The ways of accessing the epistemological, socio-cultural, anthropological-educational value of Special Pedagogy, declined in an inclusive perspective, are characterized by the multiform and multifaceted categories, of a complex and pluralistic nature, of diversity and difference. In particular, the epistemological foundations of Special Pedagogy today require continuous rethinking in the light of the rapid transformations of associated life and of the interdisciplinary contaminations due to the incessant dialectical operations of readjustment. Special pedagogy is a discipline that is always in progress, constantly called upon to review its theoretical constructs, good practices, subjects-objects of investigation, terminology, methods and research direction, with a style typical of those accustomed to "inhabiting" frontier places by interrogating them and questioning themselves. The course is aimed at acquiring the theoretical and methodological principles of Special Pedagogy interpreted as the science of integration and inclusion of people with disabilities and with "Special Educational Needs". Here it becomes of particular importance to carry out a careful critical reflection on the epistemological question of Special Pedagogy which must be understood as a science of inclusion, recognition and full valorisation of the educational potential of subjects with disabilities and with "Special Educational Needs", going beyond the limiting risks of reductionist and technical interpretations, increasingly dominant, of the languages of medicalization and the psychologization of diversity. Of particular importance is the transition from the integrative logic to that of the school and social inclusion process. The course aims at mastering the main concepts of diversity, deficit, handicap, integration, inclusion, individualization, personalization, care, help, starting from the analysis of the categories of disability, up to the debate on "Special Educational Needs" and on the role carried out by the specialist support teacher. Knowledge of educational theories and practices concerning the integration and scholastic and social inclusion of pupils with disabilities and with "Special Educational Needs" and the related design models to be adopted represents an essential element for the exercise of adequate and updated professionalism. From this perspective, attention will be focused on the categories of educational care and help, as founding elements of Special Pedagogy, indispensable, above all, in the construction of an adequate and updated theoretical-practical baggage of knowledge, skills and competences of a planning for socio-pedagogical educators, specialized teachers and pedagogists. Furthermore, it will be necessary to master inclusive strategies, methods and good practices using the main design models of an integrated and reticular nature to ensure that every person, regardless of their "status" of disability, frailty and social vulnerability, reaches a good level of inclusion social, active citizenship, accessibility and belonging to the common and democratic social context. Educational care, help, therefore, will be further investigated and explored in the complex, multifaceted and possible declinations involving the overcoming of abstract philosophical theories to offer themselves as  operational, organizational and management tools capable of dealing with the particular situations, often emergencies, of people in difficulty. Fundamental importance will be given to the critical reflection referred to the role played by the narrative approach in the training of educational care and assistance professionals. The second part of the program will illustrate the inclusive and curative values of narration within Special Pedagogy, focusing above all on the dialectical relationship between inclusion, curation and narration .

The course will address the following topics in the order indicated:

- Special Pedagogy and epistemological issues: the logic of paths and borders

- The definitions of Special Pedagogy

- Special Pedagogy and dialogue with other sciences

- For a Special Pedagogy of inclusion

- Complexity and diversity

- Educating to diversity: the new educational professions

- Educational care, the helping relationship and existential replanning

- Storytelling, care and resilience

- Narration and existential redesign

- Storytelling as an inclusive language and tool

- Narration as a language-tool and "gesture" of care

- Storytelling and inclusion

- Storytelling and training

- Narration and acceptance of the condition of disability

- Narration and autobiography: "special" life stories

- Storytelling as a tool and working methods

Analytically, the course is aimed at the knowledge, understanding and mastery of:

- indicators of quality of social inclusion - comparison of design models to move from individual care to care of the territory

- teamwork, supervision, planning and coordination of inclusive extracurricular activities

- special and non-special pedagogical skills, to plan the reduction of handicaps, discomfort, situations of marginalization and deviance

- educational care and phenomenological-hermeneutical approach

- educational care, help and an ecological-systemic approach

- strategies and methods of care and help with a view to redefining the Life Project

- theories, methods and narrative practices as tools of care and help

- care as a founding category of Special Pedagogy

- care, help and educational professions

- educational care as "competent accompaniment" towards inclusion

- design models and network logics

- the strategies of the helping relationship in difficult contexts

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1.   Knowledge and understanding. At the end of the course the student will have acquired: the main lines of the epistemological debate in the field of Special Pedagogy with particular reference to its constituent elements (problems and methods) and the relationships with other educational sciences ability to identify, define and compare the fundamental characteristics of the theoretical and methodological approaches of the Special Pedagogy with particular reference to inclusive scholastic and social processes knowledge and skills necessary to identify, define and compare the different characteristics of the theoretical-methodological approaches of the Special Pedagogy and the Pedagogy of marginality and deviance oriented in an inclusive perspective  knowledge and special and non-special skills of care and help professionals   knowledge and skills related to the multiple declinations of the categories of educational care and help.

2. Applying knowledge and understanding. At the end of the course the student will have to demonstrate the ability to: know and understand the concepts and theories included in the course; recognize the different theoretical settings and operate conceptually with them; analyze the characteristics of some inclusive tools related to the development of inclusive life projects critically analyze the different design models of good care and help practices oriented towards social inclusion.

