The Debate on the Normal School’s Reform in Italy in the First Two Decades of the Twentieth Century

In the first two decades of the 20th century, the Italian pedagogical debate on teacher training was lively, and there were numerous proposals for reform of the Normal School. The period between the beginning of the 20th century and 1923 is in fact, a crucial moment in the history of the Italian school. There were many aspects discussed: was there a need for a technical and vocational school or for a school offering a cultural and humanistic education? What subjects were indispensable for teacher training? Were psychological and didactic pedagogical disciplines necessary? Was there a need for an internship period? Should teacher’s training include a 3-year or 4-year course? The paper aims to reconstruct the debate on the reform of the Scuola Normale (Normal School) through the analysis of papers published in the magazine La Coltura Popolare, which was dedicated to educational issues.