Volcanologists for a Day: An Experience with Canarian Students

Resumen

Geology, as a basic science within the natural sciences, is one of the key areas of knowledgefor students in both primary and secondary education. However, when teaching the areas related togeology, many doubts arise both for teachers and students. In the case of students from the CanaryIslands, who live literally on volcanic islands, geology becomes even more important and its teachingbecomes mandatory. Geological concepts and processes form part of their environment, their heritage,and they are also relevant in terms of the exploitation of natural resources and ecosystems aroundthem. During the 2021–2022 academic year, and within the educational project “Ciencia a lo Grande”(“Science in a Big Way”), several practical workshops on volcanoes have been developed in 9 primaryschools in Tenerife, with the target audience being students and teachers, who also received specifictraining to continue the activities on their own in the following years. The workshops were verysuccessful, and the results were very positive, partly due to the interest around all the informationsurrounding the last eruption that took place in the Canary Islands archipelago, as well as theTajogaite volcano in the neighboring island of La Palma. For this reason, there was great motivationwith regards to the interactions between teachers and students. The workshops have been focused onthe activation of perception and awareness of our environment, highlighting the volcanic structuresthat each school has around it and their morphological characteristics, differentiating them fromother prominent volcanoes in the Canary Islands and all around the world.