Conference Program

Purpose: This study explores pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) professional agency and ICT use to foster critical thinking and create democratic learning spaces in the mathematics classroom. It examines the challenges PSTs encounter in integrating ICT for critical thinking and the role Communities of Practice (CoP) play in shaping PSTs pedagogical practices. Additionally, it proposes a sustainable critical pedagogy framework in ICT-integrated Mathematics Teaching for PSTs.

Study’s Main Question: How can hybrid CoPs be leveraged to develop a sustainable critical pedagogy framework in ICT-integrated Mathematics Teaching among PSTs?

Problem Statement: Mathematics education is of paramount importance, yet South African learner outcomes remain low compared to international benchmarks, as shown by the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study report, National Senior Certificate results and provincial Systemic Tests. South Africa’s Department of Education has identified teachers’ limited capacity to foster critical thinking in the 4^th Industrial Revolution (4IR) classroom as a key constraint. Despite current interventions such as Initial Teacher Education programmes and Continuous Professional Development initiatives, these efforts have had limited impact.

Methodology: This study employed a qualitative, interpretive paradigm with a case study research design. The research was conducted at a University of Technology located in the Western Cape, South Africa. A purposive sample of seven (n=7) mathematics PSTs divided into two hybrid CoPs was investigated. Questionnaires, document analysis, observations and focus group interviews was used as data collection tools to gain in depth insight and understanding. The study used Kress and Van Leeuwen’s (2001) multimodal discourse analysis as the main analytical tool as well as Braun and Clarke’s (2006) Thematic Analysis.

Theoretical Framework: This study is guided by combining Freire’s (1970) critical pedagogy, Wenger’s (1998) CoP and Mishra and Koehler’s (2006) Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, providing a comprehensive and integrated approach to understand how PSTs developed their ICT-integrated Mathematics teaching practices to foster critical thinking.

Research findings: PSTs widely acknowledge the benefits of ICT integrated critical pedagogy, however, often lack the agency and capacity to implement it. PSTs encounter several challenges in integrating ICT for critical thinking. PSTs leveraged CoPs effectively to build a shared understanding and repertoire to increase and improve their agency and ICT integrated critical pedagogy practice.

Educational importance: This study proposes a sustainable critical pedagogical framework for ICT-integrated mathematics teaching among PSTs, aimed at fostering critical thinking. It contributes to policy and practice by addressing the theory–practice gap in ICT integration by leveraging CoPs and demonstrates how technology can be used pedagogically to promote critical thinking.

Connection to the conference theme: This study directly aligns with the conference theme specifically, with Panel C.04: Teachers’ Emotions, Agency and Professional Capacity for Inclusion within the Education–Democracy Nexus. This study foregrounds PSTs agency as central to democratic schooling. Rather than treating technology as neutral, the research explores how digital practices can foster dialogue, collaboration and problem-posing teaching, key principles of democratic education. The study additionally demonstrates how PSTs agency and professional capacity influence their ICT-integrated teaching practices to foster critical thinking.

The global crises and educational emergencies of recent decades have fostered new awareness and generated innovative lines of research and action, initiating a productive dialogue between researchers and professionals across multiple levels. This dialogue aligns with the paradigm of complexity and with the conceptualization of educational communities as ecosystems. Although schools are increasingly engaged in experimentation and innovation, their initiatives are not always coherent or clearly oriented and grounded in robust and shared scientific frameworks, thereby generating the risk of fragmentation and conceptual ambiguity.

A paradigmatic example is the renewed emphasis on the emotional, affective, and relational dimensions as central to quality learning and to individual and contextual well-being within a co-development perspective. Contemporary health models (World Health Organization, 2001), together with advances in neuroscience, have confirmed longstanding insights from experienced educators and philosophical, psychodynamic, and pedagogical traditions regarding their importance. At the institutional level, such dimensions have been variously codified within educational frameworks as essential “competencies” or “skills” for students and, to a lesser and less coherent extent, for teachers.

