Full Professor at the University of Bologna, he holds the UNESCO Chair in Global Citizenship Education in Higher Education (https://unescochairgced.it) assigned to the University of Bologna in 2021. He is also Co-Chair of the Academic Network of Global Education and Learning (ANGEL) and visiting professor at the Institute of Education, University College London. At the University of Bologna he is founding director of the International Research Centre on Global Citizenship Education.
He is also member of the Board of the PhD programme in Philosophy, Science, Cognition, and Semiotics (PSCS).
His research areas focus on global citizenship and education for sustainable development with a global social justice perspective, investigating in particular the relationships between formal and non-formal education, between schools and civil society organisations. He also conducts theoretical and empirical research on international educational policies on global citizenship.
Currently, he is investigating the role of international organisations in shaping future scenarios for education policies.
Education
He graduated in Philosophy with distinction in 1990 and then in Education, again with distinction, in 1993 at the University of Bologna. He received his PhD in Education in 1997.
Positions Held
2021- present UNESCO Chair holder in Global citizenship education in Higher Education
2022 - Full professor Department of Philosophy, University of Bologna
2017 -2020 Co- director Development Education Research Centre - UCL Institute of Education
December 2019 - current
Full Professor, Department of Life Quality Studies, University of Bologna
2013- 2019 Associate professor Department of Life Quality Studies, University of Bologna
September 2005 – September 2013
Associate Professor (professore associato
confermato), University of Trento (Department of
Cognitive and Education Sciences)
Scientific director, International Research Center on Global Citizenship Education, within the department of Life Quality Studies, University of Bologna
Director, International Summer School of Qualitative
Research Methods in Education, Equity in education
June 2012
Director, International Summer School of Qualitative
Research Methods in Education, Advanced Grounded Theory (June
2012)
June 2011
Director of International Summer School on Qualitative
Research in Social Justice Education in cooperation with UCLA,
Department of Education (University of Trento)
June 2010
Director of Summer School on Grounded theory, University
of Trento
June 2005 – 2011
Founding Director of Master degree in “Research
Methodology in Education”, University of Trento (Three
editions)
May-October 2009
Fulbright Visiting Scholar University of California. Los
Angeles, Department of Education
May- August 2006
EAP Visiting Scholar University of California. Los
Angeles, Department of Education
July-August 2005
Visiting research scholar, International Institute
Qualitative Methodology, University of Alberta
August 2002 – September 2005
Assistant professor in Education University of Trento
(Faculty of Cognitive Sciences).
Courses taught at the University (international)
-
Visiting professor, lecturing on A European perspective on Global citizenship education. An overview, in the Research Apprenticeship Course (RAC, EDUC 288-14) at University of California Los Angeles, May 2022.
Development of the course Global Citizenship Education. Research Policy and Practice (CPAS0158) in the MA in Development Education and Global Learning at UCL Institute of Education (2019-2020)
Education in the Era of Globalisation, in the MA in Development Education and Global Learning at UCL Institute of Education (2017-2019)
Dissertation and Report: in Development Education and Global Learning (with N. Blum) in the MA in Development Education and Global Learning at UCL Institute of Education (2017-2018)
- Worskhop at National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung Taiwan on Global citizenship education and the crisis of multiculturalism in Europe. 21 March 2019.
- Visting professor in the UNESCO Chair on Global Citizenship Education at UCLA, Luglio 2016
- Two courses (beginners and advanced) on grounded theory methods at Istituto Patagonico de las Artes, Rion Negro Argentina (May 2016)
- Seminar “Abstrair a partir dos dados: o significado da construção de teoria na Metodologia Grounded Theory”, USP, São Paulo univeristy, Brazil, (March 2015)
- Seminar, Grounded Theory. Compreendendo as práticas de codificação, São Paulo university, Brazil, (April 2014)
- Seminar, Grounded Theory e Pesquisa Qualitativa para a Justiça Social na Educação, UFPB, João Pessoa, Brazil, (April, 2014)
- Lecturing on Politics of Education, Paulo Freire Insititute Summer Program at University of California Los Angeles, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016
- Workshop: Introduction to Grounded theory. Khon Kaen University (Thailand), during the International Congress of Qualitative Health Research (December 2013)
- Lecture “Inter or Multicultural education or both?”, Harvard Graduate School of Education (October, 2009)
- Three lectures within the course of Comparative Education, at the Department of Education at University of California, Los Angeles, 2009.
- Lecture, “Doing grounded theory in practical fields”, MAP lecture Series, Seattle University, October 2009.
