92594 - History of Children's institutions in Italy and Europe

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student: - will acquire the fundamental aspects of the main historiographical tendencies that have dealt with childhood at national and international level; - knows the history of the main pedagogical theories that are the basis of educational institutions for young children; - knows the historical evolution of the main types of services for children, present in the national and even European context, with particular attention to France, Germany, England and Russia in the period between 1850 and the second post-war period; - knows the evolution of the legislative framework for childcare services at the Italian and European level from a transnational perspective; - uses historical-educational knowledge to build educational projects, as well as didactic paths, with reference to psychological and pedagogical models; - knows the history of the different models of educational services useful for evaluating the adequacy of the proposed model with respect to the social and cultural context in which it is developed; - demonstrates mastery of the main themes of the history of educational institutions aimed at early childhood with a design aim aimed at the present; - will be able to apply the fundamental principles of the methodology of historical-educational research to deepen further studies on the history of childhood; - will be able to outline the history of early childhood educational institutions present at the local level and to place them in their historical-cultural context.

Course contents

The course intends to present, in a comparative perspective, the salient aspects of the history of nursery schools in Italy and in some European countries (mainly France, Italy, Germany, England) from the second half of the nineteenth century until today. The course is divided into two parts. In the first part, after having traced the genesis of the nurseries of today in the French crèche, it will study the phases of the international circulation of the original model, its development and evolution in the different national contexts (Italy, Germany, England). In the second part, the legislation will be focused from the second post-war period to the present in order to compare the evolution of the legislation, the phases of pedagogical renewal, the main educational models present in the day nurseries of the different countries with a view turned to the present reality.  

Specifically, knowledge of the following topics will be required:

The French model of crèche: main features;

The birth and development of crèches in two different European historical and cultural contexts (England and Germany);

Birth and development of day nurseries in the second half of the IIX century and the reform of ONMI in Italy; The reform of the day nurseris after WWII in Italy: failded reform of the ONMI

The law 860 of 26 August 1950 and n. 1044 of December 6, 1971; the role of the UDI in the development of the early educational services;

Case studi at regional leve, with attention to the regulations issued at state and regional level;

Adriana Lodi's role in the renovation of the early educational services in Bologna;

The birth and the evolution of the day nurseries in Rimini; Margherita Zoebeli and the CEIS;

The case of Reggio Emilia. The figure of Loris Malaguzzi and the Reggio Children Approach;

The integrated system 0-6. Historical profile and legislative text in law no. 65 of April 13, 2017: typologies of educational services for children.

Readings/Bibliography

For the final examination it is necessary to study:

3 chapters about France (only reading), Italy (with particular attention to the ONMI period (and a case between England, Germany) from the book Caroli D., Per una storia dell'asilo nido in Europa tra Otto e Novecento, Milano, FrancoAngeli 2014 (ristampa 2015), pp. 279-321;

Also the chapters of the following books books are compulsory fo all students: To the chapters an optional readings (between the six listed below) has to be added.

Adopted texts

Campioni L., Marchesi F. (a cura di), Sui nostri passi. Tracce di storia dei servizi educativi nei Comuni capoluogo dell’Emilia Romagna, Junior, 2014, pp. 22-45 (about the end of the ONMI), and the 3 chapters about Bologna, Rimini and Reggio Emilia, pp. 22-45, 101-162, 405-468.

About Margherita Zoebeli's role and  CEIS of Rimini, Chapter III, Centro educativo italo-svizzero di Rimini, culla della scuola per l'infanzia sperimentale in L. Campioni e F. Marchesi, La strada maestra. Tracce di storia delle scuole comunali dell’infanzia nei capoluoghi dell’Emilia Romagna, San Paolo D’Argon (Bergamo), Zeroseiup, 2019, pp. 61-89.

Caroli D., Per una storia dell'asilo nido in Europa tra Otto e Novecento, Milano, FrancoAngeli 2014 (ristampa 2015): 3 chpaters: France (only reading), Italy (only ONMI part), Italy and the 2 following chapters about England and Germany.

Ferrari, M., Asili nido e scuole dell’infanzia nel primo trentennio della Repubblica italiana tra proposte educative e disposizioni normative, in G. Zago (a cura di), L’educazione extrascolastica nella seconda metà del Novecento. Tra espansione e rinnovamento (1945-1976), Milano, FrancoAngeli, 2017, pp. 63-84 (to be studied by the students not attending regularly the lectures).

