CIVIC EDUCATION IN ITALIAN SCHOOLS “Civic education” is considered a transdisciplinary subject introduced by law n.92 of 20 August 2019 (already present in the National Guidelines of 2010 and 2012 for teaching at different school levels) which has the aim of “Training responsible and active citizens by promoting full and conscious participation in the civic, cultural and social life of communities, respecting the rules, rights and duties". This teaching responds to the new social needs that have arisen around fundamental axes and values. Alongside the formative and transversal dimension of civic education, the skills and the multiple "educations" that it promotes, the Law, in this case, indicates a series of cognitive themes: § § §
The Italian constitution, national and international law, legality and solidarity Sustainable development: environmental education, national heritage and environmental protection; Digital Citizenship
It therefore simultaneously promotes aspects of civic knowledge and educational actions linked to responsible and active citizenship. The reformulation of the idea of citizenship and civic education passes through the assumption of a transversal perspective to plan curricular paths in which all the teachers of the class, both those involved in specific projects and those dealing with their own subjects, know how to integrate knowledge and activities around the cornerstones of citizenship education. The teaching of civic and citizenship education does not involve an increase in timetable or staffing, but is curricular in all school levels and provides an evaluation that contributes to admission to the next class and/or to the State Exam of the first and second cycle of education and, for the third, fourth and fifth classes of secondary schools including the attribution of school credit. The transversality and skills-based planning of the teaching-learning of civic and citizenship education implies the participation of all class teachers within it. The teachers share a common unitary project, which is then divided into Didactic Learning Units and/or lessons, multi-class or school projects, and implemented by different teachers in their own disciplines or learning areas. One of the teachers is designated as coordinator and constantly keeps track of both the ongoing lessons, evaluation activities and final results, systematically reporting back to their colleagues. The minimum number of hours to be dedicated to this shared activity is by law 33 hours.