Cosmic Education - Between past and future: Maria Montessori's cosmic education as a bridge between social sciences and natural sciences

Principal investigator: prof. Rossella Raimondo

Project team: Paola Govoni (FILCOM), Olivia Levrini (DIFA), Tiziana Pironi, William Grandi e Alessandra Cerea (EDU)

Type: ALMAIDEA GRANT – Line A

Project duration: 18 months

Start date: 01/07/2022       

End date: 31/12/2023

Status: active

Total budget: 24.000 euros

Project’s topics: Maria Montessori, Cosmic education, Active citizenship, Teacher training and Interactions between natural sciences and social sciences

Description: The main object of the research concerns the analysis of cosmic education elaborated by Maria Montessori. In the first phase, the research group will review the critical studies that have addressed this issue, attempting to reconstruct an international reference framework on the state of the art. We will then move on to a historical-educational survey and an analysis of the texts produced by Maria Montessori concerning cosmic education in order to detect the key concepts underlying this original educational proposal.

In summary, the objectives of the project concern the analysis:

- Of education in nature as a place of discovery and investigation of the dense network of interdependencies that regulate life, which has its roots in Maria Montessori's scientific and at the same time spiritual formation

- Of the link between science and pacifism as a source of universal fraternity and emancipation

- Training proposals aimed at teachers in training or in updating on topics related to cosmic education

- The configuration of spaces and materials connected to cosmic education, which represent educational resources both in Montessori schools and in environments of informal education and free use.

The ultimate goal is to verify the educational and training potential that this theory can activate in our globalized world: it is believed that the proposal of cosmic education should be extended to the most disparate contexts of education and not only to those with a Montessori orientation.

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