This article examines teacher education as a crucial space for interpreting the complexity of contemporary crises. Starting from the relationship between school, democracy and educational responsibility, the contribution reflects on the need to rethink teacher professionalism beyond technical,…

This article analyzes the persistence of authoritarianism in contemporary educational relationships, drawing on the concept of “black pedagogy” and its transgenerational internalization. The article proposes a reconceptualization of teacher authoritarianism as a structural and embodied…

This paper explores the role of pedagogical supervision in the in-service training of early childhood educators (0–6) within contemporary educational systems. Moving beyond transmissive models of professional development, it highlights the need for reflective, relational, and ethically grounded…

The paper interrogates the dialectical process underlying the construction of teachers’ professional identity, here understood as the outcome of a progressive, reflective, sedimented, and critical pathway, in contrast to rapid accumulations of qualifications acquired in a fragmented and…

The Guidelines for Guidance (Ministerial Decree no. 328 of 22 December 2022) explicitly identify the “episodic nature” that has historically characterised guidance practices in schools. In response, they advance a proposal for the future of guidance within the school context, conceived as a…

The spread of AI systems in educational contexts raises questions about the redefinition of teachers' professional identities and pedagogical mediation (Damiano, 2013). These systems impact the processes of knowledge construction by redefining the epistemic and relational dynamics of the educational…

In a society marked by hate speech and monolithic narratives, schools provide an essential setting for fostering critical awareness of language and tackling forms of discrimination at their root. Drawing on intercultural, decolonial and feminist literature, this paper argues that developing a…

At a time when the crisis of teacher professional identity intersects with the growing displacement of students whose biographies remain excluded from dominant cultural repertoires, the question of who gets to imagine a vocational future — and under what conditions — becomes a pressing…

This contribution analyses adolescent affective and sexuality education as integral dimensions of the person, emphasising the need to move beyond normative approaches in favour of inclusive and intersectional models. Particular importance is given to recognising the relational needs and rights of…

The growing presence of artificial intelligence in educational contexts constitutes a genuinely pedagogical issue, involving the redefinition of the educational relationship, the production of knowledge, and inequalities in access, use, and critical understanding. Teacher education is therefore…

This theoretical-conceptual essay reflects on the need for teacher education to contribute to the deconstruction of normalizing practices in early childhood education and care. So-called “difficult children” and their “challenging behaviors” are reframed here as possible signs of unmet needs…

Teacher training, both initial and in-service, has been a topic of focus for several years, both within institutional school and academic policies, as well as by sector associations and trade unions (Pomponi & Bocci, 2024; Pomponi, 2025a; Pomponi 2025b). Numerous legislative interventions have…

The social and relational transformations that are sweeping through contemporary schools are calling for a redefinition of teaching professionalism that cannot be traced back to the didactic dimension of teaching alone (Fiorucci & Zizioli, 2022). Emotional and affective education in teacher…

Early childhood education has always experienced a creative tension between tradition and innovation, between the deep roots of a pedagogy attentive to body language, imagination and relationships, and the challenges posed by a rapidly changing society that increasingly hybridises spaces, times and…

In a time marked by ecological crisis and digital transformations, new educational challenges are emerging from early childhood, particularly regarding children’s relationship with technology and the need to foster an Emergent Ocean Literacy (Ødegaard et al., 2024). In this context, outdoor play…

This article describes a theoretical and practical reflection on the use of games, gamification, serious games and simulations with nursery school children. These tools develop skills and competences, convey educational content, and promote learning, interest and engagement, especially from an…

The recent Universal Design of Learning (UDL) 3.0 Guidelines highlight the value of cultivating joy and play through “Consideration 7.3.” Drawing on neuroscientific research on the importance of play, this paper begins by examining its fundamental role in child development, where it nurtures…

In the context of the post-digital society, educators working with children aged 0–6 are required to develop advanced design skills to devise multimodal play experiences that integrate analogue and digital languages. This paper presents a training model for the 0–6 age group, which was developed…

Pretend play has been a central theme for many developmental scholars: for Freud, for example, imaginary playful scenarios allow the child to rework traumatic experiences; Winnicott considers play as the transitional space between internal and external reality; Erikson focused on the role of play in…

Open-ended play emerges as a profoundly democratic educational practice: it fosters active participation, stimulates critical and divergent thinking, and enables children and adults to construct meanings of the world in a free, subjective, and shared way. In a cultural context marked by the…

The creation of inclusive play environments represents a fundamental challenge for contemporary pedagogy, especially with a view to an intersectional education that recognizes and values differences in gender, ability, culture and socioeconomic background. In this context, outdoor play is configured…

