Curriculum Vitae – Michela Schenetti
Associate Professor at the University of Bologna since 2019, she conducts her research in the fields of general didactics, special pedagogy, and Outdoor Education. Her scientific interests focus particularly on ecological and sustainability education, outdoor learning environments, teacher professionalism, and the relationship between nature, the body, and learning processes in early childhood services and schools.
Her current research centres on sustainable pedagogical models, ecological competencies for educators, and innovation in teaching practices aimed at strengthening connections between educational institutions, local ecosystems, and responses to climate and environmental change.
Education
She graduated with honours in Educational Sciences (Professional Educator track) at the University of Bologna in 2002.
In 2006 she earned a PhD in Pedagogy, with a dissertation dedicated to the phenomenological understanding of childhood pain and the role of early education services in supporting children’s emotional worlds.
Academic Career
From 2006 to 2008 she served as a Research Fellow at the Department of Education Studies of the University of Bologna.
In 2008 she became a Researcher in Didactics and Special Pedagogy (MPED/03), a position she held until 2019 while contributing to numerous national and international research projects on outdoor education, ecological learning, innovation in teaching, and teacher development.
She obtained the Italian National Scientific Qualification (ASN) for Associate Professor in 2017 and for Full Professor in 2023.
Since 2019 she has been an Associate Professor at the University of Bologna.
Teaching Activity
She has continuously taught at the University of Bologna since 2008, serving as course leader in several undergraduate and graduate programmes, including:
- Didactics and Sustainability (Master’s level)
- Methodology and Didactics of Motor Activity – Education of the Body
- Models of Didactic Mediation
- Educating in Nature for Sustainability
She has contributed extensively to postgraduate programmes, including:
- Master in Outdoor Education (University of Bologna)
- Interuniversity Master “Education and Nature” (Universities of Milan-Bicocca, Bologna, Parma, Valle d’Aosta)
- Master in Inclusive Education and Special Needs (Erickson)
She has also directed several Advanced Training Courses, such as:
- Designing Inclusive Outdoor Spaces (Director)
- Education and Nature: Contexts, Methods and Learning
She regularly organises seminars, professional development sessions, and teacher training activities.
Scientific Activity
She has participated in and coordinated numerous major national and international research projects, including:
- Digital4Business – DIGITAL Europe Programme
- ENCOMPASS – PRIN PNRR, focusing on education and climate change
- START – Erasmus+, on early years transitions
- STEP – Erasmus+, on citizenship, school and territory
She is Scientific Coordinator of various long-term agreements with public institutions and research bodies (INDIRE, ARPAE Emilia–Romagna, Municipalities, CEAS environmental education centres, Fondazione Villa Ghigi), focusing on outdoor learning, sustainability education, teacher training, and pedagogical innovation.
She collaborates with UNESCO-IOC as an expert on Ocean Literacy and Blue Education.
She has been a visiting scholar and lecturer at:
- University of Stockholm (Sweden)
- SUPSI – University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland
- University of Cadiz (Spain)
Institutional Roles and Academic Appointments
Since 2021 she has served as Scientific Director of the Centre for Active Didactics at the University of Bologna.
She also coordinates the National Network of Public Outdoor Schools, a major initiative supporting widespread innovation in teaching practices across Italy.
She is a member of the Scientific Council of CRESPI (Centre for Research on Teacher Professionalism) and of the Centre for Research on Outdoor Education.
In 2020 she was invited as an expert witness to the Italian Chamber of Deputies (VII Committee on Culture, Science and Education) to discuss the role of outdoor environments in innovative teaching.
Membership in Scientific and Editorial Committees
She holds several prominent academic editorial positions:
- Editor-in-Chief of Infanzia
- Review Editor for Environmental Psychology (Frontiers)
- Co-Editor of the book series Education and Nature
- Member of the scientific committees of the series Infanzie, Education and the Politics of Beauty, Studies on Corporeality, Spaces and the City
- Member of the editorial board of the international journal Encyclopaideia
She also serves as reviewer for numerous national and international journals in pedagogy, outdoor education, and early childhood studies.
Awards and Recognitions
- REN Reward 2025, for outstanding contribution to the study of outdoor learning as a pathway to inclusion and innovation.
- Marco Polo Scholarship (2010), for a research project at the University of Stockholm on relationships between early childhood education and environmental learning.
Other Professional Activities
Since 2014 she has designed and conducted extensive professional development programmes for teachers, educators, and parents on:
- outdoor learning and ecological education
- pedagogical and didactic design
- the relationship between nature, wellbeing and learning
- sustainable learning environments and curricula
- teacher professionalism and reflective practice
She collaborates with municipalities, schools, NGOs, and educational networks to design and implement sustainable educational policies and community-based pedagogical practices.
