Voices from the Rural Areas: rural childhoods through their own cartographies

Abstract

This article offers a critical perspective on rural education and the identification of children's subjects, based on the research "The spatial practices of students at IEDRI Mundo Nuevo (La Calera) to strengthen their child agency and academic skills," developed in 2024. Through the methodological strategy of children's social mapping, the experiences and narratives of early childhood and primary school students are explored in collaborative workshops, revealing how they interact with their environment, construct their identity, and face the challenges of rural education. Our findings demonstrate that children's social mapping not only enriches learning by linking it to the local context, but also fosters a strong community identity in children, rooted in their affection for their place of origin (topophilia). Likewise, the intergenerational dynamics inherent to multigrade classrooms enhance collaborative and interdisciplinary learning. We conclude that the "new rurality" demands a redefinition of education in these areas, promoting pedagogical innovation through participatory methodologies. This invites us to reflect on the transformative role of childhood in rural settings.