Conference Program

When examining the teaching profession and professionalism to observe the qualitative nature of action—alongside aspects of competence, knowledge, care, pride, and a sense of belonging—a pivotal role is played by the effective interpretation of educational practice. This becomes the primary focal point for new perspectives in study and research. In this sense, the context in which teachers operate daily is constantly evolving, encompassing diverse cultures and existential conditions. This requires calibrated, person-centered planning that extends beyond mere knowledge acquisition toward the attainment of a generative, competent, and enabling agency capable of increasing methodological-didactic awareness. The teacher as an agent of change and an "expert-in-action" in active and laboratory-based methodologies emerges as one who takes responsibility for their role within the school institution. They become a true resource within a complex organization that constantly needs to enhance its level of skills and internal capabilities to address emerging and unforeseen challenges. In synthesis, capacity-in-action is interpreted as functioning (agency) and as a necessary condition for determining human specificity and freedom of action. On this subject, the leading scholar Amartya Sen defines capability as this human faculty to utilize the dense network of relational resources, often identified as social capital: 'competence to act, hybridization, and dense synergistic interaction between material and immaterial forms of the man-world, person-life context relationship.' In other words, drawing also from Martha Nussbaum’s definition, the capability approach focuses on the uniqueness of the person, their dignity, and the real spaces of opportunity available to them. Thus, a new dimension of educational and didactic action takes shape, implying the need to rethink the meaning and purpose of the teacher's professional practice. In this direction, a central role is played by the quality and well-being of teacher training, whose profile must be defined as inclusive. Indeed, the possibility of navigating the complexity of the current educational system lies in adhering to the values that define the inclusive teacher's profile, as updated in 2022 by the European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education (TPL4I). Consequently, within this work—starting from the guidelines developed by the European Agency regarding the 'Profile of Inclusive Teachers'—a National exploratory survey was conducted following the primary research paradigm on original data. The objective is to investigate the quality of the profile and the professional competences/capabilities of the inclusive teacher, aiming for a substantial renewal of teaching practices and inclusive planning processes for a school truly dedicated to developing the talents and potential of each and every student.