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L’articolo, a partire da un caso di studio etnografico nella “Fascia trasformata” del Ragu-sano, propone una riflessione sulla vita quotidiana dei bambini in contesti di marginalità e segregazione spaziale e culturale, soffermandosi su alcune dinamiche di agency e di resistenza messe in campo dai bambini5. Si approfondiranno tre questioni rilevanti per la prevenzione dell’esclusione sociale fin dai primi anni di vita: ovvero, le strategie agite dai bambini per opporsi all’idea di futuro determinata dalle famiglie, la complessità della relazione con la scuola e la dimensione di cura e responsabilità tra fratelli

The recent Covid-19 pandemic has exposed social vulnerabilities, highlighting a care crisis. The disruption of schooling heightened concerns about mainstream schools' capacity to meet individual and diverse needs. In this landscape – during and in the aftermath of the pandemic – there has been an international rise in home education (English, 2021), wherein parents take on the primary responsibility for their children's learning outside traditional school settings. The pandemic acted as a 'contextual facilitator' (Johnson, 2022), prompting many families to choose this unconventional path, as evidenced in various contexts, including Italy (MIUR, 2023). In the Italian context, home education, formally known as 'istruzione parentale', is a legally regulated option for compulsory-age children (aged 6-16). While it remains an underexplored research topic within the national scholarship, it has recently attracted increasing attention among researchers, policymakers, and the broader public (Chinazzi, 2020, 2021; Di Motoli, 2019; Giovanelli & Piromalli, 2021). In our discussion, we will draw on the findings of a recent mixed methods study on home education in Italy. The study employed ethnographic methods, semi-structured interviews, and survey questionnaires, focusing on the emic viewpoints of parents who identify as home-education practitioners. The age range of their home-educated children spanned from 1 to 19 years old, with the 6-11 age group being the most prevalent. The study revealed that the predominant motivations among participants were pedagogical reasons, concerns for children’s socio-emotional well-being, and family-based considerations. A substantial number of participants expressed their desire for their children to learn in a child-centred and low-pressure environment. Specifically, they articulated concerns about schools prioritising content delivery over the cultivation of emotional and social skills, particularly in the aftermath of the pandemic rush

In this paper, starting from some data that emerged from a research on the daily life of children and families during the Covid-19 pandemic (Mantovani et al., 2021; Picca et al., 2021), we open a reflection on the need to rethink the professional profile of 0-6 educators in an interdisciplinary sense to make the preventive and supportive action of fragile families more incisive. EU literature and documents have highlighted the pedagogical potential of multidisciplinary teams with respect to taking care of vulnerable families, underlining how interdisciplinary action increases the probability of intercepting signs of unease in an holistic and systemic way (Milani et al., 2015), avoiding the fragmentation of the support intervention, acting on resources and counteracting the spiral of disadvantage. The thesis here argued is that 0-6 educators can play a crucial role in this perspective, acting as territorial “sentinels” or “guarantors” of well-being by monitoring the social health conditions of families, but they must be trained to build bridges and weaving networks in an intersectional and multidisciplinary work perspective. A work at a micro level, starting from the ECE levels, which over time can trigger virtuous networks of collaboration to contrast the vulnerability of families at the meso- and macro- system level.

The paper aims to present the results of the “Children and lockdown” research project conducted by the Italian Society of Primary 492 |Ricerche Ricerche Pediatric Care (SICuPP Lombardia) with the collaboration of a group of researchers from the University of Milan-Bicocca (Paolo Ferri and Chiara Bove, professors of the Department of Human Sciences for training “Riccardo Massa”) and of the spin-off of the University of Milan-Bicocca “Children Bicocca” Children and Lockdown. Two questionnaires were issued. The first in 2020 after the Lockdown and the second in 2021 after the partial winter lockdowns. The research involved more than 3,500 families in 2020 and 3,200 in 2021, all with children between zero and ten years of age residing in all the provinces of Lombardy. The aim of the research was to investigate the rhythms, rules, routines (nutrition, sleep, play, physical activity), the educational and didactic experience and the emotional states of children and parents during the lockdown (Mantovani et al. , 2021, Picca, 2021). In this article we will investigate more specifically, starting from the data collected in the two surveys (2020, 2021), the relationship of children with digital technologies

