Conference Program

This contribution examines how children and adults exercise political and democratic agency within schools through Reggio Emilia-inspired pedagogical experiences. Central to this idea is recognizing also children as active citizens whose questions encourage reflection and reveal their capacity to influence social life and regenerate the desire to learn.

The investigation involves three Italian public primary school classes where children engaged in inquiry-based processes on identity, inclusion, and democratic participation. Their projects highlight the visible impact of children’s voices and actions beyond the school community.

The main focus is how democratic values, such as recognition of the uniqueness of every voice, respect for diversity, interdependence, and the right to take risks and revise one’s thinking, are enacted in daily classroom life. Teachers, inspired by John Dewey’s principles, create environments in which democracy is experienced rather than merely described. Adults support children’s playful inquiry and reflective discussions, enabling experimentation and dialogue as legitimate ways of learning. This approach recognizes children as active participants in meaning-making and social negotiation, capable of influencing micro-societies within classrooms and broader school communities.

Methodologically, this study adopts a practice-based, qualitative approach focused on teachers’ experiences. By analyzing materials shared by teachers, it explores how democratic values are enacted in everyday classroom activities. Besides relying on direct observation or intervention with children, the research draws on teachers’ accounts of inquiry-based projects on identity, inclusion, and democratic participation, underlying both the strategies employed and the ways children’s agency and participation were perceived and supported.

The findings reveal that democracy emerges in everyday school life: children observe differences, ask questions, negotiate meaning, and recognize the legitimacy of multiple voices. Playfulness and shared inquiry are central pedagogical tools, fostering creativity and collaborative decision-making. In addition to this, intergenerational dialogue enables children to articulate concerns and develop capacities for collective agency and give adults the opportunity for a deeper understanding of different perspectives. These experiences challenge assumptions that political participation and civic competence arise later in life, showing that intentional pedagogical choices can transform schools into microcosms of democratic society.

By situating children as co-participants in civic life, this work contributes to positioning the role of schools in democratic engagement. It makes visible how participatory and reflective educational practices cultivate active citizenship for both students and educators, showing that democracy can be both learned and enacted through everyday classroom experiences.