Curriculum redesign in contexts of exclusion: An experience based on complex thinking

Abstract

This research stems from a fundamental pedagogical concern: how can natural science education become meaningful for youth aged 16 to 27 within the Adolescent Criminal Responsibility System (SRPA)? The study is situated at the Colegio Distrital Los Alpes in Bogotá, as part of the Restorative Education in Safe Spaces (ERES) strategy. The central purpose was to redesign the scientific component of the curriculum based on the pillars of Edgar Morin's complex thinking and Howard Zehr's restorative justice. Methodologically, a participatory action-research approach was adopted, directly involving 12 teachers and 93 students in workshops, focus groups, and "circles of the word" (círculos de la palabra) where knowledge construction was collective. The findings reveal that academic motivation emerges when the curriculum abandons technical rigidity and instead addresses territorial, social, and public health issues. It is concluded that a transdisciplinary curricular redesign, which integrates the repair of harm with scientific rigor, not only improves academic performance but also functions as a tool for social protection. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that a humanized science allows youth in contexts of exclusion to reconstruct their sense of life and project a future away from recidivism, thus validating the need for curricular justice in scenarios of high vulnerability.