Freedom as Deactivation and Co-Creation: An Action Research Study on Emancipatory Practices in Lower Secondary Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7346/-fei-XXIII-02-25_02Keywords:
Freedom, Italian National Curriculum Guidelines, Emancipatory teaching, Teaching professionAbstract
This article critically examines the definition of freedom proposed in the forthcoming 2025 National Guidelines by the Italian Ministry of Education, contrasting it with the constraints perceived in everyday teaching practices within a lower secondary school. Drawing on a theoretical framework that includes contributions from Biesta, Žižek, Agamben, and Nishitani, the paper advocates for a conception of freedom rooted in the deactivation of the teacher’s telos [τέλος] and the co-construction of knowledge. Through a combination of action research and autoethnography, the study explores and defines practices of porous teaching. By embracing the figure of the “illegal teacher,” making use of the hidden curriculum, and implementing a pedagogy of error, the article demonstrates how genuine spaces of emancipation can emerge. The final analysis highlights systemic challenges and underscores the urgent need to integrate these practices into the everyday life of schools, in order to foster a teaching culture that truly supports shared agency and meaningful freedom.
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