Starting from a perspective that views education as a complex and adaptive system, this paper is aimed at providing a first reflection on the concept of linearity, intended as a possible interpretation of the limitations arising from the characteristics and the relationships among the actors, the objects and the events that form part of the teaching-learning process. What results is a deterministic vision of teaching and a real negation of the embodied and situated dimension of teaching. This reflection forms part of a branch of educational research that investigates didactic corporealities - those aspects of teaching that are manifested in bodily form, real and metaphoric representations of the triadic interaction between the teacher, the student and the environment. This is configured as the set of elements that contribute to a complex meaning of the teaching experience, able to contribute to a deconstruction of linear schemes of action that are repetitive in nature and are inadequate to address the emerging needs of 21st Century classrooms. In order to foster and promote the success of all learners, a pluralistic and proteiform perspective is therefore required. This view paves the way to a non-linear form of teaching that is aware of the didactic morphologies that are the characteristics, the spaces, the functions and the potentialities of action during teaching.
In a time where inclusive education has become the underpinning framework of reference for educational policies globally, effective strategies for a smooth and sustainable transformation of educational systems need to be identified. Recent literature on teachers’ attitudes has suggested that the adoption of inclusive policies, although necessary, is not sufficient for its implementation. Particularly, it has highlighted that the successful creation of inclusive environments requires critical reflection on the beliefs and values underpinning the attitudes towards the practical implementation and long-term sustainability of inclusive education. The research presented in this article outlines the historic evolution of the principles characterising inclusive education in Italy and Europe. It then delineates the competencies required for teacher capacity building in inclusive contexts and provides an overview of the founding principles supporting critical reflective practice. In conclusion, it proposes a guided strengths-oriented process aimed at enhancing critical reflection during initial and in-service teacher education courses in order to give teachers the opportunity to reflect on the beliefs and values shaping their practice, as well as explore new routes to bring about improvement and build strategic alliances to be able to handle the complex nature characterising current school contexts. Key words: critical reflective practice; continuous professional development; inclusive education; inclusion; teacher training.
The present theoretical-argumentative research is aimed to put in evidence the Italian perspective on the use of technologies for promoting inclusion in school contexts. In a society which uses technological innovations and multimediality in all the domains of everyday life, indeed, school is required to explore the potential and meaning of educational technologies. During the last years, in light of these new requirements, national and international educational policies have tried to take advantage of the opportunities offered by new technologies to create flexible educational pathways so as to ensure equal access to information and learning processes, by promoting the elimination of all barriers that deny students the right to education. In the perspective of inclusive education, technologies within the educational field can't only represent a compensatory tool to support students with disabilities or with learning difficulties, but they also definitely play a very important role in the reconfiguration of learning environments by creating the necessary conditions for the promotion of each student's differences and abilities.
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