Experiencias durante la construcción de un diorama del Mioceno de Somosaguas por parte de alumnos con necesidades educativas especiales

Abstract

Since 1998, the Somosaguas paleontological site (located in Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid) has become the epicenter of an innovative research and education project. Several scientific and outreach projects are being carried out in both paleontological and geological fields. This article shows the work done by the handicapped students of the Occupational Center “San Pedro Apóstol” of Barajas. These students were led by a group of monitors from the Somosaguas Paleontology Project and social work educators. The work itself was based on the manufacturing of a Somosaguas landscape diorama showing the environment of Madrid during the Middle Miocene. This diorama includes flora and fauna figures made with clay. This project tries to show how science, and specially paleontology, can be accessible for everyone, no matter how great their physical or mental capacities are, when the contents and the methods are the proper ones