RicercAzione

Change for the sake of innovation. Or not?

Claudio Girelli, Maria Arici — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Embedding a culture of research in schools in the UK: the contribution of teacher-researchers

Alessia Bevilacqua — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The fall issue of Impact highlights the active role of teachers in engaging with research through a rich collection of articles that reflect evidence-based educational practice and share research findings. It also highlights how the educational research community, in all its forms, is collaborating to provide data and tools to support best practices and improve outcomes in diverse school contexts and environments.

Educational leadership in low-autonomy school systems

Elena Fossà — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The GEM Report 2024/5 examines the characteristics of effective school leadership, the differences between countries and the changes that have occurred over time. In particular, the study edited by Professor Mincu examines low-autonomy school systems in which the role and profile of school leaders is shaped by legislation and investigates the impact of different governance models, hierarchies, markets and networks, focusing on how the nature of interactions between professionals, organizations and the surrounding environment influences the perception of school leadership and the opportunities to exercise effective and context-appropriate leadership.

A precious opportunity to reflect on key issues of school and society

Alberto Agosti — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Defining the film Das Lehrerzimmer as dense for the multiplicity and problematic nature of the themes it touches upon does not seem out of place at all. The film, as the title suggests, concerns what can happen in a school context, but the story and the events that are seen unfolding on the screen can also be interpreted as a metaphor for what happens outside of that context, that is, in German society, in whose country the film was made, but also in other European and non-European nations, at least the richest and considered to be advanced, in which the phenomenon of immigration, among other factors that are not at all easy to govern, has created complex and conflictual dynamics.

The CRESPI Center for a school presidium of democracy

Elisabetta Nigris, Cristiano Corsini — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Two years after its birth as an inter-university reality, and numerous work meetings of the various internal research groups, on December 12, 2024 a public presentation seminar of the CRESPI Center was held with the institutions, schools and agencies of the territories that choose Teacher Professional Development Research as a privileged research model.

The Senza Zaino school experience

Marco Orsi — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

To tell the story of the Senza Zaino movement we could use the dynamics of change proposed by the famous Italian sociologist Francesco Alberoni (1989), which is based on the polarity nascent state - institution. The nascent state is the moment of the start, the phase of enthusiasm that feeds on intuitions setting the novelty in motion. The institution, on the other hand, involves stopping to give a structure, ordering and regulating the innovation that otherwise would risk being dispersed.

Kamishib-AI

Diego Sala, Walter Inama, Patrizia Famà — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The context of accelerated change due to the advent of Generative Artificial Intelligence has pushed the Trento Science Museum (MUSE), always attentive to innovation in the field of scientific communication, to explore new approaches that combine tradition and new technologies, art and science. The result of this experimentation is the "Kamishib-AI" project, which emphasizes the mix between one of the most classic forms of oriental narration and the most innovative application of cognitive sciences present on the free market.

The elephant and his shadow

Valerio Ciarocchi — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The contribution intends to give an account of a good musical practice, carried out at the lower secondary school of the IC "G. Leopardi" of Messina, for the purpose of a concrete inclusion of students with disabilities. Starting from the actualization of previous professional and self-training experiences, the teachers have implemented a series of educational and didactic interventions, through the practice of a musical instrument with a certain playful inclination, creating a sort of solo piece, with a narrative voice, for solo piano, entitled The elephant and its shadow.

The Communities for Sciences (C4S) research project. What factors facilitate or hinder inclusion in science education in kindergarten?

Valeria Cotza — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The paper opens with the presentation of the Horizon2020 SwafS project “Communities for Sciences (C4S) - Towards promoting an inclusive approach in Science Education”, lasting three years (2020-2023), in which the University of Milano-Bicocca participated as a partner. The project, led by the Fundació Universitaria del Bages, in Manresa (Spain), involved 10 other partners and was based on a broad and articulated ecosystem of local HUBs and Community Living Labs. The research methodology was based on a multiple case study, with the use of multiple research tools, including the Observational Report, an observational grid through which the science education laboratories that took place in the pilot phase of the project (second year) were analysed. The results of the pilot intervention carried out in the Monte San Michele Kindergarten in Sesto San Giovanni are then presented, which provide an initial answer to the question concerning the variables that facilitate or hinder inclusion in science education activities with children aged 3 to 6. The factors that seem to be affected by the analysis are three: the use of materials, the space and arrangement of the materials themselves, and above all the role and pedagogical function of the teacher.

Scoping review about formative assessment in primary school as a practice for the learning support

Emilia Restiglian, Sofia Maestrini — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

School assessment is an integral part of students’ formative experience and growth. Among the different assessment practices that can be implemented in primary school, formative assessment represents the process through which teachers gather evidence of learning, engage students in assessment and use the data that emerge to improve teaching and learning. This paper proposes a review of the international literature through the scoping review method to explore state of the art in pedagogical research regarding the potential assigned to formative assessment practices implemented in primary school. The results make it possible to state that formative assessment represents a beneficial strategy for teachers and students. Although many factors come into play during the process, they should play a relevant role in the teaching and learning process.

