Inclusion as Embodiment: Towards an Integrated Paradigm Between Embodied Education, Inclusive Pedagogy and Artificial Intelligence

This contribution aims to promote reflection, starting from the perception of educational and social inclusion, with regard to the possible implications and orientations deriving from the Embodied Cognition (EC) paradigm, its operational application, namely Embodied Education, and the prospects offered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the design of educational environments, both physical and digital, equitable and participatory [1]. Starting from the analysis of the results of a questionnaire administered to 202 teachers working in Italian schools that are heterogeneous in terms of educational level and geographical distribution, the work attempts to provide a realistic and problematised snapshot of the current situation: inclusion, recognised as an essential value and a systemic objective, is at the same time perceived as ‘unfinished’ in everyday practice. The interpretative analysis reveals a possible convergence with the Embodied Cognition paradigm: if it is true, in fact, that the phenomenon of learning is a construction of embodied, situated, relational meaning, inclusion cannot be conceived as an add-on or marginal accommodation, but as a fundamental dimension of teaching practice and action. In this sense, AI can be understood as a possible facilitator of enabling processes, responding to the need for adaptation and accessibility not only in teaching but also in multimodal school governance, staff training and the monitoring of participatory practices.