DIALOGIC GENERATIVE AI FOR INCLUSIVE SCHOOLING: SUPPORTING TEACHERS IN THE CO-DESIGN OF IEP

The integration of generative Artificial Intelligence agents into school contexts marks a paradigmatic shift in the role of technology within instructional design and inclusive education. The development of the Individualised Education Program (IEP), traditionally situated between regulatory constraints, heterogeneous practices, and the need for interprofessional collaboration, acquires through AI a renewed lens for rethinking alliances, processes, and tools. This contribution offers a theoretical reflection and a methodological proposal centred on the use of an AI Agent developed at the “Teaching Learning Center for Education and Inclusive Technologies – Elisa Frauenfelder” of the University of Salerno. Conceived as a dialogic instrument and a form of dynamic scaffolding (Rizzo, Legrenzi, 2025), the Agent is designed to support teachers in drafting IEPs and in planning inclusive learning activities. More specifically, the presentation will discuss the use of this generative AI chatbot to assist teachers in designing IEPs aligned with the ICF framework, adopting a human-in-the-loop approach in which pedagogical judgement remains indispensable. Through ongoing alpha and beta testing conducted with university students, the project investigates usability, user perceptions, and the educational potential of AI, engaging participants in co-design activities, critical evaluation, and metacognitive reflection. The overarching aim is to delineate a dialogic ecology of inclusion in which AI operates as a cognitive mediator and a tool that strengthens teacher agency, enhances transparency in decision-making, and fosters the collective construction of knowledge.