Overview
Italian educational methods, like the Montessori or the more recent Reggio Emilia approach, have been pioneers of child-centered education and have become well known around the world. Historically, Italy has implemented innovative strategies to advocate for the inherent right of EVERY CHILD to a child-centered education, which takes into account the child’s unique ideas, preferences, learning styles, characteristics, motivations and interests. With this idea, Italy was the first country to adopt a single-track educational system focused on full participation of all students regardless of disability.
This workshop aims to empower adults who live and work with our children and enable them to focus on the children’s wellbeing as well as all areas of their growth and development; it was organized as a testament to the public’s growing awareness of EVERY CHILD’s basic rights.
Objectives
Research on early childhood learning and education increasingly views children as active participants in their growth and development. The goal of this workshop is to break through the barrier between research/academia and families, helping parents and caregivers navigate the decision process for pre-school. The discussion will be focused on children’s right to an education that supports them to grow and develop to their fullest potential. We will use this premise to investigate child-centered education approaches and inclusive education, and to inform parents and caregivers about what kind of services are available in their community.
In addition, we will invite pre-school teachers to acknowledge their role as facilitators of children’s learning regardless of individual abilities or disabilities, taking into account not only academic needs but also all children’s needs.
Methods
Parents, caregivers, and preschool teachers will be invited to this workshop and will be asked to actively participate in discussions with professionals and schools about methods and approaches which support the right for a positive education for EVERY CHILD.
The first session will present two topics: the theoretical background and teaching strategies of child-centered approaches, and the importance of a diverse environment, including children with special needs. Professionals and researchers in this area will discuss the effect of developmental curricula in pre-school, proposing first that children should be mentally involved and physically active in their own learning, second that what they need to know and do should be based on their developmental age and their learning needs.
Two Italian child-centered approaches will be presented during the second session: the Montessori and Reggio Emilia Approach. At the end the speakers will form a panel addressing eventual questions and topics coming from the audience.
The last session of the workshop will focus on inclusion of children with special needs. Recently, in special education the paradigm has shifted from an “integrative” model to an inclusive perspective, which brought about new challenges for the educational system. A few speakers will present both: the integrative model, which tends to emphasize the needs of disabled students and to identify manners and tools to support them in adapting to the educational setting; and the inclusive model, which aims at identifying barriers and develops solutions to adapt the context and teaching methods to the students’ needs.
The session will focus on the Italian inclusive education policy, which is considered an area of excellence in the world. The aim is to promote educational attainment and social inclusion of every single student through a holistic approach, giving value to the students’ potential through the adaptation of the environment.