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Transformative Classrooms: Examining Special Pedagogy Practices to Tackle Social Trauma, Structural Oppression, and Disability through an Inclusive Education Lens

Lucia Ariemma, Federica Badii Esposito, Giovanna Scala, Giovanni Tafuri

Abstract

Classrooms often serve as the intersection where social trauma and systemic oppression become most visible. This article places the teacher’s role within a historical context, illustrating how an understanding of the social construction of race, disability, and trauma can profoundly shape classroom dynamics, educator identity, and instructional choices aimed at fostering restorative environments. Given that the harm caused by societal structures often surfaces within educational spaces, the proposed pedagogical framework envisions classrooms as spaces of healing. This vision should extend beyond individual practices and be embedded within broader, school-wide efforts. From this perspective, the article provides educators with actionable strategies, grounded in activist approaches to special education, to design and sustain classrooms that function as supportive, transformative spaces for all learners.

Keywords

Restorative Learning SpacesEducator IdentityCritical Inclusive Pedagogy

References

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