These are broad and heterogeneously defined constructs that encompass complex, multifactorial dimensions and processes for which traditional scientific models often prove insufficient.

Balconi (2024), in line with Martha Nussbaum’s philosophical perspective (2001), defines emotions as a “value-based state,” understood as a system that cognitively interprets and explains the relationship between the self and the world. This value-based and rational system is grounded in an implicit biophysical, bodily substrate that substantiates it and cannot be overlooked in light of its evolutionary and educational implications, in line with the principles of Embodied Education (Damiani & Gomez Paloma, 2018; 2025).

This abstract therefore aims to present the theoretical framework and initial applications of a transdisciplinary approach to the understanding and development of emotional-relational competencies. The approach is grounded in Embodied Cognition models and integrates contributions from neurobiology and physics. It has been preliminarily implemented at the Laboratory for Research and Development of Teachers’ Emotional-Relational Competences (LAB-CERD) at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.

A distinctive feature of LAB-CERD is its focus on teachers, which provides an opportunity for critical reflection on emotional, social, and relational dimensions—considering their limitations, risks, and potential—beginning with persistent definitional challenges. As noted by Scheirlinckx et al. (2023, p. 3), “There has been broad interest from different fields, such as education, psychology, pedagogy, and labor economics, in constructs associated with Social Emotional Skills (SEMS) of teachers. Despite this interest, no clear consensus exists regarding the definition of teacher SEMS and the core skill constructs this domain should encompass.”

More specifically, our framework is informed by the Extended Mind perspective (Clark, 2008) for teacher training and professional development. It seeks to enhance recognition of the teacher’s role as an “epigenetic environmental factor,” conceptualized as a regulator of the educational biophysical field through embodied emotional processes. The paper concludes by outlining the Laboratory’s initial training initiatives, which are structured around the operationalization of transdisciplinary principles and constructs such as the educational field, group synchronization, and consciousness.

The increasing complexity of neurodiversity in contemporary classrooms poses significant challenges to educational equity and social justice. In the Italian context, the traditional approach to inclusion has often relied on ethical principles and generic pedagogical care, sometimes lacking the technical frameworks required to address severe behavioral and developmental needs effectively. This gap frequently impacts teachers' emotional well-being and professional agency, leading to feelings of inadequacy and burnout when facing complex educational scenarios.

This contribution presents the conceptual framework, implementation strategy, and early outcomes of "Scuola Capace" (Capable School), a large-scale national professional development project funded by the European Union (NextGenerationEU) under the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). Led by the Comprehensive Institute "Francesco Dimo" (Taviano, Italy) as the lead institution, the project established a massive network of over 100 schools across the country, aiming to train 315 educational professionals (teachers, educators, and school staff).

The core purpose of the project is to shift the inclusive paradigm from "generic welcoming" to "competent inclusion" by equipping school personnel with evidence-based practices derived from Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Specifically, the training aligns with the Registered Behavior Technician (RBT®) framework, adapted for the public school ecosystem.

The methodology involves a 50-hour asynchronous active e-learning path that transcends traditional transmissive models. It incorporates video-modeling, branching scenarios, and practical simulations of behavioral interventions, data collection, and functional assessment. This model is designed to be highly scalable and permanently accessible through a digital "Repository of Inclusion," ensuring long-term sustainability and continuous professional development beyond the project's lifecycle.

Within the education-democracy nexus, this initiative argues that true democratic schooling is achieved only when teachers possess the technical capacity and professional agency to guarantee equitable learning opportunities for all students, particularly the most vulnerable. By mastering evidence-based strategies, teachers move from a state of emergency management to proactive educational design.

This paper will discuss the organizational challenges of managing a massive inter-institutional network, the pedagogical implications of integrating behavioral sciences into the Italian inclusive tradition, and the potential of targeted, high-level professional development to foster a deeply democratic, neurodivergent-friendly school environment. Ultimately, the "Scuola Capace" model demonstrates how systemic policy funding can be leveraged to build grassroots professional capacity, transforming the abstract right to education into a concrete, measurable, and inclusive daily practice.

