Estrategias pedagógicas con enfoque STEM y ABP para el análisis y tratamiento del agua en dos Instituciones educativas rurales de Colombia

Abstract

This project integrates the STEM approach (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and Problem-Based Learning (PBL) to promote contextualized and innovative educational processes that enable students to understand and propose sustainable solutions to the issue of non-potable water in their schools. The initiative was developed in two rural institutions with contrasting realities but a common need: limited access to safe water. At the El Yarumito Rural School (Barbosa, Antioquia), water is supplied by a community-built artisanal aqueduct without treatment, while at the International School of Integral Education (CIEDI), located within the Thomas van der Hammen Reserve in Bogotá, water is used only for sanitary purposes and drinking water is externally supplied. According to the Technical Regulation for the Drinking Water and Basic Sanitation Sector – RAS (2000), these conditions do not ensure potability. The proposal included the design of school filters using 3D printing, physicochemical water analysis, and awareness-raising activities. Using a mixed-methods approach (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2018), qualitative and quantitative techniques were combined. The results showed significant improvements in water quality: at CIEDI, turbidity decreased by 81% and total dissolved solids by 79%, while at El Yarumito, coliforms were eliminated. The project strengthened critical thinking, environmental awareness, and student participation, aligning with SDG 6 (UNESCO, 2021) and generating a pedagogical model replicable in rural communities (Johnson et al., 2016; Buffington et al., 2020). Furthermore, the study demonstrated that STEM education, when integrated with active methodologies, promotes the formation of citizens committed to sustainability and community change.