A mum’s experience with the Pathway Companion platform
For many families, homework time is a delicate balance: a constant juggling act between support and independence, between encouragement and struggle. This is where the experience of Z. begins, who chose to take part in the trial of Pathway Companion, the inclusive learning platform developed by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale ETS with the support of Google.org and in collaboration with the Fondazione Don Gnocchi, the Università degli Studi Roma Tre and ITLogiX. The platform is designed to support students aged between 8 and 16 with special educational needs. But its true strength emerges when it involves the entire educational ecosystem.
Z., mother of L., a pupil in the second year of lower secondary school, saw the platform as a real opportunity: not just a technological tool, but an ally to support her son, who has some learning difficulties, towards greater independence in his studies.
“I chose to take part for my son’s sake, because I thought it might be useful to learn how to use a tool that would help me to help him, so that he could then work independently.”
A tool that supports, without replacing
In L.’s journey, Pathway Companion proved useful in theoretical subjects, where organising information and constructing a coherent argument can become complex. The platform allowed for a gradual approach: first together, then increasingly independently. And this is precisely the key step. Not replacing the student, but supporting them in finding their own method. There were, however, also some critical observations.
Listening to improve: the power of co-design
Every trial is also an opportunity to listen. And Zamaira’s contribution offers valuable insights for the platform’s development. A key aspect concerns the management of materials: for secondary school students, who work on long texts and multiple chapters simultaneously, the ability to upload multiple pieces of content would make the experience even smoother. But the most interesting point concerns concept maps. For many students with SEN or SLD, the keyword alone is not enough: a bridge between concepts is needed, a discursive thread to help them transform the diagram into an oral presentation. “The map should also create a minimum of discourse… it would be useful to extract the main concept, whilst also building a small link between one paragraph and another”.
This is a suggestion that goes beyond the technical function: it calls for a precise pedagogical vision. Educational technologies must not only summarise, but facilitate the construction of thought.
A common language between school and home
Another central theme that emerged from the interview is that of continuity. For autonomy to take root, there needs to be consistency between what happens at school and what is done at home. Using shared tools, with a method recognised by teachers too, can make the process simpler and less fragmented. Z.’s experience reminds us that innovation really works when it creates alliances: between students and parents, between school and family, between technology and pedagogy.