In recent years, following the Covid-19 pandemic, Early Childhood Education and Care services for children aged 0–6 have undergone a profound digital transformation, leading to the emergence of hybrid learning environments. This contribution offers a theoretical reinterpretation of children’s…

The phrase ‘They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds’, attributed to the Greek poet Christianopoulos and subsequently adopted by the Zapatista movement in Mexico, re-emerged in the global public sphere in 2024, appearing on banners at international demonstrations calling for a…

Roma Tre University, which I have the honour of leading, has joined the UNICORE (University COrridors for REfugees) project for the third consecutive year. This initiative, promoted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, has enabled four refugee students to come to Rome to fulfil…

The article explores the principle of nonviolence as a pedagogical perspective, necessary in a present marked by the intertwining of war, exploitation and inequality. The link between nonviolence and education is then developed starting from the classical authors who formulated and practised this…

In a time like the present, once again marked by widespread recourse to war, by genocides, by the killing of tens of thousands of civilians – most of whom are children –, a time characterized by the undermining of international law and the re-armament race, in which discourses on peace and for…

The word genocide, in addition to its legal meaning, also has a symbolic value. The legal notion of genocide, which as such is general and abstract, is often identified with a specific genocide, the Holocaust. These two elements have influenced the highly polarized public debate concerning the…

The article examines the genocidal apparatus and the actions of the Global Sumūd Flotilla (GSF) in the face of the occupation of Gaza, situating them within a conceptual and ethical framework of pedagogical origin. To this end, we will draw upon the considerations of Stanton and the “Jo Cox”…

In July 2025, a small fleet of over 40 boats, with crews from 44 different countries, set sail from the ports of Barcelona, Genoa, Catania, and Tunisia with the aim of bringing food and medicine to the Palestinian population of Gaza. Although the convoy was boarded by the Israeli army once it…

This contribution examines the war in Gaza as an extreme case to explore the relationship between critical pedagogy and politics. Using the concept of educide, the essay interprets the destruction of schools, universities, and cultural infrastructure as an attack on the conditions necessary for…

The article analyzes Sumūd as an educational and political practice within the dehumanizing context of Palestine, particularly in the Gaza Strip. Framed by critical pedagogy and a decolonial perspective, the study interprets the ongoing genocide as a historical, political, and discursive process…

This article offers a reflection on the historical-educational processes related to the Jewish Holocaust and its memories, in relation to the current context, marked by ongoing conflicts and wars. The current situation also puts pressure on educational programs specifically related to the Jewish…

War (conceived and largely carried out by men), as well as forms of education aligned with the ideologies that usually sustain it, has encountered numerous opposing responses. What do figures - diverse also in their different historical, social, political, and cultural contexts - such as Maria…

From a critical, decolonial and intersectional feminist perspective, this contribution analyses the ways in which Palestinian resistance is conceptualised in postcolonial theories, queer practices and contemporary literary narratives. Particular attention is paid to the way in which feminised bodies…

This paper explores a possible third narrative in the Israel-Palestine context, focusing on spatial perspective and temporal axis. Drawing on the Joint Memorial Ceremony organized by Combatants for Peace and the Parents Circle–Families Forum, as well as on the personal journey of Sulaiman Khatib,…

Is it possible to construct a narrative on Palestine that restores dignity and memory to the history of a people and projects it into the future? Is it possible to resist a sugar-coated and instrumental vision of peace education - one that denies conflict, privilege, and colonial violence - while…

This article investigates ṣumūd as an ethical, political, and pedagogical practice articulated through the movements of remaining, crossing, and remembering, placing it in dialogue with Leo Zanier’s border poetry and his depictions of European migrant lives. By examining the resonances between…

The essay provides an overview of the dynamics within the Palestinian art scene, suspended between native territories and diasporic experiences. In a context of structural occupation and violence, art emerges as a vital tool for memory, identity, and resistance. The study analyses how artistic…

In recent years, we have witnessed a substantial increase in the number of minors involved in war contexts, and the impact of armed conflicts on the education of children is well known. This article examines the progressive weakening of the education system, with particular reference to the Gaza…

This article analyzes the phenomenon of scholasticide in Palestine. Through dialogue with a Palestinian student and Operazione Colomba volunteers, it emerges how the right to education is systematically impeded by direct and cultural violence and widespread demolitions of educational facilities. The…

