LAIGEO y su contribución a la mejora de la enseñanza y difusión de las geociencias en América Latina y Caribe: Actividades realizadas y proyectos futuros

The progress of geoscience education in Latin America and the Caribbean is severely hampered due to a problem that affects the whole region. At pre-university levels, it can be seen that contents do not exist or are insufficient and, in many cases, educators have not been trained either in the discipline or its particular didactics. The situation at the university level is different. Even though with quality teaching and research, there it is evident that careers related to geosciences are not promoted as widely as other areas of knowledge and professional practice. The Latin American chapter of the International Geosciences Education Organization (LAIGEO) aims in contributing to the solution of this problem working to make teaching-learning of geosciences comprehensive and accessible to students, teachers and citizens in general. This goal is achieved through the production of strategies and materials for teaching and learning elaborated from an interdisciplinary perspective, based on specialized didactic research and incorporating local geological knowledge and examples. The organization seeks not only to train in the discipline and provide vocational guidance to pre-university students about their professional future but also to make them aware that their contribution to the dissemination and application of geosciences will benefit society. This process could be achieved through the development of activities such as courses and workshops, scientific meetings, material design, etc. Consequently, the LAIGEO's on-going programs and projects, that are described in brief in this contribution, are directed to contribute to the achievement and strengthen the organization's goals.