This study aims to provide a thick description of home education in Italy, combining emic and etic perspectives. It investigates homeeducating parents’ beliefs on early childhood education, e.g, children’s agency, individualised and child-centered practice. A growing number of parents are choosing to homeschool their children (Gaither, 2017), especially after the pandemic (Heuer & Donovan, 2021). Parenting choices are shaped by cultural beliefs about education (Harkness & Super, 1992) which are constantly changing in societies. Parental narratives are analysed through a socio-cultural perspective (Rogoff, 2003) which allows moving beyond the explicit level to investigate implicit ‘folk pedagogies’ (Bruner, 1996) and ‘parental ethnotheories’ (Harkness & Super, 1992). An ethnographic mixed-methods study was carried out within an interpretive paradigm (Creswell et al., 2006) and an ecological approach (LeCompte & Schensul, 2010). Participant observations, interviews and survey data were the main inquiry methods. Reflexive-thematic and descriptive statistical analysis were combined. The project was approved by the University of Milano-Bicocca ethics committee. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. Findings show the first parental motivation to home educate is to provide “tailor-made” and “child-centred” education. Home-educating parents seem to embrace an agentic pedagogy, involving children as protagonists of their learning process. However, the potential lack of peer group socialization emerges as a key concern in their narratives. The study sheds light on a controversial phenomenon in need of further research, also involving children’s voices. It contributes to the “regulation question” of home schooling in Italy, where the legal framework of the practice is still evolving.

a ricerca educativa in contesti eterogenei ci sfida a ripensare quali competenze epistemologiche, etiche e metodologiche possano orientare i processi d’indagine in una direzione di equità e giustizia sociale, promuovendo reali spazi di parola e di agency da parte dei partecipanti. A partire da una visione della ricerca come una pratica non neutrale, dal dibattito sul posizionamento nato nell’ambito degli studi femministi e da esperienze di ricerca con gruppi sociali in condizioni di ‘marginalità’, l’articolo riflette criticamente sui nessi tra posizionamento del ricercatore, scelte teoriche e metodologiche e agentività dei partecipanti. Riconoscere la natura situata e intersezionale del proprio posizionamento e i dinamismi di potere che orientano le azioni di ricerca in tutte le sue fasi è una premessa per costruire processi di ricerca dialogici capaci di divenire occasioni di co-costruzione di competenze per tutti, contribuendo a sviluppare una cultura professionale critica per far fronte alle sfide della complessità., Educational research in heterogeneous contexts challenges us to rethink which epistemological, ethical and methodological skills can guide the investigation processes in a direction of equity and social justice, promoting real spaces of dialogue and agency on the part of the participants. Starting from a conceptualization of research as a non-neutral practice, and drawing upon the debate on positioning developed within feminist studies and research experiences with social groups in conditions of ‘marginality’, the article critically reflects on the connections between researcher positionality, theoretical and methodological choices and agency of the participants. Recognizing the situated and intersectional nature of one’s positioning and the power dynamics that guide research actions in all its phases is a prerequisite for building dialogical research processes as possible opportunities for co-construction of competencies for all the subjects involved, contributing to the development of a critical professional culture to cope with the challenges of complexity.

While the current debate highlights an increasing deficit of civic engagement, new — and often less visible — forms of “participation” are beginning to be detected, such as those implemented by citizens with migratory background living at the physical and symbolic margins of Western towns. Our study, part of the project “Abitare insieme” (Living together) in Milan’s multicultural suburbs (Italy), was developed with a dual purpose: to analyze the relationship between citizens with a migratory background, active citizenship, and their place representations/belongings; to experiment the co-construction of innovative spaces of speech for citizens, through their dialogical involvement in the research. In a framework of participatory research to enhance reflexivity and transformative practices, a survey was designed and administered. In this paper we will discuss the survey results, along with some methodological implication. The aim is to contribute to reinvent the “active citizenship” construct from a transformative, pedagogical, and intercultural perspective.

Cooperative approaches and technology are recognized as key issues in the contemporary debate on how to promote social inclusion in schools. Within the ongoing EU Project COoPING (Erasmus+ KA210-SCH) the links between them were explored through a scoping review. The ERIC database was queried to identify relevant empirical studies published in the last ten years. The study selection process – guided by inclusion and exclusion criteria – led to the inclusion of eight empirical studies. The selected articles were charted, and transversal themes were analyzed and narratively reported. The results show the potential of technology to support cooperation and social inclusion at school. At the same time, it warns about some methodological and theoretical cautions to be aware of when introducing it in didactic and formative activities. The findings informed a co-designed intervention with teachers and educators involved in the project.

A pilot teaching project in the context of higher education has yielded some insights on effective teaching strategies for the promotion, among postgraduate students, of a habit of inquiry. This is meant as a valuable attitude in contemporary societies and a paramount prerequisite for developing reflective thinking and open-mindedness in a Deweyan perspective. Postgraduate students – pre-service teachers and educators -- were involved in a cross-cultural and inquiry-based project. As the students’ perspectives revealed, adopting an inquiry attitude contributed not only to the development of reflective thinking and open-mindedness but also self-empowerment and inquisitiveness.