Systems Thinking Tools at school: a pilot investigation in the Secondary School

Sara Zanella, Rocco Scolozzi — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Understanding the complex nature of society and the phenomena that surround us is a necessary competence for students to become pro-active citizens and co-responsible for sustainable development. This is why Systems Thinking is a key element in the European competence framework for sustainability ‘GreenComp’ (2022). While educational tools for Systems Thinking are now widespread in English-speaking countries, experiences in Italian schools still seem rare. This article shows some results of a PhD dissertation in Education on Systems Thinking skills of middle school students. In the study, a short course designed to introduce Systems Thinking tools were tested on three classes: Behaviour Over T ime Graphs, Circle of Connections, and Stock and Flow Diagram. The study showed that the tools are easily applicable in the classroom to a variety of topics and disciplines and that they help students to understand the reality around them in a systemic and dynamic sense. Based on the experience, some suggestions for teachers and educators are proposed.

Mapping of inclusive technologies used in secondary schools for students with disabilities: focus on technological tools and skills development

Ivan Traina, Angelo Lascioli, Elisa Garieri, Luca Ghirotto — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0200

This article intends to provide an in-depth focus on technological tools used by teachers in lower and upper secondary schools to promote the inclusion of students with disabilities and support the development of new skills. Starting from the results of a recent Systematic Scoping Review on the use of technologies for inclusion, this contribution shows the methodology followed in analyzing the literature and the results achieved, offering the reader an in-depth analysis of a particular aspect: the role played by technologies in promoting inclusion and skills learning processes.

Narrative orientation paths: an evaluation of the experience during the second year of the project in secondary schools of the University of Perugia

Chiara Azzollini, Heidi Marazzita, Diego Izzo — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The paper examines some orientation paths conducted in upper secondary schools by the University of Perugia, in relation to the provisions on school-university transition (PNRR Investment 1.6). The examined paths are characterized by their focus on the December 2022 Guidelines on orientation. The objective of these paths was to facilitate students' reflection on their personal identity through the use of the narrative orientation method and to develop certain orientation skills. The paths were evaluated using questionnaires administered before and after the intervention: based on the obtained results, it can be hypothesized that there was an increase in students' self-awareness and their competencies. The initial expectations appear to be confirmed, and an impact on students' decision-making processes and personal motivation can be observed.

Experiencing time: perspectives and perceptions of students and teachers

Paolo Bonafede, Silvia Perzolli, Mattia Oliviero — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The concept of time, as expressed in Augustine’s famous phrase, «What, then, is time? If no one asks of me, I know; if I wish to explain to him who asks, I know not», remains a provocative inquiry into the nature and perception of time. Scientists and educators have long debated its definition, particularly in relation to human experience. Henri Bergson's distinction between time as conscious duration and as a sequence of events highlights the subjective nature of time perception, influenced by individual interests and motivations. In educational settings, time takes on varied forms, from the rhythm of lessons to the subjective experiences of students and teachers. This study explores time perception in schools, presenting how students and teachers experience and manage time. Findings reveal how psychological, environmental, and pedagogical factors shape these perceptions, with significant implications for educational practices and well-being.

School canteens as spaces for nutrition education: theoretical premises and initial reflections from the PNRR ONFOOD project

Chiara Dalledonne Vandini, Fulvia Antonelli, Noemi Giulia Dicorato — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

There are many dimensions involved in food: health, well-being, culture, socialization, and economy. Schools, through the school meal service, play a socialcultural and educational-pedagogical role in this field. The PNRR ONFOODS project, promoted by the Ministry of University and Research, and which also includes the SUSFOODEDU research group, set up by the Department of Educational Sciences of the University of Bologna, aims to investigate how the practices, cultures and knowledge of food are enacted in school canteens, a privileged context for the experimentation of significant pedagogical experiences in the educational, social and public health fields. The following article aims to introduce the project developed by the SUSFOODEDU research group from a reflection on the analysis of the literature that has developed research on practices and cultural representations around nutrition education.

Innovating laboratory teaching: the hydroponic greenhouse project in schools. Research findings

Lorenzo Guasti, Luca Bassani, Laura Messini, Micol Chiarantini — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

This study evaluates the Bifocal Modeling approach in science education through the implementation of hydroponic greenhouses in Italian schools. Combining physical experimentation with digital modeling, this method fosters the acquisition of scientific, mathematical, and transversal skills. Conducted by INDIRE in collaboration with Columbia University, the research highlights the effectiveness of Bifocal Modeling in promoting active, interdisciplinary learning based on inquiry and hands-on experimentation. Applied in various educational settings, the methodology demonstrated positive outcomes in conceptual understanding and student engagement. Hydroponic greenhouses proved to be innovative educational tools, bridging the gap between theory and practice. The findings underscore the importance of integrated approaches to develop critical thinking and address real-world complexities, meeting the demands of modern, inclusive education.