Tendenze della ricerca educativa nel contesto internazionale

This position paper analyses some trends of educational research in the international context, as well as in relation with social and human sciences research, taking into account main dissemination publications and activities of organisms controlling both policy making and funding for Educational Research in the EU and USA.This analysis is undertaken with the aim to support comparativeperspectives of educational research, focusing some key issues,forthcoming sceneries and critical aspects that will shape activities andtraining of educational researchers.Questo position paper analizza alcune tendenze della ricerca educativa nel contesto internazionale e in relazione alla ricerca nelle scienze umane e sociali. A questo scopo, tiene conto delle principali pubblicazioni divulgative e attività degli organismi che controllano sia le politiche che i finanziamenti per la ricerca educativa nell’UE e negli USA.Questa analisi è intrapresa al fine di sostenere prospettive comparative sulla ricerca educativa, individuando alcune questioni chiave, scenari prossimi e aspetti critici che definiranno le attività e la formazione dei ricercatori in ambito educativo

The big picture: Meeting educational challenges in an increasing multicultural world

From 80’s, research on intercultural education has discussed its potential to introduce dialogue among civilizations, in order to reduce conflict, and preventing the perception of otherness as a menace. Nowadays, that position has evolved, leaving behind the idea of cultures classification towards a new point of view, – the one is introduced through the PERMIT case –. Namely, the position of culture as a dynamic entity, continuously evolving, and created on the bases of dialogue and interaction; this is the notion of culture as a forum (Bruner, 1988, 2003, p. 152), which in time introduces a conception of teaching and learning practices as main activities to rethink and rebuild cultures (Margiotta, 2007). Infact, the attempt of current research in a number of educational contexts is entirely devoted to show how cultural values, opinions and attitudes (representing cultural identity) can be discovered and re-negotiated through new pedagogic practices (Minello, 2008). This evolving concept is present in several focal research fields of intercultural education, that are summarily presented in this chapter: curriculum research, teaching methods, new learning environments, the achievement of intercultural competence, andteachers’ professionalism. The attempt here is, while introducing these topics, to depict the foundations and background that impulsed PERMIT’s project experimentation

Teachers’ beliefs about interculturalism in class PERMIT case preliminar research findings

Research about teachers’ professionalism has driven attention in the last years. This is due probably to the fact that an increasing attention to teachers as key players in educational changing, linked to the new centrality of education and training as foundamental pieces of economical and social development. The discussion about teachers’ professionalism started to delineate it own field within educational research from the 60’s (and particularly 70’s). Since then, tendencies have changed from objectivist models (through the observation of teachers at work) to consider their cognitive and metacognitive operation when planning their own work, to a complete introduction of their subjectivity as individuals deeply involved in creating their professional identity. The new perspectives of research on teachers’ professionalism involve hence the exploration of experiences, beliefs, images and social representations of teaching and learning, connected to specificcultural contexts. This article attempts to introduce a study on teachers’ values, opinions and beliefs, about intercultural dialogue in class, as part of a preliminar research addressing furtherexperimental teachers’ training activities.La ricerca sulla professionalità degli insegnanti ha guadagnato maggiore ‘attenzione negli ultimi anni. Ciò è dovuto probabilmente al fatto che vi sia una crescente attenzione per gli insegnanti come attori principali nel cambiamento educativo, legato esso stesso allanuova centralità dell’istruzione e della formazione come parte fondamentale dello sviluppo economico e sociale. La discussione sulla professionalità degli insegnanti ha iniziato a delineare un proprio campo di sviluppo nell’ambito della ricerca educativa deglianni ‘60 (e in particolare degli anni 70). Da allora, le tendenze sono cambiate dai modelli oggettivista (attraverso l’osservazione degli insegnanti durante il lavoro) verso la considerazione del funzionamento cognitivo e metacognitivo dell’insegnante almomento di pianificare il proprio lavoro, per una introduzione completa della loro soggettività come individui profondamente coinvolti nella creazione della propria identità professionale. Le nuove prospettive di ricerca sulla professionalità degli insegnanticomportano quindi l’esplorazione di esperienze, credenze, le immagini e le rappresentazioni sociali sull’insegnamento e l’apprendimento, collegati a specifici contesti culturali. Questo articolo tenta di introdurre uno studio sui ‘valori, opinioni econcezioni sul dialogo interculturale in classe, come parte di una ricerca preliminare mirante all’orientamento di successive attività formative sperimentali degli insegnanti in servizio

