UC Pedagogy students showcased more than 100 educational activities at the Reading Didactics Fair.

186 teachers in training participated in Learning and Service (L&S) experiences, benefiting girls and boys in 1st and 2nd grade at three schools.

A more situated understanding of early reading instruction and a strengthened bond with school communities were some of the key achievements of the work carried out during the first semester of the Reading Didactics course, which culminated in the Reading Didactics Fair: Learning and Service, organized by the UC Faculty of Education.

The event brought together 186 students from Pedagogy in Basic General Education y Special education, who designed and implemented more than 100 educational activities in partnership with three SLEP and subsidized schools located in San Joaquín, Macul, and Puente Alto.

Among the proposals were reading mediation, decoding games to enhance decoding skills, and various strategies to promote reading with first- and second-grade girls and boys.

The academic team responsible for the program consisted of professors Patricia Fernández, Carmen Luz Maturana, María Fernanda Soto, and Paulina Labra, who led the training process from a situated, interdisciplinary perspective committed to professional teacher development.

"This experience allowed students to articulate theory and practice in real-life contexts, addressing specific pedagogical challenges with creativity, responsibility, and sensitivity." point out from the teaching team. "Beyond implementing activities, this session strengthened key skills such as instructional planning, reading mediation, classroom management, and situated decision-making. It fostered a deeper and more critical understanding of teaching, along with engagement with real school communities.", they add.

Development of pedagogical and transversal skills

The fair was the result of a complete learning cycle that involved the study of reading comprehension, activity planning, and direct implementation with students in the classroom. This process allowed future teachers to strengthen essential skills such as planning, pedagogical leadership, and classroom management, while also integrating transversal competencies such as critical thinking, creativity, pedagogical reflection, collaborative work, and communication.

The design and implementation of this training experience is framed within the Learning and Service (L&S) methodology, which fosters the connection between the university curriculum and community engagement. The work was also supported by the advisory services of the Teacher Development Center (CDDOC) of the Catholic University and is the result of a process that the teaching team has been developing since 2024.