UC Faculty of Education assumes coordination of UNESCO Reading and Writing Network

The incorporation was formalized in a seminar that brought together academics from three faculties of the university.

What are the current challenges and main questions in the field of contemporary reading and writing? Under this premise, a seminar was held on March 13th, which, along with a series of dialogues on the topic, sought to reaffirm the incorporation of the Pontifical Catholic University into the UNESCO Chair Network on Reading and Writing, which will include the participation of Natalia Ávila, academic at the UC Faculty of Education, as coordinator of the UC Sub-headquarters.

La UNESCO Chair for Reading and Writing It is an international network of inter-institutional cooperation founded in 1996 through an agreement between the University of Buenos Aires, the University of Valle (Colombia), the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso, and UNESCO. Its mission is to contribute to improving the quality and equity of education in Latin America, with a focus on reading and writing processes as discursive and cognitive activities. In Chile, the network currently has 14 member universities.

The dean of the UC Faculty of Education, Alejandro CarrascoHe highlighted the value of UC's incorporation into the Chair, as well as the country's challenges in this area, which have persisted for decades. "It represents a significant opportunity on different levels. It makes visible and articulates the research trajectory that UC as a whole has in the areas of reading and writing, and through this seminar, it establishes a powerful interdisciplinary internal alliance," he explained. 

He also particularly appreciated the presence of the dean of the UC Faculty of Letters, Christian Opazo, and the dean of the UC Faculty of Social Sciences, Katherine Strasser, reflecting interfaculty efforts. 

“Our Faculty of Education has a training model based on practice with successive and progressive approximations, and in this case, on how to teach reading and writing. We are a faculty that teaches based on evidence, and that is very important, because regarding the acquisition of reading and writing, the surrounding mythology is very strong. The role of academia in that is crucial (…) This chair is an opportunity to articulate, promote, and work together with other universities,” he noted.

The impact of AI on reading and writing processes

René Venegas, director of the UNESCO Chair for Reading and Writing at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso, explained that there is currently a different context, marked by the expansion of digital technologies such as generative artificial intelligence. 

“This scenario raises fundamental questions about how these processes of understanding and producing texts are transformed in interaction with these technologies. What new forms of writing instruction do universities require? How should we rethink the assessment of writing in contexts mediated by artificial intelligence? These are just some of the questions that need to be answered. For those of us who research reading and writing processes, this moment represents both a challenge and an extraordinary opportunity. Understanding the impact of these technologies on cognition, discursive practices, and higher education has become one of the most relevant research agendas of our time,” she stated.

National challenges

The day included an opening panel entitled “Reading and writing: challenges for Chile”, in which [participants] participated Susana Mendive, academic of Education UC and director of postgraduate studies of the Faculty; Katherine Strasser, dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences UC; Lina Calle, academic from the UC Faculty of Education and Soledad Concha, academic from the UC Faculty of Letters. It was moderated by Natalia Ávila, academic from UC Education and coordinator of the UC Sub-headquarters of the UNESCO Chair Network. 

A panel discussion with doctoral students from the UC Education program, titled “Why Research Reading and Writing?”, was also held, followed by the closing conference, “Subjects of Rights at the Center: Moving Towards an Ethical and Fair Evaluation of Writing,” presented by David Slomp, academic at the University of Lethbridge, Canada. 

A platform to coordinate research, teacher training, and national impact

The UNESCO Chair also includes the organization of large-scale regional conferences and meetings, opening concrete channels for international collaboration for doctoral students and academics. “UC has made an institutional commitment to leading initiatives that impact initial teacher training and professional development in pedagogy and research on reading and writing at the national level, as well as promoting applications for internal and external funding in these areas,” explained Natalia Ávila, who will coordinate the implementation of the UC initiatives.

Beyond its central contribution to academic knowledge, joining this network also has a national impact dimension. Chile faces persistent challenges in these areas, as evidenced by the results of national and international assessments at various levels of the education system. The Catholic University of Chile (UC), based on its mission and the expertise accumulated in its various academic units, has a particular responsibility to help close these gaps. “The UNESCO Chair provides the institutional framework and collaborative network to ensure that this contribution has regional reach and is integrated with the school communities, teaching staff, and public policies that need it most,” Ávila pointed out.