libertarian pedagogy

A network, many questions
by Valentina Galasso
photo by Giulio Spiazzi

Continue the meetings of the Network Operating libertarian education. Here is the guide of the second meeting, on the hills of Bologna, last January. And some of the arguments.

 

Last January 23 was held in Bologna on the hills the second meeting of the Network Operating libertarian education.
Born in Italy recently, the Network for Education is the mouthpiece of a libertarian educational project that only recently was able to break into the Italian conservative and traditionalist. Abroad, both in Europe and the Americas, several of the schools of libertarian character for several years been carrying out a certain type of educational process.
Among the most famous Summerhill, founded in 1921 by Alexander Neill and Sands School, founded in 1987, both in England.
That was the January 23 meeting is an organizational, but also for discussion and debate.
It was attended by twenty people, different backgrounds, experience and activities.

In the photos on these pages, the place where the meeting took place and a few moments.

Democratic and / or libertarian

The main instigator of the network, who after many years of "solitude" in Italy believed in the possibility of bringing together people with similar feelings and ideals is Codello Francesco, Treviso head teacher, now a reference point in the environment, the author of several volumes libertarian education and its history.
In addition to his other teachers, teachers, educators but also parents and interested people.
The meeting was held in a farmhouse in the hills made available by the Bolognese "The Flight", for years engaged in activities primarily related to expressiveness, creativity and attention to a body to rebalance the overall development of the individual.
The atmosphere in the "Barn", the space where the meeting was held, could not suffer from this type of approach and the sensitivity of the human senses.
The meeting began in the morning.
First we discussed the points of the Manifesto of in particularthe definition and distinction of " democratic " and"libertarian " asadjectives that characterize both the effort of this particular educational movement, but it is the opinion of many are simply interchangeable but rather complementary.
That in a libertarian school decisions are taken in a democratic manner, or rather, assemblies composed of educators and students, it is almost a logical consequence (in some schools and then applies the principle of unanimity in choosing other than the majority).
But it is not obvious that a democratic school is also a libertarian.
A type of learning requires libertarian thoughts and practices that go far beyond the simple but fundamental and equal participation in collective decisions.
The debate then continued on the characteristics of their practices (and not of principles or systems) libertarian education, such as lack of educational systems fixed, non autoritarietà relations, democracy and community decisions, accidents of learning process (not teaching), attention to the latter and not for its results.
In this regard, we focused on whether to use the term "teacher"or rather to replace it with terms like "companion", "companion", "facilitator", to highlight as much as possible as the pupil-teacher ratio does not is based on authority given by possessing or not the content of teaching, from the age of a person over another, or the amount and quality of his experience in the field.
Education is seen instead as human, not as much widespread acquisition of concepts and ideas transmitted unilaterally and almost always distant from the interests of the main character education, kid or adult that is.
Similarly, the process of education is seen as a growth path that is reciprocal, in which the two parties, the educator (ol'accompagnatore, the accompanying ...) enrich pupil from time to time their people at large (not their knowledge in the strict sense) in a constant effort to adapt and respond to learning needs that arise spontaneously from the individual interests.
A point of discussion was to hear a lot about the compulsory nature by children and young people who attend the schools to submit libertarian anyway, despite the absence of the concept of evaluation, certification of results, of punishment, the examinations imposed by the state.
Accordance with the law as children who attend the equivalent of elementary and middle schools in this, for examination of fitness even at the end of each school year.
The discussion was mostly character "philosophical", based on a crucial question:
it makes sense to promote a type of learning understood as a process entirely separate from the issue of results and evaluation when it is inevitable sooner or later clash with the other evidence of your so-called notorious and learning outcomes?
Difficult to find a clear answer.
Personally, I am convinced of this revolutionary potential in an educational approach that fosters creativity, spontaneity, inclinations and interests, freedom of choice, offering the ability to create non-authoritarian and egalitarian relationships, which is confined in a context of freedom , mutual respect and sharing.
This is despite, or more so, considering the countless obstacles that arise and the system will try to put more and more to the spread of this type of educational practices.
From the practical point of view, David and Julie Donadi Spiazzi, co-founders and teachers of the School Ethics Kiskanu, the first and most established experience of libertarian school in Italy (located in Verona, where he worked for 15 years), have brought their experience: unable to avoid subjecting their children for exams (Kiskanu is active in a cycle of eight years, the equivalent of more elementary school), but seek to present them all together, depending on the class of each, before the same committee in the same school.
In this way students feel less alone and less difficulty with the already complicated situation of having to prove to people from cultural backgrounds and very different formations (although in some cases, teachers are quite open, even if traditional) this who are not used to prove to anyone.

The parents role

Another issue that was deeply felt as regards quantity and quality of the presence of parents in school life.
Depending on the various testimonies and experiences have highlighted the advantages and the need for a strong presence but also the difficulties that may arise, especially in terms of weight of expectation, even if unintentional.
In general it was agreed that, in view of the concept of school management as a shared and shared, this presence is necessary.
In many cases this is difficult to limit participation is essential if the educational initiative starts right at the instigation of a group of parents.
The risks then can sometimes result in a trend, though not deliberate or unconscious, to want to somehow influence some aspects of school life (one of themes hottest covers for example power.)
The experience of Kiskanu is very special in this sense, given that the initiative to open the school was taken by Julius and David as teachers, an initiative which then parents have joined.

A newborn libertarian school

Ended, though it could last much longer, the discussion on the points of the Manifesto of the Network, which will shortly appear on the site has now been reduced to telling the experiences of libertarian education developed in the last month.
The most started we were told by Gabriel Meadows, Mara Slanzi Association and the Flight Anna Carmichael, working in a nursery-school libertarian game last September in Bologna, Cadriano.
It's 11 children split between kindergarten, first and second grade.
The school is held physically in the nearby houses of two families, who have offered their attics and kitchens on the ground floor.
The contents of the learning process are realized primarily in stimulating the passions of each child then developed with the technical tools that are created as needed from time to time occur.
The main focus is on psychological and physical aspects and physical activity of children, namely the enhancement of expression as their primary base from which then the children choose what they want to do.
The psychological well-being and expression then body are seen as key conditions that allow then later learning.
For these reasons, it pays great attention to practice physical body through years of experience as Mara and Anna.
The teachers are now aware to actually "postprogrammazione", that is to become aware of what has been done only after the work has been carried, and therefore not a priori.
The joint assembly is a very popular with children, who have grasped the full potential, despite the normal presence of conflicts that most often are resolved painlessly.
It is true that the physical location of the school is the home of two families, but in reality it makes a lot of outdoor school, meaning trips to the river, parks, countryside, library, meaning not only teaching but as a result of preference and experience of incidental learning.
It pays special attention to memory and re-working of all activities, for example through the comparison and the establishment of a school diary.
It is a very strong sense of sharing, although, as mentioned above, it tends to favor the development of the sensitivity of children rather than their abilities and skills.
The "sensitivity" stimuli are varied, and can be artistic, relational, bodily, environmental ..
This is an experience that the teachers are enthusiastic, both for the response they receive from the children (be careful, respectful, motivated, joyful, happy, creative) and for the way they are doing as "teachers"and how people in general, experiencing the extraordinary in the field of educational processes that arise dall'incidentalità and spontaneity.