Teacher Self-Efficacy (TSE), defined as teachers’ beliefs in their capability to positively influence student learning and behavior even under challenging conditions (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001), represents a crucial indicator of professional quality (Cardarello et al., 2017). The significant body of research has shown that teachers with high levels of TSE are characterizes by openness to pedagogical innovation (Sharma et al., 2012) and professional resiliency in dealing with the complexities of contemporary school environments (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2007). The concept of TSE in particularly pertinent in the context of inclusive education. In fact, teachers with a strong sense of efficacy in dealing with diversity among students are likley to display more positive attitudes toward inclusion education and to engage in more equitable and student-centered educational practices (Forlin et al., 2011; Sharma et al., 2012; Aiello et al., 2017; Pintus et al., 2021).

Recent research also highlights the relevance of teachers’ professional learning in developing their sense of efficacy in inclusive education settings. In addition, a systematic review carried out by Wray et al. (2022) also confirms that targeted training and direct experience are key predictors of TSE in inclusive contexts, highlighting the role of peer collaboration and mentoring in developing theoretical knowledge that is effectively applied to professional practice. Given the complexity of contemporary educational environments, research approaches that also consider quantitative data and a deeper analysis of teachers’ perceptions and professional meanings appear particularly valuable.

This exploratory study investigates the dimensions that support an inclusive teaching perspective by analyzing the relationship between perceived teaching efficacy and attitudes toward inclusion through an integrated methodological approach. The sample consists of pre-service teachers enrolled in the specialization course for support teaching (n = 136) and in-service teachers who obtained the specialization within the last five years (n = 20).The quantitative phase employs the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES), in the version validated for the Italian context (Cardarello et al., 2017; Pintus et al., 2021), focusing on teachers’ perceived efficacy in implementing inclusive and innovative instructional strategies. In parallel, the Scale of Attitudes toward Collective Inclusion (SACI) (Castellana et al., 2023; Castellana De Vincenzo, 2025) is administered. This instrument was selected for its alignment with the Profile of Inclusive Teachers (European Agency, 2012) and for its attention to affective and behavioral components related to inclusive practices.

To deepen the interpretation of these aspects, the study also incorporates open-ended questions and focus groups aimed at exploring processes of interprofessional scaffolding and uncovering latent dimensions related to inclusive professional identity (Maienza, 2020; Valenza et al., 2025).

Preliminary findings confirm the influence of training experiences on teachers’ sense of efficacy and describe the attitudes toward inclusion expressed by pre-service teachers in relation to their perceived ability to implement student-centered strategies. Qualitative results highlight empathy and interprofessional collaboration as key components of inclusive educational practice. These findings contribute to informing the development of teacher education pathways aimed at fostering a transformative form of inclusive professional agency.

The literature has emphasized the interdependent relationship between professional collaboration and teacher agency in inclusive education (Li & Ruppar, 2020). Teacher agency can be understood as both an individual and collective capacity to create inclusive learning communities based on shared knowledge, skills, and collaboration, reflecting a shift from teaching as a solitary practice to teachers working together (Lyons et al., 2016). In school systems integrating special education, agency is relational, representing the situated capacity to work with others in interpreting problems and co-constructing social practices (Paloniemi et al., 2023).

While professional collaboration generally involves shared responsibility for improving students’ achievement and well-being (Hargreaves, 2019), collaboration between classroom teachers (CTs) and special education teachers (SETs) presents distinctive features. Such collaboration is supported by emotional consonance, mutual recognition and agreement on educational values (Jortveit & Kovač, 2022). Key dimensions include collaborative planning and teaching, encompassing various co-teaching models (Friend et al., 2010). However, research has highlighted the persistence of the “one teach, one assist” model, accompanied by asymmetries in power, responsibility, and professional recognition (Paulsrud & Nilholm, 2023). In the Italian debate, inclusive teaching has increasingly been recognized as the responsibility of the whole school (Cottini, 2017). Nevertheless, studies have documented persistent difficulties in developing co-teaching practices and discrepancies between normative expectations and everyday school practices (Ghedin & Acquario, 2023; Cardinali et al., 2025).

