Abstract:

This research project examines Alberto Manzi’s adult pedagogy. Manzi's educational work with adults was mainly conducted through the medium of television: he was the author and presenter of the RAI program “Non è mai troppo tardi” (1960-68), with which it is estimated that more than one million Italians took their primary school leaving certificate, and of the television program for learning Italian for migrants “Impariamo insieme” (1992).

Starting from the television broadcasts, this research project explores the articulation of Manzi’s adult pedagogy and didactical strategies, with a focus on adult literacy. The pedagogical-didactical analysis of the audiovisual corpus is conducted using the multimodal methodology, to consider at the same time the multitude of data of different types - sound, image, and text - conveyed by the video. This study explores Manzi’s highly innovative approach, arguing he is one of the figures who contributed to the transformation of Italian pedagogical culture after World War II, in the direction of Popular Education, Pedagogical Activism, and Experiential Approach. At a time when the use of technology in education is expanding rapidly, due to the pandemic of COVID-19, it is relevant to draw attention to the most important distance education experience in Italian history.

Keywords:

Alberto Manzi, Adult Education, Adult Literacy, Educational Television, Italian Popular Education, Multimodal Analysis.