85078 - Theory and Practice of Education (1) (LM)

Academic Year 2021/2022

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students are expected to know models and theories about teaching/learning process in different institutional frameworks; to develop a personal concept about teaching and education; to identify the main method principles and teaching models in action and to define them.

Course contents

It is recommended to Students to read carefully the following notes before choosing the course

Teaching as a category of human action and its phenomenology. School and apprenticeship. Teaching models in Italian schools: the systematic teaching; programming; the inductive methods and the teaching laboratory. The quality of the teacher-effectiveness: communication, organization and assessment. Teaching strategies in the classroom management. Active listening as a general method principle. Migration and school. Method of the case study.

This course has specific pre-professional aims with regard to professional teachers.

In relation to these, it is necessary for all students (even and especially if not attending) to enroll and agree with the teacher a specific exercise (simulation in the classroom, or written report on personal experiences), by means of a direct conversation (NO MAIL).

Students (attending or non-attending) are strongly recommended to register at the beginning of the course by December 2021. Late registrations will entail a later admission to the final examinations.

The frequency is achieved through 24 hours in presence, documented by the signatures.

Readings/Bibliography

It is recommended to Students to read carefully the entire program

  1. Caputo M., La “paideia incompiuta”: formare l’uomo e il cittadino nella scuola della Repubblica, in Moscato M.T. (a cura di), Progetti di cittadinanza. Esperienze di educazione stradale e convivenza civile nella scuola secondaria, Milano, FrancoAngeli, 2011, pp. 75-90. (sito Unibo)
  2. Pinelli G., Caputo M. (2020), Rappresentazioni della valutazione scolastica in un micro-universo di docenti medi: uno studio esplorativo, “Nuova Secondaria Ricerca”, in corso di stampa. (sito Unibo)

  3. Moscato M.T. , Diventare insegnanti. Verso una teoria pedagogica dell'insegnamento, Brescia, La Scuola, 2008.

  4. Moscato M.T., Premesse per una pedagogia del lavoro: l'apprendistato come forma strutturale, "Formazione, Lavoro, persona", anno VI, n. 16, pp. 52-76 (sito Unibo).

Non-attending Students are required to choose one of the following texts:

  1. Moscato M.T., Preadolescenti a scuola. Insegnare nella secondaria di primo grado, Milano, Mondadori Università, 2013.

  2. Moscato M.T., Il viaggio come metafora pedagogica, Brescia, La Scuola, 1994 (ristampa Scholé, 2019).

Teaching methods

Lectures, workshops, classroom simulations, individual work with mentorship by the lecturer

Organizational warnings:

According to the specific organization of this course, the sequence of the topics discussed during the lessons probably won’t linearly follow the exposition contained in the texts. Students are suggested to use a system of notes (a kind of "diary") that identifies each time the essential element that was the subject of lecture / discussion / reflection, with their personal observations. This tool aims to make the participation in classroom discussions more informed and precise . This Personal Diary can be showed to the lecturer during the exam and evaluated by the lecturer.

The individual exercise is an integral part of the student’s work, and it must be agreed individually at the moment of enrollment.

There will be four types of exercises:

    a) Classroom simulation of lesson/ activity (duration 30 ') about a topic agreed with the lecturer and about contents arising from the academic educational background of the student. Once the date and the content of this simulated lesson is agreed with the lecturer, Students should prepare a scheme of project calibrated to a duration of 30 minutes; they should also build the simulation according to the theoretical framework proposed during the course. After the simulation and the successive classroom discussion, Students will write a short auto-reflexive paper (4 or 5 pages) developing their comments and possibly correcting their initial project. This short paper (and not the quality of the simulated lesson) will be evaluated and will contribute to the definition of the final assessment. Students can send this paper by email by 7 days after the simulation performance.There are only 8 places available, only for attending Students (based on the order of the registrations). In case of impediments, Students must immediately notify the lecturer in order to reorganize the assets and recover the place for the exercise.

    b) Paper about an already completed experience/voluntary activity/internship, consistent with the educational objectives of the course.

    c) Auto-reflexive essay, in which the Student will analyze his educational background by the theoretical and pedagogical categories proposed during the course.

    d) Case study (the case will be assigned by the lecturer)

Types b), c) and d) aim to a comparison with the theoretical model proposed (which can be confirmed or un-confirmed), through the analysis of practical data. The experiences have to be described with specific references (length, material conditions, contents) with an initial narrative exposure followed by a scientific comment. In any case, the adherence to the agreed project is the first element of evaluation of the exercise, which can also be discussed during the final interview. Individual exercises should be sent by email at least 15 days before the scheduled exam date

Text length: between 6 and 10 pages (12,000 - 20,000 characters maximum, including spaces)

Assessment methods

The classroom exercises, comments or other personally assigned tasks to the student will be evaluated, and the evaluation will be included in the final mark in the interview. The Teacher can integrate the evaluation with an oral question concerning the texts indicated in the Bibliography. The assessment will cover the knowledge and the comprehension of the contents of the course and the skill to compare theories and one’ experience and practice.

The exam date will be communicated directly to those who have delivered, by email, the work agreed on the day indicated by the following calendar (send only on the date indicated; write in the subject "TPF 2022 exam processed - Surname"; e-mails sent with others mode or on other dates will be ignored).

(The elaborate delivery dates will be published in January 2022)

Rating Descriptors:

  • The student demonstrates a thorough knowledge and a comprehensive view of the issues proposed in the course, an expressive capacity of the content required for the autonomous and appropriate use of both the specific language and the methodological tools of the discipline, knows provide an original reflection on problems and Pedagogical themes (27 - 30 e lode).

  • The student demonstrates that he possesses an appropriate but incomplete knowledge of the topics proposed in the course, with a relevant but not always specific language, uses the methodological tools of the discipline independently and correctly guides the problems and pedagogical themes (22-26).

  • The student demonstrates that he possesses a relevant but inappropriate knowledge (or appropriate with linguistic-formal errors) of the topics proposed in the course, uses, if guided, the methodological tools of the discipline and he focuses on problems and pedagogical issues (18 - 21).

  • The student demonstrates numerous gaps in the preparation, expresses non-relevant knowledge and / or conceptual errors, or with serious linguistic errors, can not use the conceptual and methodological tools, and does not know how to navigate among the themes and issues of the discipline (examinations not passed).

Office hours

See the website of Michele Caputo

SDGs

Good health and well-being Quality education Gender equality Peace, justice and strong institutions

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.