Facebook Instagram Linkedin Youtube Twitter
18/19 November 2022 - Teatro Olimpico, ROME
MENU
Back to Papers

Towards a New Identity of the Teacher

  • Amendola A.,
ABSTRACT

School is submerged in cultural, social and political reality and it absorbs all of the intricacies that make teaching nowadays a very complex task.

When speaking about the identity of the teacher, there are many different aspects that need to be taken into consideration. It is also important to define the teacher’s professionality. Our goal is to focus our attention on the importance of human relations in the school environment, highlighting its peculiarity. There is a risk that a non-valid relation jeopardizes the upstream of efficiency of the teacher’s work. First and foremost, it is necessary to bare in mind that in any educational environment a psychological relationship is established between the teacher and the student. Such a relationship is characterized by what can be defined as a, “different level of psychological development.” This aspect leads us to make some considerations. Which are the aware and non-aware thoughts that the adult produces towards this “different level of psychological development”? This question is fundamental as such thoughts determine the meaning of the relationship and guide the behaviors of all parties involved. For instance, in some cases, the idea may arrive that adults have some sort of “power” over children and kids.  We do not partake of this opinion, as we believe that it is possible to talk about “responsibility”, trying to fill this word with new meanings. We intend to discuss the reality that responsibility is linked to the intention of becoming companions, and that we are able to pay attention to the human realization possible for every individual. What has been said highlights the importance of the anthropologic conception of human nature.

With the theory of birth, the individual is recognized as an original self that needs to develop. They also have the ability to imagine and a natural drive to form human relations. These are the foundations of a human being and the realization that identity goes beyond identification.

This new image of the human being offers an idea of children and adolescents with which we can free the teacher from the poisonous thought of having to “deal with” human beings who need to be “controlled or contained,” or to be addressed with “compassion”.

The very idea of “education,” can be characterized in a new way. We can now “trust the kids”. We can now crush the old debate between permissiveness and authoritarianism, in the search for an authority that is better aligned with the truth of the teacher-student relationship.

To add value, within the school, to the expression of thoughts and creativity as research for human realization, offers to youths the chance for a real wellness in discovering the deceit of a dominant thought looking for the mere satisfaction of needs.

Concerning the attention that is assigned to the affective-relational aspects in school, there are different positions. Due to the many theorical and experimental retractions, the tendency to rule out the importance of the above-mentioned aspects in the didactic practice becomes weaker and weaker. In today’s school, the predominant positions are behavioural-cognitivist widely accepted in an acritical way (and here we could talk about the lack of education of teachers on the psychological aspects). These positions aim to please, in a limited or deceiving way, the request to intervene facing the difficulties related to the affective-relational sphere, often present in class. There is no lack, albeit a minority one, of interest in the various psychoanalytic approaches which, while giving due prominence to the sphere of affections in the educational relationship, are based on theories of Freudian matrix.

There are numerous theories and experimental evidences that contradicts the vision of a narcissistic, self-centred, autistic new-born, but only with the theory of birth it is really possible to regain possession of a human birth that had always been denied. Such aspect, recovered with knowledge, offers to the adult interacting with children and adolescents, that certainty that characterizes the quality of the relationship and is fundamental in the face of the inevitable uncertainty that arise. The certainty of non-violent human nature might offer the adult that peace that makes possible the creativity required even in the so-called educational relationship.

 

