Understanding the causes and consequences of the conflict.

1. Rebuilding historical memory of the Colombian
armed conflict in the EFL classroom
María del Pilar Fernández Pedraza M.A.
Leidy Yisel Gómez-Vásquez M.A.
1. Understanding the Causes and Consequences of the Conflict

2. Initial Reflection!
Dear teacher,
If you were to work on a Colombian historical
event in your class, what event would you like
to select?
What elements would you keep in mind to
enhance your learners’ analysis of this
historical event (e.g. context, actors…)?

3. Relevance and purpose of this work
Providing students with historical background of a period or
conflict helps them understand multi-casualties of historical
events (Kolangui & Magaña, 2014).
One of the objectives in this lesson is to have learners
understand San Carlos’ geographical characteristics, context,
dynamics and processes that triggered the war in this region.

4. Introducing the events
Have students watch the first part of a video called “San Carlos-
memories of war exodus” (0:00 – 5:00 minutes) and correctly
identify the period in which each event happened.
bit.do/sancarlosexodus

5. Organizing the events
Using www.sutori.com/dashboard, students create a timeline of
the conflict by placing the following pictures and descriptions
taking into account the information provided in the previous
resource.
VARIATION 1: Include national events from
each period as well, so that students
summarize their work by finding connections
between local and national events.
VARIATION 2: Prepare a big paper roll so that
the whole class creates a big timeline and
break it down into periods assigned to each
group to examine deeply and present later.

6. This collaborative timeline
presentation tool enhances
learners creativity and critical
thinking skills.
Students can embed
different resources such
videos, images, sites, PDFs,
Quizlet and Google Docs.
Teachers are able to provide
constant feedback and
measure learners progress.

7. Bloc Metro from the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) arrived
coming from Middle Magdalena to eradicate the guerrilla due to its sabotage to
infrastructures of the region and their destabilizing effects.
Image taken from:http://palabrasalmargen.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/R%C3%A9gis-Paramilitares-
Autodefensas-Unidas-Colombia-AUC_ECDIMA20170612_0007_21.jpg
Events to place in the timeline
Students would be given
only the pictures without
the photos caption to place
them in the timeline.
Therefore, they would be
free to include any
information they want in
their own product

8. Jesús Abad Colorado
FARC and ELN arrived in the territory and took total control of San Carlos
neutralizing and expelling the authorities
Image taken from: http://www.banrepcultural.org/coleccion-de-arte-banco-de-la-republica/sites/default/files/obra/AP5442-_0.jpg

9. Disputes between FARC and ELN started. Both armed groups developed war
actions against the community what contributed to a new type of displacement.
Image taken from:http://www.elchaco.info/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/GUERRILLEROS.jpg

10. Inhabitants were forced to sell their lands and leave their home to allow the
construction of the three Hydroelectric power plans located in the municipality
(San Carlos, Calderas and Playas). There was no relocation of the community,
land exchange or compensation.
Image taken from: https://www.isagen.com.co/SitioWeb/documents/21223/29164/central-hidroelectrica-san-carlos.jpg

11. The army used to take peasants from Panela Farms near San Carlos to Samaná
in order to hand them over the AUC so that they killed them claiming that these
farmers belong to the guerrilla.
Image taken from: http://resistenciacivildemocratica.org/terrorismo/terror1998.php

12. Social movements (e.g. Movimiento de Acción San Carlitana) were created to
defend people’s social, economic and political interests. Unfortunately,
traditional political movements did not approve such social actions. Threats
and selective murders to civic leaders started to take place and, consequently,
many of them had to flee to other regions to be safe.
Image taken from: http://humanidadespatoroa.blogspot.com/2014/10/los-movimientos-sociales.html

13. Enforced disappearances, selective murders, eviction orders, extortion,
deprivation of possessions, roadblocks, confinement and mined fields were
some of the actions of a fear-based strategy.
Image taken from: http://s3.amazonaws.com/elcomun/carpeta_ckfinder/files/andres/bultos.jpg

14. Analyzing the events:
1. Once the group fills the timeline, have students analyze
deeply the information in order to identify the causes and
consequences of the armed conflict in this particular
context.
2. Split the work by making sure some of the students are in
charge of analyzing the causes and the others the
consequences.
3. The group must be ready to socialize their
work in a plenary at the end of the class.

15. Reflecting upon the events:
Have students reflect upon the events that cannot
be repeated from this experience in San Carlos
Connect them to any projects the government is
carrying out in the country nowadays
(e.g. Hidroituango or any other).

16. Dear teacher,
Can you think about the educational
purposes of using timelines in your
classroom?
Food for thought!