About us Adult Education at the University of Florence

Adult Education at the University of Florence

 

Today, the University of Florence is the main Research Centre in the field of adult education in Italy. There are two Research Laboratories set up in one of its Departments, where 12 Researchers are engaged in adult education research: 2 Full Professors (Vanna Boffo, Giovanna Del Gobbo), 4 Associated Professors (Daniela Frison, Glenda Galeotti, Fabio Togni  Francesca Torlone), Senior Researchers and Junior Researchers.

The research activities at the University of Florence cover various fields. Adult Education Dedicated Research Units are: LILAH - Lifelong Learning and Higher Education, and PUSH-D - Pedagogical Approach for Sustainable Development and Heritage Valorization). There are also ongoing projects benefitting from multi-year funding (some until 2028: i.e. SALAM-Sustainable Accessibility to the LAbour Market).

The University of Florence was the first in Italy to activate the teaching of adult education theory, history and methodology in 1968. It was Filippo Maria De Sanctis who created the first research nucleus and founded a new approach to adult education, focused on the individual and social consequences of learning, and not on teaching and not on learning. His heritage was taken up and developed by Paolo Federighi. During the first 50 years, research programmes were developed on adult education policies, workplace learning, access to education and culture and the 'response' of the 'Public' to educational powers.

All adult education research programmes have always had a strong international dimension. Since the 1970s activities in the framework of UNESCO projects were undertaken, as well as since the 1980s research activities were carried out with the European Commission and with the main international adult education organisations (like ICAE and EBAE and then EAEA).

This has been possible thanks to the encouragement and constant support of Lamberto Borghi, Director of the Institute of Pedagogy at that time, when he returned recently from forced exile in the United States (due to the fascist persecution of Jews). During his exile, Borghi worked with John Dewey and brought to Italy the spirit of Dewey's neo pragmatism, his focus on adult education and the “Public and Its problems”.