New horizons in Italy’s “small schools”. Re-thinking didactics to enhance the territory

Abstract

This paper aims to explain the organizational and didactic innovations that have occurred in recent decades in Italy’s “small schools”, typical of the so-called Aree Interne (Inner Areas). These changes have led to a new knowledge organization and management, even according to the new recipients of the educational offer: school is changing, like its students and the world we live in; schools had to respond by changing and enhancing their offer, in order not to lose their students. They have cleverly chosen to use the precious link with the territory, often achieving excellent results, such as the development and the enhancement of schools, territories and students, both nationally and internationally, introducing new horizons in the landscape of both their students and the territory that hosts them, by re-thinking teaching for a continuous enhancement. Moreover, we have to build up a strong link among such a new way of education and the precious information methods we can use to update and integrate students and small schools.