Il corpo come indizio nella pratica educativa: uno studio esplorativo con insegnanti di scuola primaria

This paper explores the student's body as a possible pedagogical clue in the daily educational practice of primary school by placing this reflection within the themes of experience, professional reflexivity and the educational community. Drawing on theories of non-verbal communication, multimodality and professional reflection, the study investigates how teachers observe posture, gaze, bodily attitude and other non-verbal signals during classroom activities. The research included a Delphi procedure involving 12 experts for the construction of the observational questionnaire, which was then administered to 109 primary school teachers. The results show that teachers recognize the value of bodily signals in understanding how pupils experience school tasks and, in some cases, in guiding educational intervention. However, less consolidated practices emerge in relation to collegial sharing, contextual interpretation and documentation of observations. The study therefore highlights the need for teacher training aimed at transforming individual intuitions into shared observational competences. The body is thus interpreted as a pedagogical resource for understanding the quality of pupils’ school experience and for supporting more attentive, reflective and situated educational practices.