Come trasformare un'esigenza estrema in una straordinaria opportunità di innovazione didattica e crescita professionale per i docenti

The body of individual experiences deriving from sometimes "dire" educational needs, such as those of students unable to attend normal education regularly (if at all), provides the school and research worlds with useful specific material for reflection and for testing new forms of teaching. A prime example is hospital and/or home teaching, that is to say an "open" type of teaching which disregards the usual physical boundaries and time limitations of the classroom, while at the same time guaranteeing the social and communicative dimensions that all classes need to have. It is in this sense that "dire" educational experiences can be considered a potential crucible for innovation in teaching and teachers' professional development. In arguing this point, we begin with some considerations on the current relationship between technology and pedagogy. We then examine how the numerous individual experiences of hospital and home teachers might be leveraged for generating innovation that can be extended to the mainstream school system.