The concept of Learning City promoted by UNESCO represents an innovative political vision that places lifelong learning at the heart of sustainable, inclusive and democratic urban development. It is a structural response to educational and social inequalities, reaffirming the right to education as a…

Learning city concept is now one of the most significant outcomes of Unesco's thinking, in which education, rights, culture, and sustainability are intertwined in an integrated approach. Starting with the 2030 Agenda, the learning city becomes a laboratory for global citizenship, a place where…

Marginality can no more be read in terms of self-exclusion of the subject, since it is now clear that it corresponds to a process of marginalization also linked to the choices of society, favored by the proliferation of ghetto areas, in which the dominant culture does not pass and is replaced by the…

The principle inspiring this essay is rooted in the idea of city as a space marked by narratives, stories and personal experiences, shared tales and existential plots. At the same time, conceiving the human being as a symbolic animal tending to build his own self in a narrative way, as in the…

The city that learns, or Learning City, represents an emerging paradigm of sustainable urban development, based on lifelong learning, social inclusion and innovation. This paper explores how the concept of the Learning City intertwines with the Leaving No One Behind principle of the United Nations…

This paper aims to explore the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning within Learning Cities, examining ethical dimensions of AI-powered educational methodologies. It investigates how urban learning environments can leverage AI for personalized learning pathways while addressing…

The contribution analyzes the results of the action-research project “Widespread Educational Ecosystem: Innovative and Connective Networks Between School and City” aimed at defining a new model of educational ecosystem where the city itself becomes an extension of the classroom towards the…

Intercultural education and English language teaching play a key role in the development of inclusive societies, acting as cultural mediators and vehicles for European key competences. This study examines how the implementation of Learning Cities principles in EFL/ESL teaching can promote inclusion…

The essay proposed here aims to lay the theoretical foundations for an Archive of marginal cultures, with the valorization of the wise role of the elderly and taking as a sample an internal area of Calabria, including the Municipalities of Grecanic language, with Reggio Calabria as the leader. The…

The aim of this work is to highlight how prejudices and silence can be risk factors for an educational community capable of combating victimization, especially towards minorities, through the exemplification of a case study. Recent literature agrees in suggesting that bullying victimization not only…

This contribution aims to critically reconsider the notion of the Learning City, distancing it from technocratic and universalistic interpretations, and instead proposing it as a situated theoretical-practical configuration grounded in the interplay of spatial justice, urban pedagogy, and radical…

This article examines the integration of physical literacy within the Learning Cities paradigm, focusing on the role of structured movement education and community sport initiatives in promoting lifelong learning within urban environments. Drawing on established theoretical frameworks and empirical…

According to the Global Solidarity Report, in 2024 the world scored just 36 out of 100 on the Global Solidarity Scorecard, indicating a dangerously weak level of solidarity, far below what is required to build an effective trajectory toward a united world. This data invites us to rethink the…

Mathematics is commonly recognized as a fundamental area of development of human civilization. Since ancient times, its progress has been due to practical needs, from trade to state management, just think, for example, of the historical testimonies that have come down to us from the Babylonian…

The Piano delle Fosse Granarie can be seen as an open-air educational space, an example of situated learning rooted in historical memory and community identity. As an agricultural archive and civic resource, it offers opportunities for active citizenship, cultural ecology and social cohesion. The…

This paper is part of a more comprehensive theoretical and practical model of learning cities, viewed through the lens of lifelong learning and community learning, and it explores the role of popular education within these perspectives and practices. These experiences are situated in urban…

The article, therefore, proposes Learning Cities as a theoretical model for engineering sustainable and inclusive urban development, focusing on the use of lifelong learning. In other words, it addresses how cities, which are already facing rapid rates of urbanisation and increasingly complex social…

Starting from the 1970s, the field of historical studies showed an increasing interest in the theme of memory. This interest led, in the first decade of the 21st century, to the emergence of the so-called "Memory Studies," a multidisciplinary field focusing on memory and its making, transforming and…

The UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities promotes lifelong learning policies that recall the idea of the learning society found in the Faure Report and the Delors Report. However, in recent years, learning cities have also included in their programs economic objectives and above all objectives…

Today, the Smart Cities (SC) concept has quickly become popular in the debate on sustainable urban development. However, some critics argue that it has become a trendy buzzword. From a systemic view, cities are socio-ecological, complex, and adaptive systems addressed to integral wellbeing. Thus, SC…

This study aims to explore the development of a lifelong learning model focused on gender education and equal opportunities. The analysis will be grounded in a case study of the city of Prato, a complex context historically shaped by significant migratory flows, where for over twenty years the…

