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…

Over the past decades, research on the renewal of school architecture has increasingly placed the relationship between physical space and learning processes at the center of pedagogical debate, promoting a rethinking of schooling through learning environments, both physical and digital. Drawing on…

This contribution investigates the role of teacher education in countering hate speech, discrimination, and forms of symbolic violence, with specific reference to the linguistic representation of violence against women with disabilities. Within a critical and intersectional pedagogical perspective,…

This paper examines teacher education as a space for educational responsibility, exploring how the integration of generative AI and STEAM approaches challenges and redefines the professional identity of STEM teachers. Building on an exploratory study conducted as part of the PNRR with a group of…

This paper discusses a research-training project, launched in the 2024-2025 academic year, aiming to promote active digital citizenship among future nursery and primary school teachers. The research employs a mixed-methods approach (Creswell & Creswell, 2018), starting with a quantitative…

Prison often tends to frustrate teachers' aspirations to a quality educational process that promotes inclusion in a context characterized by anonymization, infantilisation, vulnerability and marginalization. The combination of education and experience represents a fundamental theoretical construct…

This paper presents the results of a research-training program developed as part of the Con-tatto. Affective Education, Languages, and Cultures for Children project, promoted within the framework of the Third Mission and interinstitutional collaboration between universities, schools, and the local…

This contribution aims to present the latest research-raining activities carried out by the Centre for Skills Assessment and Career Guidance at the University of Foggia in the field of continuing professional development for teachers, described as a potentially generative and transformative context…

This contribution examines teacher professionalism in inclusive mathematics education through the experience of ABMOVE!, a project that developed a curriculum-based active breaks program for primary school, designed in alignment with principles related to Universal Design for Learning. The empirical…

This paper explores the life project as a pedagogical and transformative framework for reshaping the professionalism of support teachers in upper secondary schools. Drawing on the Italian legislative framework introduced by Legislative Decree no. 62/2024, the study investigates how secondary school…

In response to the challenges of methodological innovation in teacher education and to students' growing exposure to vulnerability and cognitive diversity, this paper adopts the UDL framework, integrating it with Arts-Based Pedagogy, Social-Emotional Learning and Embodied Cognition, to examine how…

This study investigates, from an exploratory perspective, the representations and training needs concerning school-based guidance among a sample of 185 trainee teachers enrolled in the PEF30 qualifying pathway at Roma Tre University. Drawing on a structured questionnaire, the research identifies a…

This cross-sectional correlational study examines the relationship between attitudes toward inclusion and professional reflexivity in teacher training, conceptualizing teacher education as a critical and transformative practice within school contexts marked by complexity and vulnerability. A sample…

The article analyses professional resources and challenges in multigrade teaching within a network of schools located in the inner areas of Central Italy. Research on multigrade teachers’ professional development needs has relied mainly on perceived difficulties, which may reflect the reproduction…

This contribution examines the application of generative artificial intelligence within history and philosophy teaching. The article frames AI not as a replacement for the teacher, but as a cooperative tool for adaptation capable of redefining the teacher's role as a mediator of the instructional…

The spread of generative artificial intelligence in educational contexts calls for critical reflection on the pedagogical, epistemic, and ethical implications it introduces into learning processes and teacher education pathways (Cassinadri, 2024; Nirchi et al., 2025). Building on a previous study…

The growing pervasiveness of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within Inclusive Education contexts calls for critical reflection on both teacher professionalism and students’ learning processes. From this perspective, it becomes necessary to examine the role of AI within its antinomic tension as both a…

The use of Artificial Intelligence within assessment practices in schools highlights the need to foster future teachers’ responsibility in making critical and informed decisions, also in light of recent ministerial Guidelines. These Guidelines constitute a key foundation for the development of…

In Italy, the introduction of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) in educational, school, and training contexts faces obstacles stemming from diverse personal and social positions (Bruno, 2024a, 2025a). CSE is defined as a lifelong learning process that begins in early childhood (WHO & BZgA,…

In the post-digital era, characterised by growing inequalities and widespread social and family vulnerability, teacher training takes on strategic importance in supporting the educational success of every child and in preventing, at an early stage, the impact of disadvantage on children’s…

The pervasive sense of urgency and intimidation to which global conflicts have accustomed us is also fuelled by a seemingly subtle form of violence, such as linguistic one, which permeates both political and institutional discourse and the language of everyday life, including that of schools.…