A Scholarship of Open Teaching and Learning: new basis for quality in higher education

The recent research and policy context is drawing attention on the issue of openness in higher education. This emphasis is probably coming out from decades of debate on the power of open education to transform teaching and learning aligning the educationalprocess with the needs of the knowledge society. However, the concept of openness has been probably endowed with a power that should be reconsidered on the light of real practices and institutional projects. This is particularly the case of quality teaching and learning in higher education, an issue that has been often connected with openness in a rather superficial way. This article draws on existing literature on the area of Open Education as well as on the area of educational quality, aiming at better understand how “opening up education” could generate quality for teaching and learning, and how quality teaching and learningcould relate with openness in Higher Education.In exploring these two conceptual universes, and building on Ghislandi and Raffaghelli (this Issue) the idea of SOTL is reconsidered, inviting the reader to think about a scholarship ofopen teaching and learning (SO2TL). In order to illustrate concepts, a case study is presented.It introduces a strategy to support an institutional process to opening up educational practices, which takes as key issue staff development to reflect on the idea of SO2TL. The conclusions aim at rethink future practice and research on the issue, in an attempt to give not only a concrete answer to the question “Is a scholarship of open teaching and learning connected to quality in higher education”?, but also, to put the basis for experiences thatdo support a positive answer

Intercultural learning on the Web Steps to the “cultures in-between”

This article presents a process of creation of a professional learning-community within a project of international cooperation among Turkey, Slovenia and Italy, which main goal was to promote teachers collaboration across frontiers for implementing innovation in class to promote intercultural dialogue. The creation, strategies and use of a virtual working/learning space (VWLS) to promote this process are hereby described. Furthermore, in this article I attempt to show how the VWLS can give support to intercultural dialogue, from motivation to participate and share the own cultural identity,to the process of working and learning together. In fact, the VWLS becomes meaningful, exposing teachers and students to an enlarged cultural context, diverse, but also comprehensive of the own original cultural context, because built semantically bythemselves. This sense making process could impact on a new dimension of intercultural learning in a new place without frontiers, that is represented by “virtual” reality.Questions addressing this explorative and qualitative research work where: can the web spaces become place to promote intercultural learning? How these online spaces should be featured in terms of representation of cultural differences? How can they promoteintercultural dialogue? And the most exciting: how can they allow processes of construction of new culturally hybrid meanings?Questo articolo presenta un processo di creazione di una comunità di apprendimento informale attraverso un progetto di cooperazione internazionale fra Turchia, Slovenia e Italia, cui scopo principale è stato il promuovere la professionalità di un gruppo di insegnanti coinvolti in un processo di collaborazione internazionale con impatto sul dialogo interculturale. Vengono quindi descritte la creazione, strategie e uso dello spazio virtuale di apprendimento e collaborazione (VWLS) per supportare il suddetto processo.Inoltre, in questo articolo si tenta di mostrare come l’ambiente virtuale di apprendimento può dare supporto al dialogo interculturale, dalla motivazione a partecipare e condividerela propria identità culturale, al processo di collaborazione ed apprendimento congiunto. Inoltre, si tenta di mostrare come il VWLS diventa significativo, in quanto espone gli insegnanti e studenti a un contesto culturale allargato, diverso, ma anche comprensivo del proprio e originale contesto culturale, poiché creato semanticamente dagli utenti. Questo processo di costruzione di senso potrebbe avere impatto su una nuova dimensionedell’apprendimento interculturale in un nuovo spazio “senza frontiere”, rappresentato dalla “realtà” virtuale.Le domande poste inizialmente in questo processo di ricerca esplorativa, di natura qualitativa, sono state: possono gli spazi nel Web diventare un luogo per promuovere l’apprendimento interculturale? Che forma dovrebbero acquisire gli stessi in termini di rappresentazione della differenza culturale ? E l’aspetto più interessante: come potrebbero tali spazi consentire processi di costruzione di nuovo senso, culturalmente ibrido

