, Bolivia, with the participation of children from 4 to 5 years old, teachers, families and community wise men. For the collection of information, techniques such as participant observation, in-depth interviews and focus groups were used, which allowed understanding the pedagogical dynamics from a contextualized perspective. The results show that the incorporation of strategies such as Play Seeds, Accompanying Voices, School Gardens and Medicinal Plants favors the integral development of children, strengthening cultural identity, active participation and community ties. Likewise, a high acceptance by families was identified, although tensions associated with traditional educational models also emerged. It is concluded that the integration of ancestral knowledge in early education constitutes a pertinent and transformative pedagogical alternative, which allows the educational process to be resignified from the territory, memory and community, contributing to the construction of a more inclusive, contextualized and decolonial education.