**3. The importance of inclusiveness**

Inclusiveness in school is maybe the most important mission today. Only a school that is dedicated to everyone can in fact say that it has not failed in its purpose. This is because learning, education, and the possibility of forming the skills necessary for life are not the prerogative of a small portion of society but must increasingly be "for everyone" [7].

In theory, in this historical period school is already, in itself, inclusive. In fact, since the time of the youth protests of 1968, we have gone from an élite school to a school "for all", with educational paths which allow, starting from any type of high school, to reach the highest levels of study and working career. Thus, today, in Italy, both those who come from a professional institute and those who come from a high school have in theory the same chances of profitably undertaking studies of medicine, law, and architecture at the university. Any type of high school is, in theory, good and well organized, and professional institutes are no longer the second-choice school for those who have to start working early because they are unable to study, but offer, in addition to the acquisition of practical skills that can be immediately used in the world of work, a respectable theoretical training. However, this is not entirely true in practice. In fact, vocational schools are still the ones frequented most by those with cognitive disabilities or social disadvantages, while high schools are attended by young people from good families, who have a social and cultural environment behind them capable of supporting them.

There are still many students that the school gets lost along the way. This is no longer due to rejections (which have become increasingly rare), but to the fact that some students drop out of school early, without even completing compulsory schooling. This phenomenon is already evident starting from middle school (ages 11–14 years), where, despite all the growing attention provided by the legislation, it still happens that someone lets go and stops attending school. Often they are those who belong to an extremely poor and unstimulating family and social environment and who, despite certifications and PDP for SEN students, however fail to be truly integrated.

In high school, the gap widens. In fact, in high schools the number of students with certifications for cognitive disabilities is really low, while it increases exponentially in technical institutes and above all in professional ones, where it happens to find classes made up almost entirely of students with some certificate for cognitive disabilities (SLD or generically SEN). What is said here is based on the personal experience of the author of the article, who taught in professional institutes where the cognitive level of the students was really low. Although the school worked out individual plans for each pupil, some would simply disappear and never come to school again. This above all is because the families perceived school as "wasted time" and pushed their children to undertake career paths, even at a very early age. The students, for their part, often thought like their parents, perhaps because they did not really manage to feel integrated in school and they did not perceive the activities that the school offered as important. They stood aside.

For true inclusion, on the contrary, the school should be interesting, show the importance of a course for pupils, and involve them in the educational process. This is very difficult because it involves a shift of attention from the transmission of knowledge to the development of soft skills. Only in this way can inclusion be achieved [8–10]. The main objective is to create optimal learning conditions for all students, to

smooth out difficulties and differences, in order to enable each student to discover, enhance, and express his own potential to the fullest.

Among the teaching strategies that can be used at school to increase inclusivity, metacognitive teaching must also be kept in mind. This term is used to indicate an educational approach that is based not only on learning notions but also on selfreflection and on the development of cognitive processes. All this is to improve problem-solving skills and increase attention during the lesson. The teacher has to continuously stimulate the student by providing him with the necessary resources to achieve this goal. In addition to the classical subjects that are studied at school, it is also important to integrate Art and Music, as they allow the activation of multifunctional learning and the development of fundamental cognitive processes.

To achieve an inclusive school, it is first necessary to create a positive school environment, in which children feel comfortable and free to express themselves. It is necessary to make students understand that they should not be afraid of mistakes, but that they can be exploited to improve. In the same way, it is necessary to enhance strengths and minimize weaknesses [11].

Furthermore, inclusive teaching is highly participatory, that is, it foresees total transparency and sharing of objectives, contents, methods, and verification of the teaching process. It recognizes the importance of developing a community capable of progressively developing its own operating methods. Also, aware students of the training offer are more likely to achieve the expected learning goals [12].