Progettazione formativa come base per la professionalità dei formatori degli adulti nell’ambito dell’apprendimento intergenerazionale

The educational interventions dealing with the ill-defined educational problems frequently found in the field of adults’ education require high professionalism. Intergenerational Learning,a trend of growing importance for lifelong learning, is a case that illustrates particularly well this situation. Emerging strategies and technologies like Learning Design could support educators’professionalism, aiming to work in a more effective way. In this article, the following research question was explored: Can the process of design for learning, intended as forward orientedand creative process, support the achievement of adult educators’ professionalism? The research consisted on a case study based on an European training programme, the “ALICE (Adults’Learning for Intergenerational Creative Experiences) training of trainers”. The programme adopted several means, from more traditional residential and online training activities, to thedeployment of an experimental idea based on the ALICE educational framework, the ALPP (Adult Learning Pilot Programme). Learning Design was introduced as concept entailing a set oftools along the whole process of implementation of the ALPP. The phases of this creative process (contextualizing, planning, implementing, evaluating and sharing) were analyzedthrough a holistic and mostly interpretivist (yet mixed methods) approach. As a result, the connections between learning design as forward oriented process and the adult educators’ professionalismwere observed, documented and discussed.Gli interventi formativi che hanno a che fare con problemi poco definiti, come quelli relativi alla formazione degli adulti, richiedono un’alta professionalità. L’apprendimento intergenerazionale,una tendenza di crescente importanza nel contesto del apprendimento permanente è un caso che illustra particolarmente questa situazione. Alcune strategie e tecnologie emergenticome il Learning Design (progettazione formativa con uso di supporti digitali per la visualizzazione di specifiche dimensioni didattiche e pedagogiche) potrebbero diventare un validosupporto per lo sviluppo professionale degli formatori degli adulti, mirando a migliorare l’efficacia del loro lavoro. In questo articolo, la seguente domanda di ricerca è stata esplorata: Può essere il processo di progettazione formativa supportato da tecnologie, inteso come processo creativo e orientato ai risultati, un valido supporto per lo sviluppo professionale dei formatoridegli adulti? La ricerca ha focalizzato un caso di studio all’interno di un programma europeo di formazione dei formatori nel contesto del progetto ALICE (Formazione degli Adulti per la generazionedi esperienze intergenerazionali creative). Il programma ha adottato diverse modalità per la formazione, dallla più tradizionale attività in presenza e le attività di formazione in rete,all’implementazione di una sperimentazione formativa consistente in attività pilota informali con adulti (Adults Learning Pilot Programmes, ALPP). La progettazione formativa supportata dastrumenti digitali è stata introdotta attraverso una serie di strumenti digitali da utilizzare dalla pianificazione all’implementazione degli ALPP. Le fasi di questo processo creativo (contestualizzazione, pianificazione, implementazione, valutazione e condivisione) sono state analizzate attraverso un approccio olistico e interpretativo dei dati (ma basato su metodi misti). Come risultato, sono state osservate, documentate e discusse le connessioni tra progettazione formativa supportata da strumenti digitali e lo sviluppo professionale dei formatori

Il progetto ALICE: approccio, risultati …e uno sguardo al futuro

This article introduces the ALICE (Adults Learning for Intergenerational Creative Experiences) project approach, its main results and a reflection on its contribution to the EU policies. The ALICE project introduced the concept of creative languages (art, digital storytelling, social media) as instrument to build rich and caring environments for children to grow up. As an expected result, the adults’ reflection on their own role as educators through intergenerational learning could be stimulated, with impact on the achievement of adults key competences for lifelong learning 1, 4, 5, 7 and 8 (European Commission, 2007) for the participating adults. Children are not direct beneficiaries of the project’s approach: however, we can expect that the adults’ improvement with regard to the above mentioned Key Competences, will encompass better life conditions for the children.Questo articolo introduce i risultati dell’ approccio formativo adottato dal progetto ALICE (Formazione degli Adulti per la generazione di esperienze intergenerazionali creative). Vengono inoltre considerati i risultati principali del progetto e si riflette sul suo contributo alle politiche dell’Unione Europea. Il progetto ALICE ha introdotto il concetto di linguaggi creativi (arte, narrazione digitale, social media) come uno strumento per costruire ambienti ricchi per la crescita dei bambini. Come risultato atteso il progetto mirava a promuovere la riflessione degli adulti sul proprio ruolo come educatori all’interno delle relazioni intergenerazionali, con impatto sul raggiungimento, da parte degli adulti coinvolti, di specifiche competenze chiave per l’ apprendimento permanente 1, 4, 5, 7 e 8 (Commissione Europea, 2007). I bambini nelle famiglie degli adulti coinvolti non erano diretti beneficiari del progetto: tuttavia, possiamo aspettarci che il miglioramento degli adulti per quanto riguarda le suddette competenze chiave, implicherà migliori condizioni di vita e di educazione dei bambini