References

  • Covato, C., Borruso, F., Cantatore, Barsotti, S., L., Azara, L., Riva, M.G., et al (2014).
  • L’educazione sentimentale: Vite e norme delle pedagogie narrate. Milano: Guerini Scientifica.Aime, M., & Pietropolli Charmet, G. (2014).
  • La fatica di diventare grandi: La scomparsa dei riti di passaggio. Torino: Einaudi.Arace, A. (2019).
  • Adolescenti a scuola: Psicologia dello sviluppo e dell’educazione per l’insegnamento. Milano: Mondatori Education.Berti, A.E. , & Bombi, A.S. (2018).
  • Corso di psicologia dello sviluppo. Bologna: Il Mulino. Biesta, G.J.J. (2022).
  • Riscoprire l’insegnamento. Milano: Raffaello Cortina.Blandino, G. (2008).
  • Quando insegnare non è più un piacere: La scuola difficile, proposte per insegnanti e formatori. Milano: Raffaello Cortina.Blandino, G., & Granieri, B. (1995).
  • La disponibilità ad apprendere: Dimensioni emotive nella scuola e formazione degli insegnanti. Milano: Raffaello Cortina.Bruner, J.S. (1990).
  • Psicologia della conoscenza. Roma: Armando Armando.Bruner, J.S. (1997).
  • Il processo educativo: Dopo Dewey. Roma: Armando Armando.Bruner, J.S. (1998).
  • La cultura dell’educazione: Nuovi orizzonti per la scuola. Milano: Giangiacomo Feltrinelli.Bruner, J.S. (1990).
  • La ricerca del significato: Per una psicologia culturale. Torino: Bollati Boringhieri.Bruner, J.S. (2015).
  • Alla ricerca della mente: Autobiografia intellettuale. Roma: Armano Armando.Camaioni, L. (ed.). (1993).
  • Manuale di psicologia dello sviluppo. Bologna: Il Mulino.Caravita, S., Milani, L., & Traficante, D. (Eds). (2018).
  • Psicologia dello sviluppo e dell’educazione. Bologna: Il Mulino.Ceruti, M., Bellusci, F. (2020).
  • Abitare la complessità. Milano-Udine: Mimesis.Dewey, J. (2014).
  • Esperienza e educazione. Milano: Raffaello Cortina.Dewey, J. (2019).
  • Come pensiamo. Milano: Raffaello Cortina.Fabbri, L.(ed.). (2018).
  • Educare agli affetti: Studi in onore di Bruno Rossi. Roma: Armando Armando.Fagioli, M. (2010).
  • Istinto di morte e conoscenza. Roma: L’Asino d’oro.Fagioli, M. (2011).
  • La marionetta e il burattino. Roma: L’Asino d’oro.Fagioli, M. (2013).
  • Bambino donna e trasformazione dell’uomo. Roma: L’Asino d’oro.Fagioli, M. (2011).
  • Left 2008. Roma: L’Asino d’oro.Fagioli, M. (2012).
  • Left 2009. Roma: L’Asino d’oro.Fagioli, M. (2013).
  • Left 2010. Roma: L’Asino d’oro.Fagioli, M. (2016).
  • Left 2013. Roma: L’Asino d’oro.Fagioli, M. (2018).
  • Left 2015. Roma: L’Asino d’oro.Fagioli, M. (2019).
  • Left 2016-2017. Roma: L’Asino d’oro.Fagioli, M. (2019).
  • Das Unbewusste: L’inconoscibile. Roma: L’Asino d’oro.Fagioli, M. (2018).
  • Storia di una ricerca: Lezioni 2002. Roma: L’Asino d’oro.Fagioli, M. (2017).
  • Conoscenza dell’istinto di morte. Roma: L’Asino d’oro.Fagioli, M. (2022).
  • Le notti dell’isteria. Roma: L’Asino d’oro.Fonagy, P., Gergely, G., Jurist, E.L., & Target, M. (2005).
  • Regolazione affettiva mentalizzazione e sviluppo del sé. Milano: Raffaello Cortina.Foucault, M. (2014).
  • Sorvegliare e punire: Nascita della prigione. Torino: Giulio Einaudi.Freire, P. (2018).
  • Pedagogia degli oppressi. Torino: Gruppo Abele.Galli della Loggia, E. (2019).
  • L’aula vuota: Come l’Italia ha distrutto la scuola. Venezia: Marsilio.Gauchet, M. (2010).
  • Il figlio del desiderio: Una rivoluzione antropologica. Milano: Vita e Pensiero.Gray, P. (2015).
  • Lasciateli giocare. Torino: Giulio Einaudi.Immordino-Yang, M.H. (2017).
  • Neuroscienze affettive ed educazione. Milano: Raffaello Cortina.Juul, J. (2001).
  • Il bambino è competente: Valori e conoscenze in famiglia. Milano: Giangiacomo Feltrinelli.Liverda Sempio, O. (ed.). (1998).
  • Vygotskij, Piaget, Bruner: concezioni dello sviluppo. Milano: Raffaello Cortina. Massa, R. (1997).
  • Cambiare la scuola: Educare o istruire?. Bari-Roma: Laterza.Meirieu, P. (2019).
  • Una scuola per l’emancipazione. Roma: Armando Armando.Morin, E. (2001).
  • I sette saperi necessari all’educazione del futuro. Milano: Raffaello Cortina.Mottana, P. (1998).
  • Formazione e affetti: Il contributo della psicoanalisi allo studio e alla elaborazione dei processi di apprendimento. Roma: Armando Armando.Nussbaum, M.C. (2004).
  • L’intelligenza delle emozioni. Bologna: Il Mulino. Pesci, F. (2015).
  • Storia delle idee pedagogiche. Milano: Mondatori Education.Pontecorvo, C. (ed.). (1999).
  • Manuale di psicologia dell’educazione. Bologna: Il Mulino.Recalcati, M. (2014).
  • L’ora di lezione: Per un’erotica dell’insegnamento. Torino: Giulio Einaudi.Sempio, O.L., Marchetti, A., & Lecciso, F. (eds.) (2005).
  • Teoria della mente: Tra normalità e patologia. Milano: Raffaello Cortina.Streppafava, M.G., Iacchia, E. (2012).
  • Psicopatologia cognitiva dello sviluppo: Bambini difficili o relazioni difficili. Milano: Raffaello Cortina.Vygotskij, L.S. (2000).
  • Pensiero e linguaggio. Roma-Bari: Laterza.