Interdisciplinarity and Research on Local Issues in Schools: Policies and Experiences from Colombia

Abstract

This article examines education policy on curricular integration and interdisciplinary practices in primary and secondary education (K-11) in Colombia. It presents an overview of institutional and teachers’ discourses and practices concerning this subject, based on empirical work that was done in Bogotá. Finally, it presents a cooperative research project undertaken by 16 schools and a university that aimed to transform the curriculum with interdisciplinary projects focused on local issues. The conclusion reached is that, despite the complexity inherent in these kinds of projects, it is possible to mobilize people and use knowledge to transform the school, giving it new meaning and enriching its ties to its surroundings and the world.