Dialectical method and theatre for a sustainable civic education. Analysis and evaluation of a teaching methodology

Abstract

The paper presents a pedagogical approach to civic education characterized by the combination of the dialectical (or Socratic) method and theatrical techniques and then it reflects on the effectiveness of the teaching approach in the light of its experimentation in the classroom with students. The teach-ing strategy was developed within the European project Forming active European Citizens through the dialectical method and theater (EAR) in order to promote the skills, attitudes, knowledge and values mentioned in the Competence Framework for Democratic Culture published in 2018. The contribution focuses on the discussion of the results of a participatory actionresearch carried out in two Italian Comprehensive Schools, demonstrating how the EAR teaching methodology has contributed to consolidate and develop some important citizenship competences, in particular inclusive cooperation, empathy, active listening and civic-mindedness.