Conference Program

The contemporary educational landscape stands at a crossroads where multiple crises converge to challenge foundational assumptions about schooling's democratic purposes. Political disaffection spreads across established democracies as citizens withdraw from civic participation. Algorithmic governance increasingly mediates access to information and opportunity through opaque systems escaping public accountability. What philosopher Luciano Floridi terms "onlife existence"the blending of analog and digital experience reshapes how young people encounter knowledge and construct identities, particularly as artificial intelligence permeates learning environments. These intersecting developments demand urgent reconsideration of how schools cultivate both democratic competence and critical thinking. Operating within a critical-interpretivist paradigm, this investigation rejects claims to value-neutral inquiry while embracing the position that educational knowledge emerges from specific historical conditions and power relations rather than objective certainties. This stance enables examination of how pedagogical practices either interrupt or reproduce existing social arrangements. The central argument holds that democratic education constitutes an ontological condition of meaningful learning rather than merely instrumental preparation for future citizenship. This framing synthesises three theoretical traditions: critical theory, illuminating how educational institutions reproduce or challenge hegemonic structures; post-foundational political thought, questioning essentialist conceptions of democracy while embracing contingency; and epistemic justice frameworks, examining how knowledge practices systematically include or marginalize diverse voices. The methodological approach employs theoretical synthesis, weaving conceptual insights across disciplinary boundaries through critical engagement with philosophical, sociological, and educational literature. This methodology aims not to measure effects but to generate new configurations of meaning reframing how democratic education might be practiced within schools. The analysis unfolds across three interconnected registers: how pedagogical architectures spatial arrangements, curricular rhythms, and interaction norms cultivate or foreclose capacities for collective judgment through shared knowledge construction; the epistemic challenges learners face in digitally mediated spheres where traditional markers of truth undergo constant renegotiation; and structural asymmetries distorting access to democratic educational experiences, questioning whether innovation frameworks address historical injustices. Analysis reveals that institutional design fundamentally shapes democratic capacity development. Dialogic methodologies enabling cooperation toward shared goals prove particularly effective for fostering critical thinking and democratic dispositions, requiring students to navigate disagreement and assume responsibility for collective outcomes. However, current innovation frameworks often overlook persistent structural asymmetries, potentially extending democratic experiences primarily to privileged populations. The paper advances democratic education as provisional enactment of political life within schools’ sites where coexistence is perpetually reworked through encounter and conflict rather than passive transmission of civic content. Recommendations include curriculum redesign prioritising collaborative problem-solving of complex issues; teacher preparation emphasising facilitation of democratic experimentation; and assessment practices valuing shared knowledge construction over individual performance. As theoretical synthesis, findings remain provisional and context-sensitive, requiring empirical validation across diverse settings while remaining attentive to non-Western educational philosophies. Fundamentally, reclaiming education's democratic vocation requires embracing innovative pedagogies that cultivate thinking skills and civic confidence through lived democratic experience recognizing that schools become democratic not by teaching about democracy but by enacting it.

Key words: School innovation; democratic competence; critical thinking; dialogic pedagogy; civic agency

Contemporary philosophy and education increasingly recognise the importance of dialogical approaches such as philosophical debate, Philosophy for Children (P4C), communities of inquiry, and deliberative practices. Within this broader field, Neosocratic Dialogue—developed in the tradition of Leonard Nelson (1882–1927) and Gustav Heckmann (1898–1996)—offers a distinctive way of practising philosophy collaboratively by connecting personal experience with philosophical inquiry.

Historically, Neosocratic Dialogue emerged in the context of intellectual resistance in Germany during the Weimar Republic, the Nazi period, and the years of exile and reconstruction after the Second World War. From its origins, the practice has been closely linked to the aspiration to sustain and promote democratic culture—even in circumstances where democratic life appeared to be under threat.

Today, Neosocratic Dialogue has developed into a widely used philosophical practice supporting democratic education across diverse contexts, including adult education, schools, universities, civil society initiatives, business ethics, and health care. It represents a distinctive form of collaborative philosophical inquiry in which participants, guided by a facilitator, explore authentic beliefs grounded in reflection on personal experience. This dialogical process—often described as Miteinanderdenken (“thinking together”)—encourages slow and reflective thinking, critical examination of assumptions, mutual understanding, and a shared search for truth and consensus. Dialogues typically begin with the careful analysis of a lived experience proposed by participants, which becomes the starting point for conceptual clarification and philosophical investigation without appealing to authority.