This study analyses primary teachers’ intrapersonal and interpersonal competences for bullying and cyberbullying prevention. A self-assessment tool combining Likert-type items and situational judgement tasks, based on real school situations reported by teachers, was applied to a sample of teachers…

The contribution presents a doctoral research project conducted jointly by the University of Málaga and Roma Tre University, aimed at investigating the role of university teaching practicum in the construction of teachers’ professional identity. Conceiving teacher education as a space for…

The study aims to examine the relationship between personal values and self-efficacy among special education teachers, analyzing the influence of teaching motivations (autonomous and controlled) (Schwartz, 2012; Bandura, 1977; Roth et al., 2007). The research involved a sample of 314 participants (F…

This study analyzes representations, uses, and critical issues of generative AI in education based on 723 participants (in-service and pre-service teachers, university and secondary school students). The analysis, grounded in the socio-cognitive model and the PRAXIS framework, employed LLM-assisted…

Numerous studies have highlighted the value of classroom discussion as a tool for the collective elaboration of knowledge (Pontecorvo et al., 2004; Alexander, 2018; Alexander, 2020). However, there is limited research attention on teacher training programs dedicated to dialogic approaches. In light…

The study investigates the conditions under which the integration of VR and GenAI may constitute a pedagogically grounded instrument of didactic innovation. The research comparatively evaluates MuSEd VR, an immersive environment featuring GenAI-based conversational avatars, against the traditional…

The development of professional identity is a central aspect of preservice teacher training. This study explores the role of intrinsic, extrinsic and altruistic motivations in teacher identity among first- and second-year students in a Bachelor’s degree programme in Primary Education. A…

Based on Self-Determination Theory, this paper investigates the relationship between supportive behaviors adopted by teachers, students’ intrinsic motivation, and the consequent impact on learning outcomes. Through a quantitative study conducted on a sample of 102 students from a Technical…

Contemporary educational systems are subject to multiple pressures and transformations, rendering approaches limited to the management of the immediate increasingly inadequate. Futures thinking emerges as an essential meta-competence for teachers, who are increasingly called upon to act as agents of…

The development of student teachers’ (STs) professional identity involves a process of self-transformation encompassing ethical-social and technical-professional dimensions. Teacher initial education programmes therefore aim to foster metacognition processes that promote the integration of…

The multicultural identity of the Italian school system calls for reflection on teachers’ competences. In the current context, intercultural competence appears particularly relevant in fostering more inclusive and motivating educational and teaching practices. The present study examines the…

Feedback and self-assessment are crucial components of effective learning, particularly in early childhood and primary education. With the increasing integration of digital technologies in educational settings, understanding how technology can enhance feedback mechanisms becomes essential for…

This paper provides a critical review of Dariusz Grzadziel’s volume on general didactics, interpreting teaching as a complex professional practice involving theoretical choices, educational responsibilities, and integrated competences. The review highlights the main conceptual strands of the work,…

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 training of early childhood educators requires approaches that integrate solid theoretical foundations with formative methodologies capable of developing a playful, reflective, and inclusive educational professionalism, recognizing the bodily, emotional, and relational dimensions as fundamental…

This contribution presents a systematic review of the scientific literature, conducted in accordance with the PRISMA protocol, on the integration of Artificial Intelligence into the initial and in-service training of educators and teachers working in the 0–6 age group. Particular attention is…

The paper develops a methodological inquiry into the assessment of play within early childhood education services, focusing on how this educational dimension can be effectively recognised and documented in self-evaluation frameworks for educational quality. Based on experience from nursery centers…

From a neurophysiological perspective, play contributes to children's cognitive development, allowing them to connect with themselves and the environment (Casolo, Frattini, 2023). Movement games engage children in the execution of basic motor patterns (Sibilio, D'Elia, 2015) and not only exercise…

Learning through play is essential in early childhood and primary education. Digital games employ motivational strategies and create ludic spaces. One example is ActiveFloor, an educational technology (EdTech), which allows children to physically interact with projected learning games. In a pilot…

Playing is an all-children’s right, and preschool education has a fundamental role in ensuring that playing is guaranteed in its pedagogical and curricular proposal. This article addresses the importance children attribute to play and do it in the school environment, also seeks to reflect on the…

This article explores inclusive play in early childhood, placing particular emphasis on the integration of analogic and digital solutions. It is based on key regulatory documents such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and ICF-CY (WHO), as well as on the latest research on play as a…

