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FrancoAngeli Journals

Articles/Articoli

No. 2 (2025)

Life project and Self-Determination. Tinkering as a pedagogical approach to foster Universal Learning

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3280/ess2-2025oa21050
Submitted
settembre 20, 2025
Published
2025-12-11

Abstract

In light of the recent provisions introduced by Legislative Decree No. 62/2024, the Life Project is conceptualized as a pedagogical strategy aimed at fostering processes of inclusion, active participation, and holistic personal development through a personalized, collaborative, and dynamic educational pathway that embraces and values the uniqueness of each individual. Within this theoretical and normative framework, self-determination—defined as the capacity to exercise agency, make informed decisions, and actively engage in the co-construction of one’s own developmental trajectory—assumes a pivotal role, functioning both as an educational objective and an indispensable prerequisite for the creation of transformative and collectively shared initiatives. Aligned with this pedagogical paradigm, tinkering emerges as an innovative instructional approach grounded in the principles of embodied cognition, emphasizing the significance of concrete experience, experimentation, and the customization of learning processes, in accordance with the principles of Universal Design for Learning. On the basis of these assumptions, this paper opens a space for critical reflection on the educational potential of tinkering, particularly in relation to the themes of the Life Project and self-determination, within the broader framework of inclusive education. The present contribution seeks to provide a theoretical framework alongside practical insights to guide the design of flexible and inclusive pedagogical pathways aimed at constructing educational ecosystems capable of fostering the active and conscious involvement of each learner in their own process of growth and knowledge acquisition.

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