By recognising the dignity of each participant as an autonomous subject and fostering highly organised collaborative thinking, Neosocratic Dialogue creates meaningful opportunities for engaging with values, perspectives, and shared understanding. In this way, theoretical reflection and practical experience, rational argument and emotional engagement, inquiry and mutual respect remain deeply interconnected.

The presentation draws on the Erasmus+ project Development of Competences for Democratic Culture through Neosocratic Dialogue (2020–2023), implemented by Sokratovské rozhovory z.s., Collegio Arcivescovile Celestino Endrici, and Plovdiv University Paisii Hilendarski. The project explored how Neosocratic Dialogue can contribute to the development of democratic competences in education, particularly in relation to the Council of Europe Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC).

One of the key outcomes of the project is the handbook The Power of Consensus, which introduces teachers to the principles of Neosocratic Dialogue and provides a set of educational activities designed to cultivate dialogical attitudes and democratic competences, together with practical guidelines for facilitating philosophical dialogue in school contexts.

Building on this project experience, the presentation offers examples of how Neosocratic Dialogue can be implemented in educational settings with teachers, students, and pupils. It also discusses how activities from the handbook can support the development of democratic competences at different educational levels, using the RFCDC as a common reference framework. These experiences point to the potential of Neosocratic Dialogue as a pedagogical approach capable of strengthening democratic culture in education and suggest directions for further research and implementation on a broader scale.

Civic education plays a central role in enabling young people to navigate pluralistic and increasingly polarized societies. Democratic competencies such as openness to diverse perspectives, political tolerance, and the ability to engage constructively with disagreement are widely regarded as key prerequisites for informed participation and democratic resilience (Avery, 2002, p. 113; Hess & McAvoy, 2014, p. 7; Mercer & Littleton, 2007, p. 2). While international research has examined deliberative formats in educational settings (Persson et al., 2020), systematically evaluated and standardized discourse interventions specifically targeting pluralistic orientations remain scarce in the German school context. Against this background, the proposed presentation introduces the conceptual framework and results of the ongoing evaluation of a discourse workshop developed by the non-profit organisation apropolis e.V. (https://apropolis.org), contributing to current debates by linking theoretical perspectives on political discourse skills with the design and empirical examination of a concrete educational intervention.

In this contribution, pluralistic orientations are understood as students' acceptance of political diversity, the perceived legitimacy of dissent, and their willingness to engage with competing political positions (Wenzel, 2023, pp. 58–61). The workshop targets this dimension of democratic learning, going beyond factual knowledge toward students' normative and dispositional engagement with political plurality.

The workshop "Streiten, aber richtig!" combines several didactic elements, including collaboratively developed discussion rules, values-based reflection phases, the analysis of critical incidents, structured confrontational discussion formats, a parliamentary role play, and a counterfactual "what if?" exercise. These elements create a learning environment that is both supportive and challenging, allowing students to practice dealing with disagreement, articulating arguments, and engaging with alternative viewpoints – skills consistently identified as core components of democratic competence in civic education research (Detjen et al., 2012; Council of Europe, 2018, p. 38).

The evaluation follows a pretest–posttest design with approximately n=600 students in grades 7 to 12 across different secondary school types, including lower and middle track, academic, special education, and vocational schools. The study aims to capture students` evaluation of the workshop as well as their learning effects using a semi-standardized questionnaire. The survey asks students` to evaluate the workshop after participation and measures changes in their discursive political self-efficacy and pluralistic orientations such as openness to opposing viewpoints. The study draws on validated scales developed by Shrout et al. (2022), whose facets emotional tolerance, intellectual tolerance, non-rigidity, and pluralistic motivation, correspond closely to the competency dimensions targeted by the workshop. The instrument has been adapted for use in the German school-age context. Additionally, instruments from Oberle et al. (2020) are used to measure changes in political interest and self-efficacy.

