The spread of outdoor education in Milan (1911-1922): The role of the Società Umanitaria

Abstract

This contribution aims to investigate and reconstruct - analysing the issues of the magazine “La Coltura Popolare” - the important role played by the Società Umanitaria in the spread of outdoor education as a children’s right, during a very lively and pedagogically significant period of the Milanese history. The paper will be concentrated on two main focuses: the first is the promotion of open-air schools, with the accurate reflection and systematization of the main Italian and European examples as hosted in the pages of the aforementioned journal; the latter is the Società Umanitaria’s commitment to disseminating the Montessori method as an approach that underlines the value of outdoor education. As can be seen through the numerous excerpts from the journal articles proposed here, the debate on outdoor education at the beginning of the Twentieth century, with its precious heritage of insights and sometimes pioneering practices, offers a valuable reference for gaining a deeper awareness of outdoor education as it is conceived and practiced today.

Keywords

• outdoor education
• milan
• società umanitaria
• open-air schools
• maria montessori