PROFESSIONALISM IN EDUCATIONAL CONTEXTS AND PEDAGOGICAL ETHICS A - L

Course Description

The course aims to provide a critical understanding of the ethical, deontological, and professional dimensions of educational practice in formal, non-formal, and informal contexts. Building on key pedagogical categories and normative as well as value-based references, it encourages reflection on educational responsibility, the care of relationships, and the professional identity of the socio-pedagogical educator.

The following areas will be explored in depth:

• epistemological foundations of educational professionalism;

• ethical orientations of the educational professions;

• ethical dilemmas and decision-making processes in educational contexts;

• reflective and relational construction of professional identity;

• ethics of care, responsibility, and justice in educational processes;

• specific attention to complex and intercultural contexts.

Learning Objectives and Expected Outcomes (Dublin Descriptors)

D1 – Knowledge and Understanding

• To acquire knowledge of the epistemological foundations of educational professionalism and the main ethical/deontological references.

• To understand key categories and concepts (hospitality, care, reflexivity, supervision, recognition, etc.).

D2 – Applying Knowledge and Understanding

• To analyze cases and ethical dilemmas, formulating well-argued decisions consistent with deontological codes and the normative framework.

• To design micro-educational interventions that integrate care and responsibility across different contexts.

D3 – Making Judgements

• To critically evaluate educational practices with particular attention to equity, inclusion, interculturality, and relational sustainability.

• To conduct a professional skills assessment and identify plans for improvement.

D4 – Communication Skills

• To communicate professionally within teams and with stakeholders, using inclusive language and pedagogical counselling tools.

• To articulate ethical choices and evaluations effectively, both orally and in writing.

D5 – Learning Skills

• To develop reflective methods (learning journals, narrative practices, supervision) aimed at lifelong learning.

• To identify and use scientific and regulatory sources for continuous professional development.

• Interactive lectures with micro-lectures and dialogical moments.

• Case and dilemma analysis (case-based and problem-based learning).

• Guided readings and seminar discussions on scientific texts and regulations.

• Formative supervision in small groups (peer feedback and instructor feedback).

Attendance is strongly recommended, given the professionalizing nature of the course contents and activities.

Support for Working Students and Students with Special Educational Needs (SEN/DSA)
Specific support measures are provided: individualized modalities and timelines will be agreed with the instructor.

he program is organized into thematic units

U1. Epistemology of Educational Professionalism
Professionalism, social mandate, public responsibility; recognition of educational professions: legal framework and codes of ethics; pedagogical competences and the profile of the educator/pedagogue.

U2. Ethics of Care and Responsibility
Care as relationship and practice; ecology of educational relationships; educational spaces and temporalities; community and hospitality.

U3. Communication, Dialogue, and Mediation
Professional communication; motivation and climate; narrative as a reflective and transformative tool.

U4. Ethical Dilemmas, Risk, and Decision-Making
Case analysis and controversies; child protection, privacy, informed consent; educational distress and crisis; conflict management; documentation of decisions.

U5. Reflective Professional Identity
Reflexivity, pedagogical supervision, competence assessment; learning in practice and organizational learning; educational work and teamwork.

U6. Educational Counseling and Guidance
Processes and settings of educational counseling; guidance tools; collaboration between schools, services, and community; parental education.

U7. Formal, Non-Formal, and Informal Education
Connections and specificities; informal education and community; context and situated design; work and transitions.

U8. Interculturality and Complexity
Educational professionalism in intercultural and complex contexts; inclusion, equity, access; ethics of justice and educational policies.

• Simeone (a cura di), Dizionario di pedagogia generale e sociale, Scholé.
  (Selezione di voci: Accoglienza; Apprendimento organizzativo; Bilancio di competenze; Competenze pedagogiche; Comunicazione; Comunità; Consulenza pedagogica; Contesto; Crisi; Cura; Dialogo intergenerazionale; Disagio educativo; Ecologia; Educatore; Educazione informale; Formazione dei genitori; Lavoro; Lavoro educativo; Motivazione; Narrazione; Orientamento; Pedagogista; Riconoscimento; Riflessività; Spazio; Supervisione pedagogica; Tempo).

• Course reader on Pedagogical Deontology (compiled by the instructor).
  

• National and European guidelines and policy documents on educational professions and inclusion (links and references provided in the course reader).

• Theoretical mastery and conceptual clarity (D1)

• Application to case analysis and project design (D2)

• Critical autonomy and deontological awareness (D3)

• Oral and written communicative effectiveness, with appropriate use of disciplinary terminology (D4)

• Reflexivity and ability to use scientific and regulatory sources (D5)

• What are the epistemological foundations of educational professionalism?

• What does “reflexivity” mean for an educator, and which tools (e.g., learning journal, supervision) can foster its development?

• What are the main legislative steps that led to the recognition of the socio-pedagogical professional educator in Italy?