The presentation addresses three aspects: the conceptual and theoretical foundations of the workshop, the methodological design of the study, and selected results of the empirical evaluation. The presentation concludes by outlining perspectives for future research, including the potential of longitudinal and control-group designs and additional qualitative methods. By addressing both the potentials and limitations of structured discourse formats under real-world school conditions, it aims to stimulate discussion on how democratic competencies can be fostered through targeted educational interventions.

This contribution presents the findings of a qualitative study conducted during the implementation of the Life Skills Training Programme (LSTP) in primary education with the local Health Protection Agency. The study explores how the programme is translated into everyday school practices and examines the meanings, perceived changes, and challenges emerging from the experiences of teachers and teacher-trainers involved in its implementation. LSTP is a preventive programme in the socio-health field aimed at reducing substance use and preventing violent behaviours by addressing the social and psychological factors associated with risk behaviours (Botvin et al., 1995; 2003). It focuses on three core components: personal self-regulation, social skills development, and resistance to substance use, integrating health education with the promotion of positive attitudes and responsible decision-making (Botvin et al., 2015). In school contexts, these dimensions foster relational competences, reflective dialogue, and participatory classroom practices that enable pupils to experience cooperation, responsibility, and shared decision-making, thus supporting the development of democratic competences. From this perspective, the programme can also be interpreted as a pedagogical device that contributes to constructing classrooms as spaces for democracy (Dewey, 1916).

The study is situated within an ecological perspective (Mortari, 2007) and adopts a fourth-generation evaluation approach (Lincoln & Guba, 1989), inspired by the principles of participatory evaluation (Bezzi, 2010). The research develops along three main dimensions: analysing perceived effectiveness and critical issues among teachers and teacher-trainers; identifying changes observed in both students and teachers; and defining guiding principles to improve and consolidate the programme and its training processes. Four focus groups were conducted remotely with teachers (N = 39), and three with teacher-trainers (N = 22). All sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed through qualitative content analysis (Krippendorff, 2004), supported by a coding system inspired by Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 2016; Tarozzi, 2008). Codes were grouped into categories representing shared units of meaning through intersubjective verification among researchers. A descriptive analysis was also conducted on teachers’ pedagogical documentation.

Findings indicate that teachers perceive LSTP as strengthening students’ personal and social competences and fostering dialogic, participatory classroom practices that promote cooperation, responsibility, and shared decision-making, while also supporting students’ well-being and enhancing classroom cohesion. Active methodologies and structured activities foster teachers’ professional development by encouraging reflective and collaborative practice, especially when the programme is integrated into the curriculum and implemented continuously. However, challenges emerge, including the perceived rigidity of some components, difficulties in engaging families, and the need to update content to address evolving educational contexts. Teacher-trainers emphasise training as a space for dialogue among professionals across local contexts, while also highlighting the complexity of their dual role as teachers and trainers, challenges in collaboration with healthcare professionals, and difficulties in ensuring continuity across school levels, particularly in lower secondary education. The analysis of the pedagogical documentation produced by teachers also reveals different ways of integrating the programme into teaching practice.

Finally, the University plays a strategic role between the education and health sectors and between initial and in-service teacher education, providing tools and training to support reflective and participatory practices.

Grammar teaching in Italy has long been characterized by ideological contrasts and pedagogical debates. The X Theses for a Democratic Linguistic Education (GISCEL, 1975) criticized traditional approach focused on norms, correctness and memorization, proposing instead a descriptive, use oriented and metacognitive model. However, this perspective made limited progress in schools as it required greater professional commitment from teachers, most of whom continued to rely on textbooks and the traditional model inherited from classical culture. Recently, the National Guidelines for the First Cycle of Education (MIM, 2025) seem to signal a return to normative, rule‑based grammar, also framed to teach students respect for social norms.

Grammar remains one of the most difficult and least appreciated areas of study. Analyzing the results of INVALSI tests on grammar questions, Lo Duca (2014) noted that both native and migrant students have difficulty completing tasks that require linguistic reflection, perhaps due to mechanical and decontextualized teaching. Moreover, national and international assessments show a connection between grammatical awareness and reading comprehension.

