Nicola Cuomo
Encyclopedia
Nicola Cuomo is an Italian
educator and Professor of Special Education
at the University of Bologna
. Since 1974 he has conducted research on the difficulties of learning and teaching and on reducing the impact of disability
with particular reference to Down syndrome
, fragile X syndrome
and autism
. Resulting from thirty years of research he has developed a didactic method known as "Emotion to Know" which is based on the theories of Vygotsky, Wertheimer
and Husserl. The method is based on the premise that a person with a disability should as much as possible lead a life that takes into account their own originality in developing an intentional consciousness, independent living
, and independent path in a global, active, lived and acted way.
are not presented in a superficial and linear way like the shot of a gun, but are systemic, contextualised, articulated, and complex like the flight of a butterfly. It is an education
al and didactic method that does not place experiences, learning, and notions in a superficial rational relation, but rather into a psycho-affective one where learning is essentially a qualitative maturation of the experience, specifically designed to arouse the emotion to know and desire to exist including the competences to solve new and unexpected problems.
Interventions in Special Education characterised by the Emotion to Know method aim to link learning to the consciousness and to discover the power of ones own body, through which it is possible to operate on objects, on others, and on the world. It is the power of being able to act and to want to act; to provoke a permanent and dynamic passage in a context of reciprocity
, from person to person.
Without these deep emotional attentions and/or preliminary strategies it often gets difficult to involve a person with a disability, because having as reference RATIONALITY
and MOTIVATIONS
in order to involve him/her in a project is frequently very difficult or impossible: these are sometimes absent. Therefore it is essential to create the conditions for success, as it is from this success that the motivations derive. The possibilities of success have to be researched in those fields in which the person with the disability demonstrates even only minimal practical competences.
The stringency and at the same time the flexibility of the Emotion to Know method, including actively involving children and people with disabilities in planning processes, making them active participants of the learning process, aims to ensure that the child / person acquires the ability to solve problems and to transfer what they have learned to new and unknown situations. Errors, therefore, also become part of the learning process. Consistent with Gestalt
guidelines, the Emotion to Know method proposes respect for diversity and originality considering each of them as resources, and finding the educator in the role of the solicitor and provoker of opportunities rather than a mere transmitter of knowledge and pre-packaged and pre-planned content.
A detailed description of 'Emotion to Know' in both English
and Italian
will be available in a special issue of the International Journal of Whole Schooling due for publication in late 2011. Further information in Italian can be found by following the links listed below.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
educator and Professor of Special Education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
at the University of Bologna
University of Bologna
The Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
. Since 1974 he has conducted research on the difficulties of learning and teaching and on reducing the impact of disability
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
with particular reference to Down syndrome
Down syndrome
Down syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...
, fragile X syndrome
Fragile X syndrome
Fragile X syndrome , Martin–Bell syndrome, or Escalante's syndrome , is a genetic syndrome that is the most commonly known single-gene cause of autism and the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability...
and autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
. Resulting from thirty years of research he has developed a didactic method known as "Emotion to Know" which is based on the theories of Vygotsky, Wertheimer
Max Wertheimer
- External links :* * * * *...
and Husserl. The method is based on the premise that a person with a disability should as much as possible lead a life that takes into account their own originality in developing an intentional consciousness, independent living
Independent living
Independent living, as seen by its advocates, is a philosophy, a way of looking at disability and society, and a worldwide movement of people with disabilities working for self-determination, self-respect and equal opportunities...
, and independent path in a global, active, lived and acted way.
Emotion to Know
The method involved in “Emotion to Know” does not frame learning in fragmented exercises, but rather in complex and articulated activities, with a strong association at an affective level, involving more concepts, more competences, and more abilities that are not only potential, but realized. The ways of knowing, the experiences, the education, the knowledge, and the didacticsDidactics
A didactic method is a teaching method that follows a consistent scientific approach or educational style to engage the student’s mind.The didactic method of instruction is often contrasted with dialectics and the Socratic method; the term can also be used to refer to a specific didactic method,...
are not presented in a superficial and linear way like the shot of a gun, but are systemic, contextualised, articulated, and complex like the flight of a butterfly. It is an education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
al and didactic method that does not place experiences, learning, and notions in a superficial rational relation, but rather into a psycho-affective one where learning is essentially a qualitative maturation of the experience, specifically designed to arouse the emotion to know and desire to exist including the competences to solve new and unexpected problems.
