To provide a possible interpretation of the passive attitude often exhibited by pupils in the context of school trips, the article does not follow the path of moralistic judgement, but starts from the essence of the teaching profession, which consists in showing the world to the students. The article adopts the thesis of the presence, in many school trips, of an excessive cognitive load and affirms the need to devote the same attention to teaching in these learning contexts as in (...) class work. Graduality is proposed as the key to a learning experience based on a motivation that arises from the discovery of reality. (shrink)

The article proposes two anthropological movements as guidelines for an education in democratic citizenship more capable of overcoming reductionisms and trivializations: a return to oneself, suggested by Hannah Arendt and a movement towards others, suggested by Edgar Morin. The text also takes the opportunity to formulate a reflection on the relevance of the global educational challenge of compulsory schooling for the construction of a more sensitive and open humanity.

The article begins with an analysis of the learning process, described as a transition from a condition of “not knowing ” to a condition of “knowing something more”. Referring to John Dewey’s theory, it underlines the need, on the part of the teacher, to understand the specific condition of the learner, which is closely related to the uncomfortable posture of learning, in order to make possible a truly meaningful pathway. To foster this experience, the author proposes, in conclusion, two thoughts: (...) the first is focused on the competence to proactively and interactively regulate the lessons, the second on a “principle of excess” which constantly places the teacher in the position of “giving”. (shrink)