The relationship between school and community as an opportunity to re-think teaching

Abstract

This paper presents an action research conducted with teachers at an istituto comprensivo (jointly managed preschool, primary and lower secondary school) in Bergamo (Northern Italy). The study was informed by ecological and naturalistic paradigms,and above all by the values of participatory action research. It examined the possibility that the difficult relationship between school and community may be viewed as an opportunity. The outcomes indicate that focusing on school-community relations can offer benefits on two conditions: 1) that this focus is taken as a starting point for re-thinking the school’s identity; 2) that keywords are identified as a basis for understanding the school-community relationship in the current social context and for guiding appropriate action. We identified three types of action that may usefully be undertaken: introducing new forms of documenting school experience, involving the students’ parents and the broader community in school projects, and using the outcomes of such projects to redefine school programs. A key recommendation for the future is to conduct further participatory research with students, their families, or other stakeholders, and to revisit the school curriculum in the light of the findings.

Keywords: Action research; relationship between school and community; school identity; students’ families.