Contemporary cities often appear as places, or “non-places”, within which pluralism and cultural diversity, rather than becoming encounters and opportunities, become limits and obstacles, increasingly fueling prejudice and the social exclusion of those who – due to their multiple histories of…

This paper examines the role of continuous professional development in fostering the European Key Competences within formal, non-formal, and informal learning contexts, with a particular focus on the Learning Cities model. Conceived as inclusive and interconnected educational ecosystems, Learning…

The Municipality of Varese, in collaboration with the teaching and Learning Center at the University of Insubria, has developed projects inspired by the Learning Cities model, promoting inclusive and lifelong learning. The Change Laboratory has been applied to counter early school leaving and…

Almost a century ago, Gramsci argued that the educational relationship for the formation of the citizen necessarily involves extracurricular institutions. Today this educational perspective has a coherent formulation in the concept of learning cities. School museums play a central role among these…

In cities increasingly characterized by a desertification of social spaces (Mortari, 2008), this paper explores heritage education (De Nicola et al., 2022) as a generative field for rethinking the relationship between children and urban spaces. With a critical approach, heritage is considered as a…

The learning cities model is recognised for its perspectives on relational renewal, lifelong learning and social innovation. Emphasising its educational value for an intercultural, sustainable and glocal citizenship, this paper explores the paradigm’s link with Italo Calvino’s The Invisible…

Education in the penitentiary facilities plays a fundamental role in the fields of lifelong learning and inclusive education, both of which are priority purposes for a Learning City. In fact, in recent years, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning has intensified its commitment to support…

Learning Cities are a model that aims to respond to the difficulties faced by diverse and global communities. This article explores the role of Learning Cities as key tools for preventing and raising awareness of gender-based violence and inequalities. Urban and social spaces, such as Centri…

One of the key aspects in the design of ‘Learning Cities’ is “the construction of a sense of citizenship”, which is to be understood as “an evolutionary process intimately linked to the development of a sense of community” that takes root in people through their ability to “be…

The city, as a complex ecosystem, allows the acquisition of skills for the exercise of citizenship. Pedagogy, a science with many dimensions (Parricchi, 2020), through pedarchitettura conveys an idea of city-educational space, through the design of urban educational paths, playful and interactive…

Within the learning city - one whose walls are welcoming and inclusive - education must be reimagined, especially in places where walls are restrictive and punitive, such as prisons. If a learning city embraces a new, transformative justice and calls governance and political institutions to…

Il secondo numero del 2025 di questa rivista è dedicato alle Progettualità educative, accoglienza e inclusione dei Rifugiati e Richiedenti protezione internazionale. Sono almeno due le piste interpretative che vengono sollecitate come cornice epistemologica che dà forma all’attuale situazione…

The professionalism of the educator and pedagogue in reception and inclusion services for asylum seekers and protection holders is measured by the knowledge, skills, and the competence possessed and by an ongoing field training. Embracing the integrated approach to the inclusion of migrants,…

The paper intends to reflect on the parameters that define/re-define identity in the perspective of doing and undoing gender (Butler, 2004), through a decolonial methodology that wants to promote a worldview that embraces the plurality of differences (Burgio, 2022), questioning the western…

In November 2024, the European Migration Network published a study on the Temporary Protection Directive: Challenges and Good Practices in 2023.This article intends to analyse the data and reflections of the study by following two approaches. On the one hand, the thought of Abdelmalek Sayad and his…

The contribution, from a critical pedagogy perspective, addresses the structural and contradictory tension (Althusser, 2008) that emerges in contexts of forced migration, particularly concerning individuals normatively defined as political refugees. This definition carries implicit meanings, as it…

The presented article takes the perspective of critical pedagogy, considering storytelling as a transformative tool to give voice to people who have lost the right to speak. This perspective guided the analysis of narratives from Palestine, particularly Gaza, in order to bring out the concept of…

This paper aims to offer, from a distinctly pedagogical perspective, an analysis of recent legislative changes concerning the admission of migrants in Italy. In particular, adopting critical pedagogy as its epistemological framework (Freire, 1970; Colicchi, 2009; Giroux, 2020), the study first…

The Italian language class can be a key space for newly arrived young migrants to reformulate their identity and build meaningful connections. A narrative, multimodal, and multilingual approach, aligned with active pedagogy, enables a holistic view of individuals—body, history, and languages.…

The recent migration policies have established a "natural" connection between social inclusion of the new citizens and the second language acquisition. This has reinforced the frontline role of Adult Education Centers (Cpia) in delivering and assessing linguistic education programs for migrant…

