This paper aims to present some of the intermediate results of a PhD research on "Teaching Citizenship and the Italian Constitution in a Community of Democratic Practice" which is taking place at the University of Tourin (Department of Educational Sciences). The research has been structured as a research-training, that is a way for the in-service teachers' training, according to the Decree n. 797/2016. It has been carried out with three groups of upper secondary education teachers in a Piemonte area. It has produced a useful scheme for programming for citizenship skills, a reflection on the importance of the relational climate among teachers and on the features of the school environment that are required to be a Community of democratic Practice.
In order to answer the call of Agenda 2030 (UN, 2015), higher education must assist in giving form to a new society in which democracy is cultivated in both the minds and practices of our society. A democratic education is the answer to the challenges of contemporary society, which is characterized by indifference and an unwillingness to engage for the common good. Educational practices are often aligned to this trend so that they are planned with the aim of developing competences useful for individual success and the economic improvement of society. It is necessary to envision a new design for higher education that promotes in people the disposition to engage in the construction of a society where everyone has an equal opportunity to live a good and fulfilling life. Useful for this purpose can be a rediscovery of the classical position of Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle that present virtue and ethics as a theoretical framework for education. This framework can be used as a foundation upon which to renew academic practices by planning and designing experiences able to translate theory into actions. Service learning is an interesting model that would allow for this and would guide practices that support a democratic education informed by virtue and ethics. If useful for redirecting higher education, service learning is particularly suitable for educating teachers, the practitioners who have a great responsibility for transforming society through education. In this paper, after developing the appropriate theoretical framework, we present, as an example of service learning, the Community Research Service Learning experience carried out at the University of Verona in the Primary Teacher Education master's degree program.
The pedagogic thought of Paulo Freire, often defined as a Rousseau of the XX century, recalls in its contents to the theology of liberation. Some of the pillars of this new theological theory, born in South America, are the roots of the theoretical and practical approach of the Brazilian educationalist,academically born with some conceptions close to Marxist-Gramscian ideals, associated to Christianism. His work on the field is addressed to the Brazilian working class, poor and illiterate, that thanks to the educational method applied by Freire, manage to conquer their own rights.So, not only the conventional educational praxis, not culture as a mean of democracy, but as a mean to reach freedom and democracy. The Christian doctrine of the theology of liberation, is for Freire this way an important pillar for the social struggle that aim to eliminate class differences and removeall those obstacles to freedom and equality. The movement was created the great dictatorial regimes that during the XX century have oppressed people in South America, which was a direct expression of the colonial period brought on by the Europeans and that, during the '900, found a fertile groundto install dictatorships closely tied to the economic powers of that time.The new way of spreading culture, modern and anti-colonial (in the sense to cut ties with the colonialists) propose a new social scheme of liberation of the populations, especially South American, from the chains of ignorance and dependence from the dominator. We may also propose a pioneering outlookof Freire towards education and the formulation of a collective and unitary people conscience. ; Il pensiero pedagogico di Paulo Freire, spesso definito un Rousseau del XX secolo, si rifà nei suoi contenuti alla teologia della liberazione. Alcuni dei pilastri di questa nuova teoria teologica, nata proprio in Sudamerica, sono alla base dell'operato teorico e pratico del pedagogista brasiliano, nato accademicamente con delle concezioni di stampo marxista gramsciano associate al ...
Bullying has been considered as a multidimensional form of aggression which includes a double distinction, distinguishing the form of aggression and its functions. In the school context, bullying is considered a primary issue with figures up to 35%. Two forms of aggression have traditionally been considered: physical aggression and relational/social aggression. In Italy regional laws have been enacted on prevention and fight against bullying and cyberbullying and the parliament started the legislative iter to recognize bullying as a form of stalking. Physical education (PE) potentially promote behaviors and attitude against bullying but PE setting has also been linked to bullying episodes: victims of bullying can tend to avoid PE lessons as a potential situation that make them feel vulnerable; on the other hand, PE can exert beneficial effects in encouraging the externalization of emotions and improving social skills. PE teaching styles and teachers' proactive attitude are crucial to promote a friendly environment and to avoid potential situation of discrimination. PE teachers should try to enhance self-efficacy as well as social competences of their students and avoiding creating embarrassing sit-uation due to physical appearance and/or poor motor skills. Future research should address behaviors of PE teachers to contrast bullying, evaluate the positive/negative role of PE in bullying situations, explore the prevalence of bullying at school respect to the other disciplines. ; Il bullismo è stato considerato come una forma di aggressione multidimensionale che comprende una doppia distinzione, tra la forma di aggressione e le sue funzioni. Nel contesto scolastico, il bullismo è considerato una questione primaria con cifre fino al 35%. Tradizionalmente sono state considerate due forme di aggressione: l'aggressione fisica e l'aggressione relazionale/sociale. In Italia sono state emanate leggi regionali sulla prevenzione e la lotta al bullismo e al cyberbullismo e il Parlamento ha avviato l'iter legislativo per ...
