No more Special Needs inside a Regular Curriculum, but a Special Curriculum to Welcome Diversities
Hosted by Bottega di Geppetto
Host: BOTTEGA DI GEPPETTO International Research and Documentation Centre on 
Childhood Gloria Tognetti
Date: June 17, 2019
Time: from 9:00 to 16:00
Location: Leiden, Child Rights Home, Hooglandse kerkgracht 17.
See the agenda here.
Objectives
This one-day workshop aims to facilitate shared learning and exchange on note-worthy practices in the field of children’s inclusion inside a general framework of an open curriculum that takes into account and gives value to every and each individual as a different person, with the ultimate goal to support child development and well-being, and the affirmation of children’s rights.
The focus of this pre-conference workshop is on how we can develop a curriculum that has the child as an original and individual person at its centre. Thinking about a child who is the protagonist of his or her process of education necessarily leads to a transformation of the idea of curriculum.
Education does not consist of transmitting knowledge from a full container to an empty one: a proper curriculum has to be built on the adult’s ability to offer children opportunities, not contents, opportunities of experiences that can make children able to participate in experiences as active and constructive subjects, according to everyone’s specific, individual path.
The objective is to stimulate discussion. Interactive discussion methods and video materials will be used in order to stimulate the exchange of ideas.
The theme
The theme of this workshop was chosen in order to highlight the importance of developing a curriculum that considers children as active agents and original persons, in order to include children with special needs not with specific and special actions and strategies, but inside a framework that is always and already arranged to include each and every diversity and difference.
Participants
This workshop welcomes particularly representatives of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services, educators, coordinators and policy makers. All those who wish to learn more about the affirmation of children’s rights, a curriculum for early childhood and children’s inclusion in the context of early childhood education are invited to register for this workshop.
Presenters
During interactive sessions there will be presentations made by Aldo Fortunati and Barbara Pagni
Aldo Fortunati is President of Bottega di Geppetto International Research and Documentation Centre on Childhood Gloria Tognetti, Institution of the Municipality of San Miniato and Director of the Childhood and Adolescence Area of the Istituto degli Innocenti in Florence. Lecturer at the University of Florence and the “World Forum National Representative” for Italy. An education and policies expert, he has collaborated with Eurosocial for international cooperation programmes in Latin America and he is author of numerous books and contributions on early childhood education and policies. He has directed research programmes and monitoring activities on educational child care services on behalf of the Tuscany Region and the Italian Government. In the same field, he has provided training activities and developed innovative experimental projects in Tuscany, Italy and at international level. Interested in the issue of the relation between space design and education, he has developed and patented a series of furniture for ECEC services produced by an Italian firm.
Barbara Pagni is Scientific Coordinator of Bottega di Geppetto International Research and Documentation Centre on Childhood Gloria Tognetti. After a long experience as educator in San Miniato’s ECEC services she became part of the Bottega di Geppetto’s staff of the Institution of the Municipality of San Miniato cooperating with Gloria Tognetti for the pedagogical coordination of the ECEC services of San Miniato and of the Valdarno Inferiore Area. She has led many training courses and seminars in different Italian experiences and has published articles on the issues related to children’s education and policies.
Practical Information
This workshop is offered free of charge to participants in the ISSA Conference 2019. Lunch and coffee breaks will be served. Participants will be charged a small fee of EUR 30,- to cover the costs of catering.
Register
Visit the registration page to reserve your place at this pre-conference event. This event has a limited number of seats.
The image above belongs to Bottega di Geppetto International Research and Documentation Centre on Childhood Gloria Tognetti (www.bottegadigeppetto.it).