This contribution aims to reflect on the role of early childhood educational services (0-6 years) in the social inclusion pathways of mothers who are victims of trafficking in human beings and are hosted within projects for the reception and integration of migrants in Italy. These women, often alone…

The sea, and water more generally, symbolize purification and rebirth, but also death (Bachelard, 1942). In migration stories, the sea carries hopes and dreams but also grief and trauma. NGOs often rescue and welcome migrants at sea, along with all their experiences of travel, loss, separation, and…

Il primo numero della rivista del 2025 è indirizzato a diffondere nella comunità scientifica le riflessioni e le ricerche di carattere teorico ed empirico che fanno emergere teorie, modelli e strategie che possono essere considerate efficaci per qualificare la formazione iniziale, in servizio e…

The induction phase for newly hired teachers is essential for their professional integration, but it sometimes presents several challenges in the relationship between tutor and tutee. Feedback, often perceived as evaluative rather than formative, limits the professional growth of new teachers…

The professionalism and competencies of teachers are essential for improving educational systems, making both initial and ongoing training key elements (Nirchi, 2022). The teacher’s profile encompasses multiple roles, ranging from designing learning paths in hybrid environments to facilitating…

A century ago, Celestin Freinet (1925) introduced the “school journal” and supported the idea of a school that knows how to tell stories and use “techniques” to communicate with the outside world. Today we have exceptional tools to communicate, but research shows that teaching rarely knows…

The challenge of teacher training is to prepare professionals who can adapt to a constantly changing educational environment. In addition to the disciplinary knowledge and teaching mediation skills, it is necessary to deepen the educational, communicative and reflective skills, which are essential…

The contribution focuses on hate speech and manifestations of violence, highlighting the urgency of adequate pedagogical and educational responses in a complex and unpredictable social context. From this perspective, the authors analyse how hatred and violence, also spread through digital platforms…

In our complex society and in the context of globalization, the growing phenomena of discrimination and violence are linked to the increase in social and economic inequalities and to the phenomena of marginalization that are inscribed in a capitalist and liberal ideology, based on individualism,…

Addressing violence in schools requires a comprehensive approach that involves school leaders, teachers, administrative staff, students, parents, and the community. Recent research highlights that preventive strategies adopting an integrated approach are more effective in reducing violence and…

The osmotic relationship between the online and offline dimensions transforms hostile words traveling on social networks into physical and psychological violence. Given this, the essay will discuss, through the lens of the decolonial option, the sociological and pedagogical significance of cultural…

The paper aims to denounce the forms of online hate speech (Pasta, 2019, pp. 173-190; Santerini, 2021, pp. 64-74) promoted since 2016 by the US far-right movement Comicsgate (Condis & Stanfill, 2022, pp. 953-980) against the recent comic book production published by DC and Marvel, accused of…

In the last few years, there has been a remarkable growth of interest in gender issues, the promotion of equality, and attention to a conscious and disciplined use of new languages, especially those spread on social media. Phenomena such as the spread of stereotypes and prejudices, discrimination,…

In 2023, the term feminicide was elected “word of the year”, encouraging, even more, reflection on a complex phenomenon (Dawson, Angus & Zecha, 2024; Radford & Russell, 1992; Ulivieri, 2013; 2016). A phenomenon that frequently represents the last act of stories of violence perpetrated…

The article addresses the phenomenon known as “revenge porn” or “non-consensual pornography”, proposing a more precise term such as “non-consensual use of sexual images”. This crime refers to the publication of intimate content without the consent of the person involved, often with the…

Recovering the suggestions of Martin Buber (1991; 1997) about the education to confront and dialogue, the contribution aims to outline the opportunities for experimentation in the classroom the Debate (Cinganotto, Mosa & Panzavolta, 2019) – integrating the techniques of hate contrast,…

Crossmediality is metamorphosing digital environments into authentic existential dimensions by immersing us in fluid realities (Floridi, 2015), where generational transitions are delineated through a symbolic alphabetic evolution that leads digitally advanced natives back to the first letter of the…

Social withdrawal, social media addiction and relationship difficulties seem to be the behavioural figures characterising adolescence. On the other hand, the compelling desire to express oneself and to have one's opinions recognised is of paramount importance during the developmental age. In this…

Hate speech can manifest itself through subtle (Faloppa, 2020), latent, and symbolic modalities that seem apparently harmless. The quietly performative and violent nature of this form of hate speech contributes to perpetuating marginalization, affecting women, LGBTQIA+ people, disabled people,…