Maria VOLPICELLI
As of November 1st, 2023, she is Ricercatore TD – B (Researcher) in Pedagogia Generale e Sociale (General and Social Pedagogy) (M-PED/01) at the Dipartimento di Scienze Umanistiche dell’Università degli Studi di Catania (Department of Humanities of the University of Catania). She teaches Pedagogia Generale (General Pedagogy) for the Laurea Triennale (Bachelor’s Degree) course in Filosofia (Philosophy) and Storia dell’Educazione (History of Education) for the Laurea Magistrale (Master's Degree) course in Scienze Filosofiche (Philosophical Sciences).
In 2018, she achieved the qualification of Associate Professor in the field 11 / D1 - Pedagogia e Storia della Pedagogia (Pedagogy and History of Pedagogy).
From October 2013 to October 2023, she taught pedagogical subjects at the Università degli Studi Guglielmo Marconi (Guglielmo Marconi University) as a fixed-term Ricercatore (Researcher), Professore Straordinario (Professor) and fixed term Docente (Professor).
Her research interests have focused on particular aspects of pedagogy and didactics during the Renaissance, on Comenius and his approach to early childhood education, on the pedagogical theories of Giuseppe Lombardo Radice, on the work of Antonio Labriola and on the pedagogy of Augusto Romagnoli.
Her publications include the volumes: Pedagogia, Didattica, Anatomia. Maestri e scolari all'Università di Padova nel Rinascimento (Pedagogy, Didactics, Anatomy. Professors and scholars at the University of Padua in the Renaissance), Anicia, 2016; La Pedagogia Critica di Francisco Sanchez. Autore del Quod Nihil Scitur (The Critical Pedagogy of Francisco Sanchez. Author of Quod Nihil Scitur- That nothing is known), Anicia, 2018; L’insegnamento della pedagogia di Antonio Labriola all’Università “La Sapienza’’ (The teaching of Antonio Labriola’s pedagogical approach at ''La Sapienza'' University”) Anicia, 2023.
She published a new edition of Giuseppe Lombardo Radice's Lezioni di Didattica e Ricordi di Esperienza Magistrale. Anicia, 2020; as part of the National Edition of the works of Antonio Labriola she edited the volume Tre Saggi sul Determinismo (Three Essays on Determinism), Bibliopolis, 2021; she translated and edited the first Italian edition of Comenius' Schola Infantiae (School of Infancy), Scholé, 2022.
She is a member of CIRSE (Centro Italiano per la Ricerca Storico Educativa) and SICESE (Sezione Italiana della Comparative Education Society in Europe).
In 2015 she was awarded the CIRSE International Award (Centro Italiano per la Ricerca Storico Educativa) - Doctoral dissertation section
She is a member of the editorial committees of the following scientific journals: 'I Problemi della Pedagogia'; 'Paideutika. Quaderni di formazione e cultura'; 'Tiflologia per l’Integrazione'.
The main lines of research pursued focused on the following themes:
- The Teaching of Anatomy during the Renaissance. The research concerned the teaching of anatomy during one of the most significant moments in its history, namely the period between the 16th and 17th centuries in the studio of Padua, which was one of the most prominent and renowned universities of the time in Europe. The research started from a detailed analysis of the institutional framework and the examination of extensive first-hand documentation, drawn from the official documents (regulations, statutes and university records) and from the testimonies of its direct protagonists, students and professors.
- The Critical Pedagogy of Francisco Sanchez. The research focused on one of the central figures of Renaissance skepticism, Francisco Sanchez, whose systematic criticism regarding the profound limits that are inherent to human knowledge also had significant developments from a pedagogical perspective, especially from the point of view of a radical critique of the educational models of the time.
- The Pedagogy of Giuseppe Lombardo Radice. This area of research was divided into two main paths. The first aspect concerned the in-depth study of the Lezioni di didattica e ricordi di esperienza magistrale: in addition to a revival of the text by the Catanian pedagogist with the 1936 edition, a careful reconstruction concerning the reception of its first edition was carried out through an examination of the periodical press of the time and a series of significant epistolary exchanges. The second aspect of the research examined the international acceptance of Lombardo Radice's educational thought through unpublished sources relating to pedagogists and educators from various European and non-European countries.
- Comenius’ Early Childhood Education. Through the Italian translation of Comenius' Schola Infantiae (School of Infancy), the first organic and systematic text dedicated to early childhood in the history of modern education, the Czech pedagogist’s important contribution to the education and instruction of pre-school children (ages 0 to 6 years) was analysed.
- Antonio Labriola’s Reflection on Pedagogy and Ethics. As part of the national Edition of works by Antonio Labriola, this context includes the editing of the volume regarding the writings on determinism as well as the reconstruction of the pedagogical teaching approach of the philosopher from Cassino at the Università di Roma “La Sapienza” (“La Sapienza” University of Rome), based on the unpublished manuscripts of his pedagogical lessons, which are kept in the “Fondo Dal Pane”.
- The Pedagogical Approach of Augusto Romagnoli. The research focused on the figure and work of Augusto Romagnoli and on his fundamental contribution to the education of the visually impaired in Italy.