This article interrogates an ongoing initiative, launched in 2017, within the framework of “Artoo – Art as Told by Children”, a project explicitly oriented to fostering the authorial agency of preschool-aged children. The programme interweaves the dramaturgical play dimension inherent in…

The digital environment is conceptualized as an educational space to be inhabited, according to a socio-constructivist perspective, in which learning develops through interaction with meaningful contexts. Playful learning, based on play experience and active participation, represents a pedagogical…

The article, based on the findings of PRIN Di.Co.Each (Digital Competence in Early Childhood), seeks to promote reflection on the tasks of educational services for children aged 0-6, in order to create educational contexts that can foster a balance between analogue and digital environments for…

For children, play is the preferred way to learn and interact with the world. Thus, play is one of the pillars of preschool education. Education professionals must therefore be able to create stimulating and varied contexts in order to support children's play. To do this, they can play around with…

Play is recognised as the privileged language of childhood and a driving force in cognitive, linguistic, motor, and socio-relational development. Early childhood education is called upon to restore its centrality, making it the core of the educational proposal. In this perspective, the contribution…

This paper aims to reflect on the essential value of play as a vehicle for the cognitive, psycho-affective, and linguistic development of infants. Preschool is one of the main educational institutions in a child's life and is called upon, daily, to make the important choice of directing and guiding…

This paper explores the transformation of play in early childhood education services, bringing together theoretical perspectives, historical sources, and contemporary evidence. Starting from a pedagogical framework inspired by Maria Montessori, the research investigates the value of play, developing…

In the field of 0-6 education, play is the epistemological cornerstone of learning, understood not only as an experience of discovery, but as a symbolic, physical and relational practice. The emergence of hybrid educational environments, in which digital and material intertwine, challenges pedagogy…

The integration of digital technologies into the play dimension of kindergarten raises profound questions about the role of play in learning and the pedagogical and ethical responsibilities of the teacher. This contribution critically examines the transformations of children's play in the digital…

Play, in its different forms, is recognized as a key component of children's growth and learning processes. In early childhood education, play is a basic foundation that helps children explore, socialize, be creative, as well as engage in care activities. These benefits, generated through the…

This contribution explores the formative value of video analysis as a reflective and participatory methodology within early childhood education services, with a specific focus on the observation of children's play. Drawing on a field-based training experience, it highlights how the use of video…

Play experiences are essential for children's cognitive, social, emotional, and psychological development. As evidenced by 93% of teachers (from a sample of 137 participants) who completed a specific questionnaire during the research project "A che giochi giochiamo in Molise? L’importanza del…

Aren’t kids having fun today? This adult-centric perception masks a very different reality: contemporary childhood has redefined its playful languages through digital media that often elude traditional pedagogical understanding. This research proposes a review of the international literature on…

The use of board games in educational settings is increasingly emerging as a practice capable of combining inclusive aims, cognitive development, and active learning. This contribution presents the development and testing of an evaluation grid for board games, aimed at analyzing their effectiveness…

This paper compares the formulation of the role of play in early childhood education for children aged 0-6 in Italy and Spain, across both digital and analogue experiences. Literature, applied research, and case studies from these countries, as perused hereinafter, poignantly unravel how play…

This experimental study investigates the risks and developmental potential of digital educational technologies in early childhood play (ages 3 to 6). Using a comparative pre–post test design, it explores the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional outcomes of three play conditions: guided digital…

The topic of assessment has always been central to pedagogical debate and internal discussions within educational institutions, as well as being a recurring subject of regulatory interventions and ministerial documents which, over time, have highlighted different aspects of it. In light of the…

As part of a broader research project aimed at investigating and defining the contribution that assistive technologies (AT) can offer to improving the quality of life, self-determination, and autonomy of people with rare neuromuscular diseases (NMD), this paper presents the phases and findings of a…

Every city, whatever its history, its diversity in real situations, proposes its own tracks for a possible instructive use of places; among the various tracks there is the one that sees it as a privileged place to give birth to exchanges between cultures and past histories, thus becoming an…

This study explores the potential of tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) as tools for developing social skills and strengthening interpersonal relationships within group settings. It focuses on Dungeons & Dragons, the pioneering game of the genre, where the goal is not to win but to co-create a…

This article introduces the concept of digital self-perception or of a “digital sense” as a "new human sense" emerging during the digital era. A study involving 100 participants demonstrated how digital interactions can activate a distinct perceptual faculty, expanding and integrating…

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…