“Scuola Diffusa” and Widespread Education as a Socio-Educational Resilience Practice for Inclusion. A qualitative study

In Reggio Emilia, thanks to the "Officina Educativa", the educational department of the Reggio Emilia municipal government, "Scuola Diffusa", a specific model of Widespread Education, emerged as a response to the constraints resulting from the lockdown due to a health emergency situation. It shaped the educational ecosystem of the town, offering extensive educational opportunities for inclusion. It is based on deep alliances between different social, educational and community actors who co-design curricular projects that connect multiple contexts within a community and take the learners' everyday life interests and needs as a point of departure. In this study, and using qualitative methods to document the implementation of Widespread Education in the city of Reggio Emilia, we address the following question: What characteristics of Widespread Education facilitate inclusive practices? Three key conditions that seem to facilitate inclusive practices and experiences are identified in the educational model, namely: cooperative learning, learning from interests and real situations, as well as social support in small groups with the different professionals involved (teachers and educators). This requires training processes to address strategies and practices that allow different curricular units and objectives to be shared with areas of the territory.