3. Making judgments. At the end of the course, the student will have to demonstrate the ability to: use knowledge and concepts that allow reasoning according to the plural and open logic of the discipline; identifying intervention methodologies suitable for the different contexts, knowing how to envisage intervention hypotheses and dealing with pedagogical cases related to social inclusion.

4.   Communication skills. At the end of the course the student must have acquired the ability to: ·  use the specific vocabulary of the discipline in its meanings of reflection and operational practices in the field; ·  knowing how to communicate with congruent tools addressed during the teaching course. ·  communicate with the operators of the territory using the specific disciplinary language.

5.   Learning skills. At the end of the course the student will have acquired the ability to: ·  analyze and critically evaluate, in their reflexive and epistemological aspects, the constructs of the discipline relating to the main social training contexts ·  autonomously investigate the problems relating to the various intervention contexts.

6 Finding the sources necessary for the development of critical reflections and the implementation of projects aimed at integration and social inclusion Building good intervention practices and design itineraries relating to individuals with disabilities and marginalized people.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Furthermore, there are also moments of monitoring and evaluation during the project.

Teaching

The face-to-face teaching method will be enriched with individual and group exercises and insights. Some topics of the course will be treated through the use of diversified languages eg. illustrative videos, film clips, documentaries. Students will be encouraged to create multimedia products according to the narrative-autobiographical method (videos, podcasts, etc.) also using other expressive languages such as music and dance. Strategies such as the "Flipped classroom", the reading of articles or excerpts of essays to be discussed together in a critical-constructive way with "Debate" practices, will also be implemented. Finally, the intervention of experts is foreseen.

Innovative teaching methods

The course will be organized using "plural" teaching based on frontal lessons, but also term papers, videos, individual research, laboratory exercises, seminars, debates on specific topics, group work, etc.

To encourage innovative teaching, the course includes some moments of laboratory activity relating to the narrative project entitled: "Meeting diversity: sensitive knowledge", with the use of mixed qualitative and quantitative research methods.

There will be a specific moment of formative evaluation on some topics addressed, without suspension of lessons.

Attendance

There is no compulsory attendance.

Course books

I testi ufficiali sono:

1.   P. Gaspari, La Pedagogia speciale oggi. Le conquiste, i dilemmi e le possibili evoluzioni. Franco Angeli, Milano, 2023. (pp.287).

 2. P. Gaspari, Cura educativa, relazione d'aiuto e inclusione. Le categorie fondative della Pedagogia speciale nelle professionalità educative, Anicia, Roma, 2021. (pp. 238).

3. P. Gaspari, Lo sguardo narrativo della Pedagogia speciale inclusiva, Franco Angeli, Milano, 2024, in preparazione, (pp. 200).

Assessment

The assessment of learning will take place thanks to a final exam carried out in written form with open answers (e.g., short essay with space and time limits) as the objective of the test is mainly to verify the ability to use knowledge and concepts that allow for reflection following the specific epistemic logic of the discipline. It becomes of particular importance to identify and define the main theoretical constructs related to inclusive processes; develop some effective pedagogical-didactic tools; knowing how to construct intervention hypotheses functional to the training needs of individuals with disabilities and SEN. 

Specifically:

- relevance and effectiveness of the responses in relation to the contents of the program; - level of articulation of the response; - adequacy of the disciplinary language used. Each of the criteria is evaluated on the basis of a scale of values

Disability and DSA

Students who have registered the disability certification or the DSA certification at the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can ask to use concept maps (for keywords) during the exam.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam session, to the teacher of the course, who will verify their consistency with the indications of the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

To give students and non-attending students the opportunity to compensate for what is done during the lessons with independent study, we recommend using all the materials included in the blended platform (slides, exercises, supplementary material) which are particularly useful for fully understanding the program contents.

Attendance

There is no compulsory attendance.

Course books

1.   P. Gaspari, La Pedagogia speciale oggi. Le conquiste, i dilemmi e le possibili evoluzioni. Franco Angeli, Milano, 2023. (pp.287).

 2. P. Gaspari, Cura educativa, relazione d'aiuto e inclusione. Le categorie fondative della Pedagogia speciale nelle professionalità educative, Anicia, Roma, 2021. (pp. 238).

3. P. Gaspari, Lo sguardo narrativo della Pedagogia speciale inclusiva, Franco Angeli, Milano, 2024, in preparazione, (pp. 200).

Assessment

The assessment of learning will take place thanks to a final exam carried out in written form with open answers (e.g., short essay with space and time limits) as the objective of the test is mainly to verify the ability to use knowledge and concepts that allow for reflection following the specific epistemic logic of the discipline. It becomes of particular importance to identify and define the main theoretical constructs related to inclusive processes; develop some effective pedagogical-didactic tools; knowing how to construct intervention hypotheses functional to the training needs of individuals with disabilities and SEN. 

Specifically: - relevance and effectiveness of the responses in relation to the contents of the program; - level of articulation of the response; - adequacy of the disciplinary language used. Each of the criteria is evaluated on the basis of a scale of values

Disability and DSA

Students who have registered the disability certification or the DSA certification at the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can ask to use concept maps (for keywords) during the exam.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam session, to the teacher of the course, who will verify their consistency with the indications of the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

During the course, individual and small-medium group teaching exercises will be carried out on the educational-didactic planning developed in an inclusive key in order to acquire evaluation elements on the level of mastery achieved by the students.