After the fundamental essay of 1886 Soul and Body, in which Dewey affirms that there is continuity between body and soul and a specific dualism does not exist -as he demonstrated since the first publications on Materialism and Spinoza- the philosopher questions himself concerning democracy in the essay The Ethics of Democracy of 1888, which represents the presupposition to understand Democracy and Education of 1916.In this essay, Dewey affirms that the development is of the individual must have an ethical space to realize himself/herself. The individual is an expression of social development, then, he/she is a social organism, who tends, in a platonic way, to the construction of Goodness.But, Maine's theory denies a fundamental concept, which is central for Dewey: the concept of organism. The significance of organism is intercourse and exchange. For Dewey, as for Plato, democracy must be a harmonic community based on justice, and on the relation between the individual and the state, in such a way adapting the individual in an organic way to the state.This essay, in my opinion, is the presupposition of Democracy and Education, in particular referring to chapter IX, Natural Development and Social Efficiency as Aims. Democracy is a way of life, which develops through the individual who must be considered as a social organism within a specific ethical space. ; Dopo il fondamentale testo del 1886 Soul and Body in cui Dewey afferma che c'è una continuità tra il corpo e l'anima e non esiste uno specifico dualismo -secondo l'idea che lo aveva guidato sin dai primi due scritti sul materialismo e Spinoza- il filosofo si interroga sul tema della democrazia nel saggio The Ethics of Democracy del 1888 che rappresenta sicuramente il presupposto per comprendere Democracy and Education del 1916.In questa opera Dewey afferma che lo sviluppo dell'individuo deve avere uno spazio etico per potersi manifestare in quanto l'individuo è espressione dello sviluppo sociale e, quindi, organismo sociale che tende, platonicamente, alla ...
Despite considerable advances in gender equality in recent decades, gender discrimination remains pervasive in many dimensions of life world-wide. Tue nature and extent of the discrimination vary considerably across countries and regions. But the pattems are striking. In no region of the developing world are women equal to men in legal, social, and economie rights. Gender gaps are widespread in access to and control of resources, in economie opportunities, in power, and politica! voiee. Furthermore in a congrous number of countries, increasing trends have been recently recorded in female discrimination (Social Watch, 2003). Tue evidence presented shows that societies that discriminate by gender pay a high price in terms of their ability to develop and to reduce poverty. The gender gap in education is a case in point because investment in women 's education is an efficient economie choiee. lt has been estimated that a 1 per cent increase in f emale secondary schooling results in a 0.3 per cent increase in economie growth (UN, 2000a).
L'evidence based education è una prospettiva di ricerca, già assai diffusa nella cultura pedagogica anglosassone, che mira alla produzione, raccolta e diffusione di conoscenze affidabili circa l'efficacia di differenti opzioni didattiche che possano supportare insegnanti, educatori e decisori politici nell'assunzione di decisioni consapevoli. Questo libro è una guida introduttiva a tale prospettiva e alle conoscenze oggi disponibili sulla didattica efficace. Se ne presentano in esso le origini, le differenti definizioni, i metodi di ricerca, i risultati, e il dibattito critico che anima la letteratura internazionale. Si offrono, inoltre, indicazioni pratiche per avviare attività e percorsi di approfondimento che consentano a insegnanti e professionisti della formazione di documentarsi in modo autonomo e agevole on-line su ciò che è didatticamente efficace.
