Recounting educational innovation through the Narrative Inquiry Challenges for autonomy: a project to promote critical thinking

Abstract

The article explains the potential of the Narrative Inquiry (NI) as a qualitative tool for analysis and documentation of educational innovation, and how it can profitably be placed at the service of teacher training. After having outlined the NI from a methodological point of view, its potential in concrete terms is shown through in-depth study of the two-year educational project Challenges
for autonomy, implemented in the context of the Service Learning project at the University of Verona. The paper presents a project designed and offered by a pre-service teacher in two fourth year classes at a primary school to enhance pupils’ independent thinking, illustrating the planning of the action and analysis carried out through the NI.