This study investigates how collaboration between CTs and SETs is understood and experienced by Italian teachers and identifies facilitating and hindering factors shaping the construction of inclusive agency. The research questions are: Which features of professional collaboration for inclusion do teachers identify? What factors facilitate or constrain the development of teachers’ inclusive agency?

The study is based on a qualitative content analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted with 28 CTs and 31 SETs using a data-driven coding strategy (Schreier, 2012). Participants were selected through purposive sampling from 11 primary and 13 lower secondary school classes in central Italy (Lazio).

Preliminary findings indicate that teachers recognise the importance of co-planning as a lever in developing targeted inclusive interventions and negotiating shared pedagogical responsibilities. At the same time, significant systemic constraints—particularly in lower secondary education—are highlighted. Multiple forms of co-teaching emerge, that move beyond the “one teach, one assist” model and incorporate co-planned pedagogical strategies, such as drama-based activities. Some participants report mutual professional recognition and describe their roles as complementary, suggesting that collaboration can foster the development of collective, inclusive agency.

Nonetheless, relational tensions and professional ambiguities persist. Some teachers report difficulties in being fully recognized in their professional role, while others struggle to perceive colleagues as genuine resources for inclusive practice. These dynamics reveal the fragile and negotiated nature of collaborative processes through which teachers build and renegotiate their agency in inclusive settings.

Overall, the study provides evidence of a gradual shift toward more reciprocal and recognition-based forms of collaboration that may foster the development of individual and collective agency for inclusion. Such developments, however, require sustained institutional and policy support to become structurally embedded within school practice.

This contribution, grounded in an interdisciplinary framework, fits within the contemporary pedagogical debate that recognizes the school as an agent and a “vital organ of democracy” (Calamandrei, 1950), called upon to foster educational conditions capable of supporting a democratic, equitable, and peaceful development of contemporary societies (Pastori et al., 2022). From this perspective, the right to educational democracy requires that school systems guarantee not only formal access to education but also the full, active, and meaningful participation of every student in the life of the school community. This implies a rethinking of teaching practices and teachers’ professional attitudes, so that valuing differences becomes a systemic resource for learning and identity development.

The research presents the preliminary results of a pilot project conducted in the province of Perugia involving forty preschool and primary school teachers over an eight-month period. The training program, carried out in collaboration with the Center for Democratic Initiative of Teachers (CIDI - Centro di Iniziativa Democratica degli Insegnanti), was structured into six training units and was guided by the “Everyone No One Excluded” (TNE - Tutti Nessuno Escluso) method, with the aim of responding to the growing relational complexity of contemporary classrooms and promoting a reflective professional posture among teachers.

Methodologically, the study is based on a qualitative investigation aimed at exploring changes in teachers’ participation dynamics and professional self-perceptions. Data were collected through three focus groups, conceived as spaces for collective reflection that allowed changes in teachers’ perceptions and experiences to emerge. Indeed, it is the teachers themselves who, alongside improvements in the classroom climate (inclusion of isolated children and relational fluidity), report a profound transformation of their professional posture. The analysis reveals strong emotional and operational engagement, as well as greater attention to problem-solving and conflict management, elements that can be traced to the activation of transformative agency (Fabbri, 2025). The most significant change concerns the reframing of educational time, involving a slowing down of school rhythms as well as a new recognition of themselves as agents capable of co-constructing enabling environments. Overall, the findings suggest that teachers’ professional empowerment and the development of students’ relational agency are interconnected processes that require organizational contexts open to reflection and pedagogical experimentation.

The TNE method was perceived not only as a set of techniques (such as the circle, counting, or listening games), but as a genuine “work on oneself” capable of restructuring the professional habitus of teachers. Despite the challenges that emerged related to organizational fatigue, the TNE method emerges as a potentially useful operational tool to support participation, group cohesion, and the construction of educational environments oriented toward equity and social justice.