- Lecture, “Phenomenology as my philosophy of research”, Seattle University, Department of Psychology, October, 2009.
- Lecture “European Education Policies for immigrant inclusion” at the Department of Education , National Dong Hwa University, Taiwan (2010)
- Visiting professor of “Qualitative thinking” and “grounded theory”, in Master in “Metodologia della Ricerca in Educazione” at Alta Scuola Pedagogica di Locarno (Switzerland) (2008-2009).
Other professional activities
Chair of the Institution governing the educational services in the Municipality of Bologna from its foundation to 2016. This body is responsible for managing the services and addressing education policy for early childhood and those for adolescents the Bologna area.
Principal Investigator of a 3 years European comparative research on teacher education for Global citizenship education in primary school, within the project DEAR, Global learning in Pimary schools, 2015-2017
Scientific supervisor of the project “Embodied Wellbeing in Teacher Education. Il benessere psicofisico degli insegnanti in formazione nei TFA. Ricerca teorica ed empirica”. Funded by Fondazione Caritro. 2013-2014
Scientific coordinator of a in-service training program for
teachers and principals of Province of Trento for the
“intercultural” sector. Project offered by the Teacher education
center of Rovereto and sponsored by European Union Social Funds
(2010-2013)
Research consultant of IPRASE Trentino (Provincial
Institute for Educational Research) 2004-2009
Full time tenured teacher in high school (History and
Philosophy) (1999-2002)
Senior Consultant in the municipalities of S. Giovanni in
Persiceto, Crevalcore, Sant'Agata bolognese e Sala Bolognese for
educational project and activities for adolescents. (July 1999-
August 2000).
Head of Educational Area of Telefono Azzurro (Organisation
involved in child protection, prevention of child abuse and
promotion of children's rights). Main issues: school based
programmes in education to children's rights; programmes about
prevention of sexual abuse; research in television and new
technology's impact on children. (June 1996-July 1999).
Consultant in the Italian Resource Centre (UE Leonardo Program)
for the promotion of guidance for youths at the European level
(March-May 1996).
Group leaderand educator for children and trainer of educators
(1991-1995).
Full time educational social worker in “II Centro Anni verdi”,
for adolescents at risk (March 1993-May 1994).
Honours and Prizes
SIPED (Italian Society of Education) 2016 Prize for best book (Dall’Intercultura alla giustizia sociale)
International leadership in Qualitative Health Research, 2012- at Global Congress on Qualitative Health Research, Milan, June 2012
Fulbright Occasional Lecturer Program Award for a Talk at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (October 2009)
Fulbright research Scholar Grant, 2008-2009
University of Trento Grant within EAP (Education Abroad Program), University of California. Los Angeles (2006)
Degree (Master Equivalent) in Education, University of Bologna. summa cum laude with honourable mention “press dignity”, 1993.
1989 award of University of Bologna Azienda per il diritto
allo studio for the best student. Two weeks Grant at Sussex
University (U.K.).
Scholarly Refereeing and Membership of Scientific Boards of
International Journals
- Editor of
“Encyclopaideia”, Journal of Phenomenology and Education (2006
–2018)
- Associate editor of Encyclopaideia (2018- present)
- Member of the editorial
board and regular reviewer of the journals:
- “Qualitative
Sociology Review” (edited by Krzysztof Konecki)
- “Auto/biography”,
edited by A. Sparkes (Sage) (2002-present)
- “Qualitative Health
Research” (ed. J. Morse)- Adjunct Editor
- Consulting Editor of the
“Journal of Phenomenological Psychology” (JPP).
- Member of the Editorial
Board of “Phronesis”, scientific journal of the Institut de
recherche sur les pratiques éducatives de l'Université de
Sherbrooke, Canada.
- Ad hoc reviewer for:
“International Journal of Qualitative methodology”, “Italian
Journal of Sociology”
Co-Editor (with Clare Bentall and Nicole Blum) of the Book Series “Advances in Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship”- Bloomsbury Academic
Co-Editor (with Marina Santi)of the Seires Processi Formativi e Scienze dell'educazione - Nuova Serie (Guerini)
Member of the editorial board of the following book
series:
- “Freire in Focus”, Bloomsbury (Eds. G.Misiaszek, C.A. Torres)
- Member of the International Advisory Board, The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research Design (ed. U. Flick, 2021) and Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research Quality
“La
Melagrana” Franco Angeli (Ed. G. Favaro). Series of intercultural
education
- “Le scienze
dell'apprendimento” (ed. U. Margiotta), Franco Angeli
- Fenomenologie (ed. Vincenzo Costa, Elio Franzini), Morcelliana (2017- present).