Gabriella D'APRILE

Gabriella D’Aprile is a Full Professor of General and Social Pedagogy at the Department of Educational Sciences at the University of Catania.

She is the President of the degree program in Educational Sciences and Training and Vice-Coordinator of the Ph.D. program in "Educational Processes, Theoretical-Transformative Models, and Applied Research Methods for the Territory" at the University of Catania.

Previously, she served as Director of the 1st level university Master's program "Organization and Management of Educational Institutions in Multicultural Contexts" for the 2020/2021 academic year (a national FAMI program in collaboration with MIUR and CUNSF, established within the ministerial framework of the "Multiyear Training Plan for Principals, Teachers, and ATA Staff in Schools with a High Incidence of Foreign Students") and coordinator of the Research-Training project for the FAMI school network "Intercultural Leadership and Teacher Professionalism" (accredited by the SOFIA Ministry of Education).

Her research interests span several areas: a theoretical-epistemological focus on intercultural pedagogy, pedagogical models from an ecological perspective, teacher training, educational professionalism, and the pedagogy of learning (in a bio-pedagogical key); and a pedagogical-historical approach to models, themes, and figures of active pedagogy and New Education. In this area, she has uncovered unpublished sources on Adolphe Ferrière and Giuseppe Lombardo Radice. Her research has been conducted in Francophone regions, at the Archives Institut J.-J. Rousseau (AIJJR), the Jean Piaget Foundation, the Bureau International d'Éducation (BIE) of the University of Geneva (FPSE), and she has participated as the scientific representative for Italy in international research projects and European scientific-editorial initiatives on the Education Nouvelle movement (University of Geneva, University of Picardie Jules-Verne, University of Paris 8, University of Vic - Catalonia). Since 2003, she has been involved, as Scientific Director (PI) and member, in university research projects at the University of Catania (PRA, FIR, FIRD, PIA.CE.RI.). She has also been involved as a member in projects of national interest (PRIN 2017) and international projects (HORIZON). She is the scientific director and coordinator of the Erasmus+ SMILE European project "Share the Music for Inclusive Learning in Education," aimed at promoting music as an educational tool for school inclusion. From 2018 to 2020, she served on the Board of Directors of the Italian Society of Pedagogy (SIPED) and was editor-in-chief of its official scientific journal, "Pedagogia Oggi." She is the Director of the international series "LIMEN. Pedagogical Studies and Research Beyond Borders" (Pensa Multimendia), of "Studies in Pedagogy and History of Education 'Formation and Active Memory'" - Apogeo Education/Maggioli Editore - and the national series "Pedagogy and Didactics 'EducAzione'" - A&G Cuecm. She is a member of numerous scientific committees and referee for editorial series and journals in the pedagogical field. She is a member of the national research groups of the Italian Society of Pedagogy (SIPED) on "Intercultural Pedagogy" and "Pedagogy of the Environment, Agenda 2030, Wellbeing Sustainability, Next Generation EU, Justice, Educational Resistance." She has held scientific coordination roles for national projects: "Inclusive Empathy. Empathic Communication from an Inclusive Perspective" (promoted by Fiaba Onlus and co-financed by Fondazione Terzo Pilastro Internazionale - Rome); and "Eco-narrations. Educational Care Training Workshops," carried out in collaboration with the Municipality of Ragusa (Filippo Basile Award 2024).

Alongside her scientific research, she has been actively engaged on several fronts. Since 2009, she has been a founding member and Board member of the "Orti di pace - Sicilia" Association and the scientific director of projects and training courses for teachers and school administrators in the Sicilian school network. Since 2011, she has collaborated with the cultural and scientific initiatives of the Paolo Borsellino Study, Research, and Documentation Center, Sicily-Europe.

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

• Filippo Basile Award 2024: Excellence Mention (Section "Educational Processes and Projects") for the research-training project "Eco-narrations. Educational Care Training Workshops" in collaboration with the Municipality of Ragusa.

• Riccardo Massa Award 2023, for the essay Del confine come limen, fondamento dell'essere, in S. Polenghi, M. Fiorucci, L. Agostinetto (eds.), Diritti, cittadinanza, inclusione, pp. 95-106, Lecce, Pensa Multimedia Editore s.r.l, 2018.

• Italian Pedagogy Award (SIPED) VII Edition 2020 for the volume Memorie di una inedita corrispondenza. Lettere di Giuseppe Lombardo Radice ad Adolphe Ferrière, Edizioni ETS, Pisa, 2019.

• International Francesco Saverio Nitti Award for the Mediterranean (University of Suor Orsola Benincasa of Naples and the Association School & Life of Acquafredda di Maratea) for the volume La terra come luogo di cura educativa in Sicilia. Metafore e tracce nel tempo, Bonanno Editore, Acireale-Rome, 2014 (with Tomarchio M.).