Mother tongue teaching has a central role in children’s education from the beginning of primary school, as it represents an indispensable condition for personal growth, academic success, and the full exercise of citizenship. In the Italian context, however, an analysis of the most recent INVALSI tests (National Institute for the Evaluation of the Education and Training System), compared with those of previous years, reveals rather alarming data. In 2025, in fact, only 66% of second grade pupils achieved at least basic linguistic skills in Italian, a decrease compared to 67% in 2024, 69% in 2023, and 73% in 2022. In fifth grade, the percentage remains the same as in 2024 (75%), showing a slight increase compared to 2023 (74%), but still far from the 80% recorded in 2022 (INVALSI, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025). This scenario leads to a necessary reflection on the possible causes that have contributed to its emergence. One element that stands out is the ongoing debate, still a matter of discussion both in Italy and other European contexts, between general didactics and disciplinary didactics: a theoretical and operational fracture that affects the coherence of teacher education. In Italy, although the path provided for primary school teachers initial education integrates didactic, pedagogical, and disciplinary competences, some critical issues remain, even within academia, concerning the fragmentation of knowledge and the lack of dialogue between different scientific domains.

This reflection is strictly connected with the analysis of teaching practices, which are often anchored to standardized models not always adequate to pupils’ needs. In recent years, there have been attempts at renewal, both in terms of initial and in-service teacher education and in the introduction of more innovative and inclusive approaches. What seems to be missing, however, is a systemic framework that could guide and contextualize these methodological choices. The possibility of renewing teaching practices therefore seems to lie at the intersection between teacher education and didactic action.

The aim of this paper is to stimulate a reflection on teacher education from the perspective of simplexity as a possible way to promote a non-linear didactic approach in mother tongue teaching in primary schools. The research is based on the methodological framework of teacher professional development research, which makes it possible to interweave the formative dimension with empirical investigation in a dynamic and collaborative process. The project involved a sample of about 30 primary school Italian teachers who voluntarily participated in the proposed research. To document teachers’ conceptions and operative practices in Italian language teaching, preliminary results from an initial questionnaire will be presented. These data, analyzed through MAXQDA software, provide a crucial basis for the development of the study, guiding the design of workshop modules in which participants, through practical and reflective activities, critically examine their practices, experiment with simplexity exercises, and co-design non-linear didactic interventions to be implemented in the classroom.

Keywords: Mother tongue, primary school, complexity, didactics, simplexity.