LA PEDAGOGIA DELL’INCLUSIONE FORMATIVA E SOCIALE

1. Theoretical understanding and critical perspective
Students demonstrate a solid understanding of the fundamental aspects of the discipline: they are able to situate educational action within the epistemological framework of pedagogy, recognize the social impact of educational practices, and critically reflect on the concepts of inclusion, exclusion, difference, and justice.

2. Applied and project-oriented competences
Students are able to transform theoretical knowledge into educational practices: they design, implement, and evaluate social and educational interventions, both at national and European levels, with awareness of contextual constraints and available resources.

3. Relational competence and professional ethics
Students develop relational competences grounded in ethical responsibility: they are able to manage proximity and distance in the educational relationship, respect the dignity of others, work effectively in teams, and demonstrate empathy, active listening, and openness to diversity.

4. Communicative and argumentative skills
Students acquire expressive mastery, both oral and written: they articulate coherent arguments, support positions critically, engage in dialogue with different interlocutors, and produce clear reports, including in normative or judicial contexts.

5. Autonomy and responsibility in study
Students manage their learning process autonomously and responsibly: they organize study time and preparation, practice self-discipline, keep sources constantly updated, and maintain consistency and commitment throughout the learning path.

6. Reflective disposition and personal growth
Students show openness to change and personal development: they are able to recognize prejudices and weaknesses, reflect on their own positions, and grow as individuals aware of their educational responsibility.

The course begins with a radical reflection on the human condition: man is not a self-sufficient being, but a fragile one, marked by what Heidegger defined as ontological weakness. This fragility should not be understood as a limitation, but rather as an opening: it reminds us that we are structurally dependent on others and that relationship is not an “extra,” but the very foundation of our existence.

Starting from this awareness, the course focuses on the concept of care as a fundamental pedagogical category. Care is not merely assistance, but attention, responsibility, and recognition of the other in their dignity. It is within this perspective that education takes on its most authentic meaning: to be a relationship that generates inclusion.

From this point, the theme of pedagogy of social and formative inclusion develops, understood as a practice that does not exclude or label, but instead builds contexts in which every person can find space and opportunity. We will examine how prejudices and social representations influence access to inclusion and how educational action, with its intentionality, can be transformed into a concrete response to social needs.

Education will be presented as an inclusive experience in all its aspects: not only instruction and training, but also social animation and the promotion of change. Theoretical reflection will be constantly interwoven with practice: we will discuss the design of inclusive contexts, the evaluation of interventions, and how pedagogical theory can guide choices and actions across different educational settings (family, school, peer groups, leisure, work, the internet).

Special attention will be devoted to the educational relationship of care: we will reflect on personalism, relational ethics, the role of emotions, and educational awareness as essential tools for building authentic educational bonds.

In the second part of the course, our perspective will broaden to the field of social pedagogy, examining its historical development and contemporary perspectives in an inclusive framework. In particular, we will explore the relationship between education and justice, between education and politics, and the value of education as an instrument for the promotion of rights and the construction of more equitable societies.

Within this framework, we will reflect on the educational professionalism of the social worker or sociologist: the necessary skills, the intentionality of educational action, the management of the relationship with users, teamwork, and the emotional challenges of the profession (asymmetry, appropriate distance, proximity, reciprocity). A specific focus will also be dedicated to the risk of burnout and strategies for preventing it, with a view to caring not only for others but also for oneself.

The course will be enriched with laboratory and practical activities: educational project design, teamwork simulations, exercises in communication and effective listening with both adults and minors. We will also address the operational translation of judicial provisions, as well as the ability to draft technical reports for magistrates, with attention to clarity and appropriate language.

Finally, the course will offer spaces for personal and professional empowerment, with exercises in awareness and reflection on one’s own resources, aimed at improving the quality of educational action and preventing forms of professional distress.

In summary, this path will not be a simple list of topics, but a pedagogical journey that, starting from fragility and care, will guide us toward inclusion, social justice, and educational responsibility.

