1st Edition

School Children as Agents of Change Raising up Critical Thinking and Judgement in the Early Years

Edited By Emanuela Guarcello, Abele Longo Copyright 2024
    246 Pages 8 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    This edited volume promotes the capacity for critical thinking and judgement in primary school-aged children in the face of the challenges that schools encounter in today’s society.

    Foregrounding critical thinking and judgement as essential capacities for children to develop, each chapter offers a space for reflection on the formation of the ability to think and judge in primary school. While presenting a robust conceptual and foundational framework, chapters focus on the educational-didactic practices deemed most authoritative due to their impact on, and their innovative qualities within, the educational landscape today. Themes affecting schools in both the global north and south are discussed, such as social relationships, children’s voices, life skills and digital education, well-being and health, as well as matters of social plurality, inequalities and discrimination, ecology, global economy and the decolonising of education from various international perspectives.

    Foregrounding real-world experience within the education system, this book will be of relevance to researchers, scholars and post-graduates in the fields of philosophy of education, moral education and child development. It will also be of interest to pre- and in-service primary education practitioners.

    Introduction  Part 1: Reasons for Working on the Promotion of Thinking and Judgement Capacity in Primary School 1. Critical Thinking in Early Years of Education. From the Idea of School to the Shapes of Thinking Marinella Attinà  2. Creativity as a Pedagogical Premise of Critical Thinking and Judgement Sara Nosari  3. Critical Judgement in Primary School: Roots, Shapes and New Pedagogical Perspectives Emanuela Guarcello  4. Teaching Constitutional Principles to Shape Democratically Aware Children Tanja Cerruti  5. Reciprocal Maieutics and Conscientisation, Danilo Dolci’s Ecopedagogy Abele Longo  Part 2: Fields of Promotion of Thinking and Judgement Capacity in Primary School 6. Building Community: The Role of Third Cultural Spaces in Community Educational Agreements Giuseppina Cannella  7. Homo Digitalis? The New Challenges for the Development of Critical Thinking and Judgement Capacity Manuela Repetto and Melania Talarico  8. The Web as a New Space for Social Relationships. Risks and Opportunities Marina Adelaide Gallina  9. The paideia of Effort as a Drive for Critical Thinking Cosimo Costa  10. The Development of a Critical Perspective on Targets, Persecutors and Spectators of Bullying in Primary Schools: The Children’s Rights and Regulatory Framework Giuseppe Edoardo Polizzi  11. Teaching Game Concepts in Primary School Antonella Maria Vittoria Quinto and Francesco Sgrò  12. The Importance of Power Sharing and Child Voice: Trust Building for Sustainable Peace Education Federico Farini  13. Health Promoting Schools and the Teaching of Life Skills: A System for Well-Being Simonetta Lingua and Vincenzo Rubino  Part 3: Educational Practices 14. The Encouragement of Ethical Thinking and Caring in Children: The MelArete Project Luigina Mortari and Federica Valbusa  15. The Mirto Educational Centre and Centre for Creative Development "Danilo Dolci": the Methodology of Reciprocal Maieutics Amico Dolci  16. Intercultural Dialogue and Cooperation from Local to Global Giulia Gozzelino  17. Informed Health Choices Project: An International Validated Curriculum to Disseminate Critical Health Literacy to the Public, Starting from Primary School-Piloting Activities in Italian Primary Schools Camilla Alderighi and Raffaele Rasoini  18. The School as a Workshop for Citizenship: Focus on the Active Educational Practices of Scuola-Città Pestalozzi Matteo Bianchini  19. The Educational Cooperation Movement, Democratic Dialogue and the Emancipatory Power of Speaking: The Formation of Critical Thinking at The Centre for Arts and Play-Mario Lodi Pierguido Asinari  20. Educating Agents of Change: The International Network of Ashoka Changemaker Schools Ludovica Tramontin and Luca Solesin  Conclusion - The Promotion of Judging Capacity: Possible Project Lines Emanuela Guarcello

    Biography

    Emanuela Guarcello is Senior Lecturer in Childhood and Primary Teachers Education, Department of Philosophy and Sciences of Education, University of Turin, Italy.

    Abele Longo is Senior Lecturer in Translation Studies, Department of Education, Middlesex University, UK.