(by Giovanbattista Trebisacce) "Oportet ut scandala eveniant scandals must happen ... ". It is a statement that I am using a lot in this period in a provocative way. It may seem at first sight an unscrupulous statement, considering the particular historical moment, marked by the rhythms imposed by the pandemic. However, a change of direction is needed, which stems from the observation of the change in habits, customs and lifestyles in general that has occurred in recent months. The return to a more or less ordinary sociality, however, will not make us lose the forced changes that have characterized our recent behaviors. The pandemic gives us a new lifestyle based, among other things, on a new way of using the traditional telecommunication tools. The use of the network in these months of forced isolation has allowed us, at least as regards the public sphere, to continue working, to promote distance learning processes, to do grocery shopping at home, to maintain relationships with our dear, etc. In short, it exponentially accelerated digitization processes that would take years to complete.
The School, in particular, taking on great responsibilities and relying on the generous availability of teachers and managers, has continued, despite a thousand difficulties, its educational and training action by channeling all its resources into the ocean of the network, in order to return, at least virtually, to the students a brutally interrupted daily life. Distance learning, despite the critical issues it presents (if carried out without face-to-face teaching), has managed to fill the void imposed by the pandemic, creating a "new architecture of school environments", breaking down insurmountable physical barriers imposed by the lockdown, reconfiguring new classrooms in the familiar spaces of the houses. A new teaching that, however, has managed, thanks also to the particular historical moment we are experiencing, to recreate that empathic communication typical of face-to-face teaching, which has given a more human face to digital platforms. The sharing of frailties, of skills put at the service of others, has configured the network as a space of solidarity in which to design a new vision of community. The process started, which must necessarily be considered as a starting point and must not be archived, has brought out fundamental issues and problems, such as the free of charge of digital services for families, school inclusion and a new and fundamental digital training of teachers . The experience gained in these months must represent the starting point for a new model of school that integrates digital operation with activity in the presence, an operation that can now be postponed, which in any case remains an indispensable dimension of the educational relationship. Politics has the task of re-considering training as a future investment for society, clearing visions widespread in recent years that consider education as a consumer good at the service of stakeholders (stakeholders). Learning and training in general must necessarily be considered as values and resources on which the well-being of the country depends.
Giovanbattista Trebisacce - Professor of General Pedagogy at the University of Catania and AIDR member