Interventions in Special Education characterised by the Emotion to Know method aim to link learning to the consciousness and to discover the power of ones own body, through which it is possible to operate on objects, on others, and on the world. It is the power of being able to act and to want to act; to provoke a permanent and dynamic passage in a context of reciprocity
Reciprocity
Reciprocity may refer to:*Reciprocity , used to describe the concept of free trade with the United States of America** Reciprocal trade agreement, entered into in order to reduce tariffs, quotas and other trade restrictions on items traded between the signatories*Reciprocity , the relationship...
, from person to person.
Without these deep emotional attentions and/or preliminary strategies it often gets difficult to involve a person with a disability, because having as reference RATIONALITY
Rationality
In philosophy, rationality is the exercise of reason. It is the manner in which people derive conclusions when considering things deliberately. It also refers to the conformity of one's beliefs with one's reasons for belief, or with one's actions with one's reasons for action...
and MOTIVATIONS
Motivation
Motivation is the driving force by which humans achieve their goals. Motivation is said to be intrinsic or extrinsic. The term is generally used for humans but it can also be used to describe the causes for animal behavior as well. This article refers to human motivation...
in order to involve him/her in a project is frequently very difficult or impossible: these are sometimes absent. Therefore it is essential to create the conditions for success, as it is from this success that the motivations derive. The possibilities of success have to be researched in those fields in which the person with the disability demonstrates even only minimal practical competences.
The stringency and at the same time the flexibility of the Emotion to Know method, including actively involving children and people with disabilities in planning processes, making them active participants of the learning process, aims to ensure that the child / person acquires the ability to solve problems and to transfer what they have learned to new and unknown situations. Errors, therefore, also become part of the learning process. Consistent with Gestalt
Gestalt psychology
Gestalt psychology or gestaltism is a theory of mind and brain of the Berlin School; the operational principle of gestalt psychology is that the brain is holistic, parallel, and analog, with self-organizing tendencies...
guidelines, the Emotion to Know method proposes respect for diversity and originality considering each of them as resources, and finding the educator in the role of the solicitor and provoker of opportunities rather than a mere transmitter of knowledge and pre-packaged and pre-planned content.
A detailed description of 'Emotion to Know' in both English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
will be available in a special issue of the International Journal of Whole Schooling due for publication in late 2011. Further information in Italian can be found by following the links listed below.
External links
- http://emozione.scedu.unibo.it/ - University page (in Italian)
- http://rivistaemozione.scedu.unibo.it/ - Emotion to Know site including research links (in Italian)
- http://xfragile.forumattivo.com/ - Arianna's thread (Fragile X - In Italian)
- http://www.unibo.it/SitoWebDocente/default.htm?MAT=015155 - Professor Cuomo's personal site, University of Bologna
- http://www.robertosconocchini.it/recensione-siti-utili/1451-bambinoburattino-dialogo-educativo-in-un-blog.html - Dialogue on Emotion to Know (in Italian)
- http://www.xfragilepuglia.it/fraxa/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11:filo-di-arianna&catid=14:progetti-attivi - Puglia Fragile X association (in Italian)
- http://www.xfragile.net/prodotti.asp?idpadrerif=55 - Italian Fragile X Association (in Italian)
- http://www.edscuola.it/archivio/interlinea/nicola_cuomo.html - Information on prof. Cuomo and brief bibliography (in Italian)
- http://www.mantova.istruzione.lombardia.it/docenti/sostegno/famiglie.con.disabilita/famiglie.con.disabilita.htm - Research project for families of children with disabilities (Fragile X - in Italian)