Teaching the future: a bridge between past and present through imagination, autonomy and inclusion

Abstract

Pedagogical innovation aims to cultivate a student's integration into the surrounding world, moulding them into the person of the future, that will be capable of confronting and resolving challenges in the contemporary world. Aligned with principles such as inclusion, autonomy and divergent thinking, current pedagogical principles and emerging regulations aspire to contribute to building a school community with the task of fostering educational paths and training programs that guarantee any student can unfold their potential while respecting and highlighting their uniqueness. This contribution seeks to revisit the ideology of three influential figures from the past, who served as pioneers in innovative and forward‐looking pedagogy: Maria Montessori, Gianni Rodari, and Don Lorenzo Milani through encouraging autonomy, creativity, and inclusion redirected attention to the student as the focal point of learning, an active protagonist in their educational journey. Furthermore, they played a pioneering role in promoting inclusion.