Abstract:

The contribution offers a pedagogical reflection on some of the challenges the Italian school had to address in the forced transition from face-to-face learning to distance learning. The challenges have been identified by using a rights-based lens, specifically by focusing on those rights that the document “Didattica a distanza e diritti degli studenti. Mini-guida per docenti” (Distance learning and rights of the learners. Mini-guide for teachers) of the Ministry of Education and of the Autorità Garante (child ombudsman) highlight [1].

The contribution is framed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989, art.28), the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDG 4) and by the UNESCO initiative Futures of Education: Learning to become [2] which see education, in a changing world, as the foundation for the construction of a just, equitable, tolerant, open and socially inclusive society. In 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic started challenging this political and pedagogical project by igniting unprecedented events, amongst which the gradual global closure of schools.

In Italy 10,876,792 learners have been affected by school closures until the end of the academic year [3]. Classes continued through distance learning. In order to support distance education, a methodological and practical guide for teachers based on children’s rights was created. It focuses on the rights to: non-discrimination (art.2), participation (art.2), freedom of expression (art.13), adequate standards of living (art.27) and the right to education itself (art.28).
Despite the formal recognition of rights, CISMAI denounced their substantial violation [4] during the pandemic. Furthermore children, families, educators and teachers expressed feeling abandoned, left behind [5] and researchers are bringing attention to a ‘new’ way of conceiving the digital divide, that manifested itself only with the absence of an in-person relationship: the relational digital divide [6]. It doesn’t only include access to digital devices but concerns a system of social inequalities [7], rights breaching could be added, that were already present and have been exasperated during the pandemic.
The contribution will also offer pedagogical suggestions to promote children’s rights –the key to just, inclusive and quality education– in distance learning, an ‘extension’ of face-to-face learning and a test bench of the schooling system.

References:
[1] Ministero dell’Istruzione & AGIA, “Emergenza sanitaria da nuovo Coronavirus. Prime indicazioni operative per le attività didattiche a distanza,” 2020.
[2] UNESCO, “Futures of Education: Learning to become,” 2019.
[3] UNESCO, “Global monitoring of school closures caused by COVID-19,” 2020. [Online]. Available: https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse.
[4] ISPCAN, “The Child Protection Response to COVID-19 in Italy: Lessons Learned,” 2020.
[5] N. Chieregato, “L’educazione ai tempi del Coronavirus (e dopo): risultati preliminari di una ricerca qualitativa condotta con i professionisti dell’educazione,” in Infanzia, famiglie, servizi educativi e scolastici nel Covid-19, 2020, pp. 40–47.
[6] A. Soriani, “Nessuno (digitalmente) indietro? Le sfide di una scuola forzata alla non-presenza,” in Infanzia, famiglie, servizi educativi e scolastici nel Covid-19, 31., 2020, pp. 31–34.
[7] F. Zanetti, Nuove tecnologie e disuguaglianze digitali. Processi di inclusione ed esclusione nella rete. Parma: Edizioni Junior, 2010.

Keywords:

Distance learning, digital divide, rights of the child, Covid-19, Italy.