Training teachers through memories: historical consciousness in teacher education

This paper explores an innovative teacher training and co-design methodology developed by the University of Florence (Forlilpsi Department) in synergy with local schools and communities across Tuscany. Rooted in the University’s Third Mission, the project integrates the Public History of Education, heritage education, and Civic Education—in line with Italian Law no. 92/2019—to counter individualistic paradigms and foster inclusive, democratic communities. By actively engaging with local, collective, and family memories (such as objects, workplaces, and historical landscapes), the initiative shifts teacher training from passive lecture-based models toward collaborative, workshop-based co-planning laboratories. The framework incorporates a "Pedagogy of Recognition" to validate diverse student backgrounds and facilitate dialogic, non-competitive learning environments governed by the principles of the Italian Constitution. Between 2022 and 2025, the program successfully involved 5 educational institutes, 75 classes, 1,452 students, and 91 teachers, demonstrating the transformative potential of shared historical consciousness in shaping active citizenship and democratic school systems.