Valency Grammar (VG) offers a response to these persistent challenges. Developed by Tesnière (1959), in the VG the verb is the organizational center of the sentence and attracts other essential elements through a Valence mechanism, explained through chemical and theatrical metaphors. Sabatini’s adaptation for Italian (Sabatini 2004; Sabatini et al., 2011) introduced radial stemmas (GRS), which visually represent deep syntactic relations through shapes and colors, making VG particularly suitable for educational contexts. The model aligns with approaches like Colorful Semantics (Bryan, 1997), which use visual cues to support morphosyntactic development, including for learners with difficulties (De Santis & Bambini, 2023). VG promotes linguistic reflection starting from students’ implicit grammar (Lo Duca, 2018).

Empirical studies (Camizzi eds., 2020) show that VG fosters inquiry‑based and collaborative learning and active manipulation and multimodal representation of sentence. Teachers also reported improvements in student learning in metalinguistic reflection and text comprehension and production strategies.

To more rigorously verify these perceptions, INDIRE and IUSS launched an experimental study in 2023/24 school year. The design includes a pre‑training assessment, a training phase comparing a valency‑based grammar curriculum with a traditional one, a post‑training assessment and a follow‑up 6–12 months later. The research spans all school levels, but this paper focuses on primary school, involving 84 pupils divided into experimental and control groups. A mixed‑methods approach (Trinchero, 2019; Teddlie & Tashakkori, 2008) integrates quantitative results with qualitative data from interviews, focus groups, and classroom observations.

The data show that, although all students improved their grammar during the intervention, only the VG group also achieved improvements in reading comprehension and metalinguistic awareness. Over time, both groups achieved similar levels, but VG appears to have accelerated learning, helping all students achieve the expected skills sooner. Qualitative evidence explains this effect: in VG laboratories, knowledge is constructed through reasoning, dialogue and multimodal manipulation of linguistic structures, which increases engagement and inclusion.

A model of grammar that promotes reflection rather than memorization strengthens text comprehension and critical thinking, essential skills for developing active and conscious citizenship.

The metropolitan city of Catania holds the national primacy for school dispersion, with an abandonment rate that interests about 25% of the student population (Istat, 2024).Such percentage intertwines with the finding of insufficient levels of alphabetic and numerical competences, which exceed, for the Catanese student population of secondary schools of first grade, 50%. (Istat, 2024) This scenario inserts itself inside of a system that does not guarantee citizens essential levels of performance (LEP) regarding instruction. Marginalized by national policies, the South is characterized by strong educational disparities. The city of Catania presents itself as the urban version of this national scheme: only 5% of children has the possibility to attend a communal nest [nursery], only 9% can make use of full time at elementary schools, the schools are often dilapidated and deprived of suitable structures for curricular activities and the formative institutes are hardly reachable by families that do not dispose of a private vehicle because of the scarcity of public transports. (Istat, 2024)

To explore how democratic education can be enacted despite these territorial constraints, this study analyzes the experiences of two comprehensive institutes that have implemented innovative practices to contrast segregation and educational poverty.

The first institute is located in the neighborhood of Picanello which, influenced by the proximity to the residential zone of the seafront and by areas of elevated economic prestige, features a strong contrast.
In this area, the comprehensive institute “Agatino Malerba” has attempted to propose to all its users an accessible and competitive school, seeking to transform a “ghetto” institute, not attended by children of the “well-to-do” Catania, into an attractive one. The projects undertaken are numerous and have from the very start had the objective to involve and change the entire neighborhood, modifying its spaces and rendering it a possible center of aggregation. Furthermore, thanks to the rich, inclusive and free formative offer, the school has become attractive also for those who before refused to attend it, permitting to reduce the levels of school segregation.

The second institute is situated in the municipality of Adrano, which is part of the belt of Etnean towns, which, characterized by a heterogeneous socio-economic distribution, are part of the metropolitan area of Catania. The institute “Vincenzo Bascetta” of Adrano has sought in these years the goal to repopulate the empty desks that characterised its classes: to the names present in the list of the enrolled did not correspond, in fact, faces. The principal and the teachers have therefore tried, through a series of projects and laboratories, to attract the pupils providing them, other than a place of learning, a new space of listening and socialization.

Both case studies demonstrate that education in marginalized areas requires more than just standard instruction, it demands a structural reorganization of the school’s relationship with its territory. They seem to be of great interest since they aim to contrast the strong educational inequalities that afflict the Catanese metropolitan area