In the last months, ECEC practitioners in all European countries have been facing the challenge of continuing their educational work despite the constraints and limitations imposed by the pandemic crisis. Under the pressure of health security during and after lockdown family life, children’s daily experience and professional practices have dramatically changed (OECD, 2020). New rules have been set and different educational strategies have been invented and enacted. More reflection and discussion are required to provide practitioners with adequate support to respond to the ‘social health’ emergencies generated by the pandemic – especially regarding prevention/support actions for disadvantaged families and children (educational poverty, migration, economic/environmental disadvantage, disabilities, special needs). This paper discusses the need to develop an ‘interdisciplinary-based’ professional language and culture for ECEC educators, and to revisit their expertise in light of how the COVID-19 emergency has changed their educational responsibilities, calling for new competences and richer professional development. Responding to emergencies implies intercepting signs of vulnerability in children and families as they first appear in the daily life of ECEC settings. This can be most effectively done through community work based on stronger networking relationships with other practitioners and services, especially health professionals and paediatricians. The post-pandemic crisis highlights the need to invest locally in the professional development of ECEC educators as key «tutors in resilience» (Cyrulnik, Malaguti, 2005) as well as in that of paediatricians and other practitioners, based on the assumption that social health includes the physical and mental health of children and of the entire community. This means rethinking both how CPD (continuing professional development) is organized and its contents. As a starting point for reflecting on these issues, I draw here on

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent national lockdowns, school closures and distance learning may have had both negative and positive effects on physical and mental health of children. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a large group of children between 1 and 10 years old in Lombardy, Italy (n = 3392). Their parents filled in a survey answering single or multiple-choice questions about their offspring’s behavior changes (including sleep, dietary habits, emotional disturbances), relationship with siblings, parents and peers, the use of digital technologies, and distance learning experience during the lockdown. Results: Parents reported lifestyles and emotional alterations during the lockdown. The modifications of family relationships, parents’ remote working, and screen time were associated with sleep, emotional and behavioral modifications. Distance learning was overall considered adequate. Conclusions: This study reported the most updated data on the effects of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on children between 1 and 10 years of age in a large sample of Italian schoolchildren. The results of this study point out that pediatricians and authorities should support relationships within families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents’ remote working might play an important role for this purpose.

Bambini e lockdown un anno dopo: dalla resilienza alla resistenza Possesso e uso di device digitali sempre in aumento e in età più precoce, con conseguente pervasività di questi strumenti nella vita dei bambini in età scolare. Questo i dati di rilievo riscontrati dalla seconda edizione dalla ricerca di Milano-Bicocca, dopo la prima svoltasi a maggio 2020. Entrambe le edizioni dell’indagine “Bambini e lockdown, la parola ai genitori” sono state condotte dalla Società Italiana delle Cure Primarie Pediatriche (SICuPP Lombardia- Marina Picca, Presidente e coordinatrice scientifica del progetto per i pediatri) con la collaborazione di un gruppo di ricercatori dell’Università di Milano-Bicocca (Paolo Ferri e Chiara Bove docenti del Dipartimento di Scienze umane per la formazione) e della spin off dell’Università di Milano-Bicocca “Bambini Bicocca” (Susanna Mantovani, coordinatrice scientifica). I ricercatori hanno riproposto a maggio 2021 alle oltre 3.000 famiglie interessate dalla prima indagine, i due questionari online parzialmente differenziati a seconda delle età - bambini di età compresa tra 1-5 anni e bambini dai 6 ai 10 anni – allo scopo di conoscere l’evoluzione del vissuto dei genitori e dei bambini nei mesi successivi al primo lockdown (da settembre 2020 a maggio 2021). Quasi la totalità (93 per cento) dei rispondenti sono madri con un titolo di studio medio alto con bambini di queste fasce d’età residenti a Milano città e in tutte le province della Lombardia, la regione più colpita dalla pandemia Covid-19. “Alimentazione e sonno - afferma Marina Picca, Presidente SICuPP Lombardia- continuano a essere messi a dura prova. Rispetto ai dati del 2020 abbiamo osservato un miglioramento, ma persistono elementi di preoccupazione. Un dato nuovo non indagato nella ricerca del 2020 è la presenza di malessere fisico nei bambini soprattutto in età scolare. La persistenza di alcuni comportamenti che testimoniano malessere della salute mentale e fisica destano

La natura culturale delle pratiche educative è oggi un tema dominante nei dibattiti sull’educazione e sui servizi per l’infanzia. Basta entrare in un servizio per l’infanzia oggi per osservare la variabilità di stili educativi, norme, tradizioni, linguaggi, simboli e culture sull’educazione: mentre i bambini e i genitori immigrati introducono elementi di novità, pongono domande, propongono valori sull’educazione e modelli orientativi specifici, gli educatori si sperimentano nello sforzo di costruire occasioni di coinvolgimento, partecipazione attiva, dialogo. Riconoscere le differenze nelle concezioni sull’infanzia, nelle idee sullo sviluppo e l’apprendimento e nelle relative pratiche è impegnativo, ma è anche una opportunità pedagogica importante. A partire dalle considerazioni emergenti dalla ricerca recente, la relazione propone una riflessione su come trasformare questa variabilità di modelli educativi e comportamenti in un’occasione di rinnovamento delle modalità di incontro e dialogo tra educatori e genitori.

