Abstract:

During the 2020 2021 school year the National Institute for Documentation, Innovation and Educational Research (INDIRE), in collaboration with a Secondary School based in Sorrento (Naples), carried out the experimentation of a transdisciplinary learning unit entitled “Environmental Risk”, lasting 6 weeks, in two pilot classes. The main goals of the learning unit, developed by researchers from the STEM area, the Humanities area, as well as the School's Innovation area, were:
o to overcome the dichotomy between the humanistic and scientific areas;
o to teach in open classes;
o to focus not only on cognitive and behavioral, but also on the affective and imaginary dimensions of learning;
o to consider and include both the global citizenship and sustainable development learning goals and frameworks.
The students carried out brainstorming sessions, analyzing the concept of “risk” through their personal experiences and stimuli provided by a set of selected texts proposed by researchers and teachers. After having collected, evaluated, organized and synthesized the data and informations, the students focused the conversation imagining a “desirable future” and proposed planned actions for a possible change. Finally, the students developed various multimedia content and digital products that took into account the multidimensional reality of risk.
This pilot project constitutes the first step of a curriculum for complexity education through the connection between PCTO (Paths for Transversal Skills and Orientation) and basic disciplines. Furthermore it considers the adoption of a qualitative evaluation approach of action and training research, fostering observation and drafting reflective documents as well as questionnaires and focus groups.

Keywords:

Sustainable Development Education, Italy, Upper Secondary School, Paths for Transversal Skills and Orientation, Complexity Literacy.