D. Caroli, Le riforme dei nidi d’infanzia in Italia e Francia fra il’68 e gli anni Settanta alla luce di studi recenti, in Autorità in crisi. Scuola, famiglia, società prima e dopo il ’68, (atti di: Convegno Cirse, Firenze, 30 novembre - 1° dicembre 2018), Roma, Aracne, 2020, pp. 349-358.

Optional readings

Campioni L, G. Sapucci (a cura di), La bellezza degli inizi. Pedagogisti in Romagna, Bergamo, Zeroseiup, 2023. 

Cerini G., Mion C., Zunino G. (a cura di), Scuola dell'infanzia e prospettiva zerosei, Faenza, Homeless book 2019.

Lodi A., Branca L., Raccontami una favola vera. Adriana Lodi: biografia di una politica, Imola, Bacchilega, 2021.

Pironi T., Zucchi L. (a cura di), Maria Montessori al nido tra storia e attualità, Junior, 2018.

Planillo A. H., Loris Malaguzzi. Una biografia pedagogica. Seconda edizione, Parma, Junior, 2020.

B. Quinto Borghi, F. Frabboni, Loris Malaguzzi e la scuola a nuovo indirizzo, Città di Castello, Zeroseiup, 2017.

L. Gandini, C. Edwards, G. Forman (eds.), I cento linguaggi dei bambini. L’approccio di Reggio Emilia all’educazione all’infanzia, Junior, 2014.

A. Salati, Un senso nel tempo: un nuovo libro racconta la storia dei Servizi Educativi della Bassa Reggiana, Edizioni libre, Guastalla (Reggio Emilia), 2018.

Further optional readings

Campioni L., Marchesi F. (a cura di), Una partenza forte: primi nidi in Emilia Romagna, Bergamo, Zeroseiup, 2019 .

Barbieri N.S., Asili nidi e scuole dell’infanzia nella storia italiana, in F. de Giorgi, A. Gaudio, F. Pruneri (a cura di), Manuale di storia della scuola italiana. Dal Risorgimento al XXI secolo, Brescia, Scholé, 2019, pp. 69-115.

Campioni L., Marchesi F. (a cura di), La strada maestra. Tracce di storia delle scuole comunali dell’infanzia nei capoluoghi dell’Emilia Romagna, San Paolo D’Argon (Bergamo), Zeroseiup, 2019, pp. 6-454 (3 capitoli a scelta).

Gandini L., Edwards C., Forman G. (eds.), I cento linguaggi dei bambini. L’approccio di Reggio Emilia all’educazione all’infanzia, Junior, 2014.

Teaching methods

The teacher's lectures will be followed and accompanied by group activities (aimed at writing short texts) that focus on the fundamental moments of the birth and development of the educational services as well as the different educational models and the their evolution, with a particular attention to changes introduced in Italy from the Seventies at National and regional level until to the recent reforms. These papers will be evaluated for the final score.

Videos will also be viewed followed by reflections on educational practices.

Assessment methods

The final evaluation will be written and will consist in a written examination of 90 minutes with 3 questions with "open answers". It will take into account the learning of the contents, the ability of critical elaboration and the use of terminology specific to the topics.

The teacher consider also the papers produced by the students during the lessons for the final score.

The final note will be in 30/30 score.

The teacher will constantly collect the concise reflection texts written by the students, which will also allow them to evaluate their assiduity in participation (there will be a summary evaluation).

To pass the exam, it is necessary to register via the electronic bulletin board (AlmaEsami), in compliance with the deadlines set. Those who fail to register due to technical problems by the scheduled date, are required to communicate (and in any case before the official closing of the registration lists) the problem to the didactic secretariat.

It will be the faculty of the teacher to admit them to take the test. The evaluation will take into account the following indicators: 1. knowledge of the contents of the discipline and in particular of the authors and of the educational problem they face; 2. ability to analyze a text and to elaborate the single parts in a concise and exhaustive way 3. reworking and personal critical reflection and clear exposition of the concepts of the discipline 4. reflections and insights elaborated during lectures.

The aim of the exam is to ascertain the skills of analysis and understanding of the contents of the discipline, evaluating the ability to display, re-elaborate and conceptualize the contents learned. Particularly evaluated will be the student's ability to know how to orient himself within the sources and bibliographic material in order to identify them useful information that allows him to illustrate the aspects and cultural areas of the discipline.

In the case that the sanitary situation of Covid 19 reveals new critical periods, the exam will be carried out orally on the TEAMS platform (you must register through Almaesami).

Teaching tools

Lectures use visual aids (powerpoint) (uploaded on virtuale) and lecture notes provided by the teacher, and of videos.

Office hours

See the website of Dorena Caroli