La genitorialità nella migrazione è un’esperienza complessa e con molti aspetti delicati, ma, se ben sostenuta, può essere un’occasione di riadattamento individuale e sociale per le famiglie. La tradizione di ricerche sulla genitorialità nella migrazione evidenzia quanto il “dare voce” sia una condizione importante per agire forme di supporto e di empowerment genitoriale; tuttavia, va ampliata la riflessione epistemologica sui metodi che sostengono processi di “presa di parola” effettivamente interculturali per chi vive in condizioni di marginalità. A partire da un esempio di ricerca basato sull’analisi di esperienze di vita di donne-madri migranti in Italia, l’articolo propone una riflessione sulle potenzialità pedagogiche dell’intreccio tra “conversazione etnografica” e osservazione partecipante per il lavoro e la ricerca con le famiglie migranti, Parenting in migration is a complex experience with many delicate aspects, but, if well supported, it can be an opportunity of individual and social readjustment for families. The tradition of research on parenting in migration highlights how “giving voice” is an important condition for acting as forms of support and parental empowerment; however, the epistemological reflection on methods that support effective intercultural “speech” processes for those who live in marginal condition must be expanded. Starting from an example of research based on the analyses of life-experience of migrant women-mothers in Italy, the article discusses the pedagogical potential of the intertwining between “ethnographic conversation” and participant observation for work and research with migrant families.

Lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant psychological impact on children and adolescents. This study compared lockdown effects on children aged 1–10 years in 2020 and 2021. Two structured questionnaires were administered to 3392 parents in 2020, and 3203 in 2021. Outcomes considered for the data analysis included sleep changes, episodes of irritability, attention disturbances, distance learning and number of siblings. For data analysis, children were divided into two groups: pre-scholar (1–5 years old) and older ones. The lockdown was associated with a significant increase in sleep disturbances in 2020 and persisted after a year. The high prevalence of mood changes persisted unchanged in children under the age of 10 in 2020 and in 2021. Even if strengthened family ties seemed to mitigate the negative impact of lockdowns in 2020, this effect appeared absent or at least reduced in 2021. Irritability and rage in children were perceived to have increased in 2021 compared to 2020. A significant reduction in digital device use was observed in 2021 compared to 2020. Overall, the most harmful consequences of the lockdown in 2020 were still observed in 2021. Further studies are needed to analyze possible psychological effects that the generation who experienced the pandemic during early childhood may have, particularly in their future adolescence, in order to identify possible intervention practices to support families.

La crisi climatica mondiale reclama risposte efficaci sul piano delle politiche, ma anche lo sviluppo di una cultura pedagogica della sostenibilità che informi gli stili di vita e i comportamenti individuali e collettivi. Cruciale in questo senso è educare alla responsabilità e alla cura, all'interno di un progetto più ampio di educazione alla cittadinanza attiva. In questa prospettiva, l’assunzione di responsabilità nei confronti delle molteplici connessioni con il luogo in cui si vive passa attraverso azioni educative volte a promuovere un “senso del luogo”, che diventi senso di appartenenza e, dunque, di cura nei confronti del proprio ambiente di vita. In questo articolo si propone una riflessione teorica su questi temi intrecciata ad alcune indicazioni metodologiche emergenti da un’esperienza di ricerca in un quartiere multiculturale della periferia milanese. In un contesto caratterizzato da gravi fragilità, le cui caratteristiche fisiche e sociali sembrano sfidare le possibilità di sviluppare legami buoni con un ambiente percepito come “transitorio e abbrutito”, i luoghi sono emersi come hub sostenibili per l’incontro interculturale e la partecipazione dei giovani anche durante la pandemia.

La scuola è sempre stata un'agenzia formativa centrale per le società democratiche in dialogo con le famiglie. Oggi tuttavia questo ruolo va ripensato aprendosi al territorio, alla variabilità di culture, linguaggi, stili educativi e famigliari dei genitori. La sfida è avviare un processo di revisione critica delle pratiche di comunicazione tra insegnanti e genitori.

– This article deals with the theme of teacher-student relationship as a key-educational device in multicultural schools. After a brief discussion on the influences of the teacher-pupil relationship on the learning processes of the students and on in-service training needs, the article focuses on the impact of the “Teacher Relationship Interview” (Pianta, 2001) on teacher’s professionalism through examples drawn from a research conducted in a middle school. The narrative progression of the interview, accompanied by specific questions that elicit a detailedreconstruction of the two-way dimension of the relationship, opens up interesting methodological perspectives for thinking about the teacher student relationships as a “research and training object”.