To successfully take part in the course Pedagogy of Social and Formative Inclusion, students are expected to possess some basic knowledge and skills that will serve as the foundation on which new competences will be built.

In terms of theoretical knowledge, it is useful to be familiar with key concepts such as the educational relationship, the formative process, social exclusion, deviance, and disability. These core ideas make it possible to immediately understand the language of the discipline and to situate the themes of the course within a broader horizon.

From the perspective of general cognitive competences, students are expected to exercise critical thinking, avoiding passive acceptance of what they read or hear, and instead learning to question ideas and reason independently. Abilities of analysis, synthesis, and abstraction are also required, together with a disposition toward problem solving: not only understanding social problems, but also attempting to imagine responses, even in complex and uncertain contexts.

Regarding communicative and relational abilities, students should demonstrate a good command of Italian, both written and spoken, in order to argue effectively and produce coherent texts. Equally important is the ability for active listening, that is, the willingness not only to “hear” but to receive and reflect the meaning of what others communicate, with an attitude of empathy and dialogue. An openness to engaging with differences and recognizing their educational value is also essential.

The course further requires a strong emotional and reflective availability. This means being ready to put oneself on the line, to reflect on one’s own positions, prejudices, and weaknesses. Studying pedagogy does not only involve accumulating knowledge, but also growing as individuals who are aware of the educational responsibility each of us carries.

Finally, some organizational and methodological competences are expected. Students should be able to manage their study time effectively (readings, reflections, ongoing preparation), as the course demands consistent commitment. They should also be able to conduct research and use academic sources (reading scholarly texts, compiling bibliographies, connecting different theoretical perspectives), and be willing to work in teams, since many moments of the course will involve group activities such as debates, project work, and workshops.

Develop knowledge of the pedagogical, sociological, psychological and anthropological foundations that underlie social inclusion, understood both as a conceptual category and as an educational practice that is historically combined with the category and practice of exclusion.

- Develop knowledge of the social and psychological dynamics that produce social inclusion or exclusion.

- Develop a critical knowledge of current models of inclusion, in particular towards people in socially marginalized situations.

- Recognize how the elements of knowledge on the dynamics and inclusive/exclusive situations proposed by the different Educational Sciences are placed in the educational perspective.

- Knowing how to connect theory and practice, knowing how to analyze educational activities adopting an inclusive logic.

- Know how to plan the conditions and actions to generate inclusive education situations.

- Knowing how to prefigure and evaluate the outcomes of educational actions on the basis of an inclusive logic.

Teaching contents

The program is divided into two parts - one theoretical and the other practical - which are interrelated.

The chosen evaluation method uses two methods, an ongoing test, in which, through the structuring of a project, it is demonstrated that one possesses the design requirement and the second theoretical test, which will effectively contribute to the completion of the discipline. .

For non-attending students, the test will only be oral and the presentation of a project for a specific service relating to social work will still be necessary.

• Explain the pedagogical meaning of the concept of care and discuss how it is connected to social and formative inclusion.

• In what sense does Heidegger speak of ontological weakness, and how can this concept serve as a foundation for a pedagogy of inclusion?

• What is the difference between social action and educational action? Provide a concrete example.

• Describe the relationship between education and social justice, with reference to rights and active citizenship.

• What are the main structures of educational action, and how are they connected to the values that guide it?

• Imagine designing an inclusive educational context for a group of unaccompanied minors: what key elements would you include, and why?

• How can the “educational relationship of care” be translated into practice in a school setting characterized by strong cultural diversity?

• Explain how a social worker can maintain the “right distance” in the relationship with a user without losing empathy.

• A juvenile court assigns an educational team a case of youth deviance: what concrete steps are needed to transform the provision into an educational intervention?

• In what ways can social animation be considered a methodology for inclusion and participation?

• Which personal competences do you consider most important for preventing burnout in educational professions?

• Describe an experience (even indirect) in which you observed a process of inclusion or exclusion: what pedagogical elements emerge from that experience?