Introduction

The belief of Western world in the universality of the West’s values and political systems is naïve and continued insistence on democratization and such “universal” norms will only further antagonize other civilizations. The planetary society needs to reconsider its values, images, symbols, generating from onehand the instruments of tolerance, mutual understanding and dialogue; and from the other, recognizing the common, grounded values of human kind. The main hypothesis, where mainly European Union is investing through its well known policies and programmes, is that education is the key to intervene inconflicting societies within this complex landscape. Too much effort is to be done in the attempt of promoting dialogue among civilizations, preventing people to perceive otherness as a menace; but, at the same time, a long way has already been done in the last sixty years of European reconciliation, and in front of the last thirty years of massive immigration, where intercultural education hasplayed a crucial role

Quality teaching matters: perspectives on quality teaching for the modernization of higher education. A position paper

This position paper attempts to ground the discussion on improving the quality of teaching in the context of Higher Education (HE) in order to take concrete directions toward what in the scientificliterature is identified as a culture of quality in education. This concept implies an approach to continuing monitoring, reflection and change toward innovation through main stakeholders’engagement. The paper will hence briefly introduce the policy context and research background at international and national level, in order to analyze the opportunities of implementinga culture of quality regarding teaching at the University of Trento. Furthermore, it will make a number of recommendations for the concrete implementation of the approach. The document is hence divided into the following parts:A first part, introducing the policy context regarding agenda for the modernization of HE in Europe and at international level. In this context, the issue of quality teaching is focused as key elementtowards better quality of Higher Education.A second part, regarding the importance and forms of innovation in pedagogical approaches in HIgher Education, as well as the conditions of professional development in academic staff regardingbetter teaching.A third part, consisting on the research carried out by our research unit within the University of Trento, regarding the issue of quality in Higher Education.A fourth part is devoted to introduce recommendations for the implementation of concrete measures and interventions at institutional level

The PERMIT Teachers’ training approach: Learning from experience, experiencing to learn

This article aims to introduce the envisioned strategy in the teachers’ training programme implemented within PERMIT project. Since the beginning, the project considered teachers’ education as the crucial component of an educational dispositive (as understood by U. Margiotta in the sense of a social mechanism allowing a group of people to do, think and implement something according to a precise strategy) able to bring about innovations on the project topic (intercultural education for dialogue in the civil society). A concrete goal of such training was to develop intercultural competences to manage complex learning processes in the scenario of three different realities interacting within the PERMIT project (Italy, Slovenia, Turkey). At the same time, such a teacher training dispositive wasa hypothesized to enhance a reflection that takes to develop teachers’ professional identity for the new hybrid and fluid learning space. In fact, in the authors vision, formal training has too structured activities, which need to be revisited in the light of a new strategy for teachers’ professional development in intercultural learning environments. In fact, the strategy focused on: supporting contact with peers in the locally and acrossfrontiers; the use of online learning tools; coaching to further experimentation in class; and the creative process of learning activities design undertaken by teachers in sistematizingthe many resources and ideas coming out from their work in class (“Pedagogy of learning unit”). In the end, the recognition of non-formal and informal learning would lead to the accreditation of learning by the University Ca’ Foscari of VeniceQuesto articolo mira ad introdurre la strategia incorporata al programma di formazione degli insegnanti implementato attraverso il progetto PERMIT. Il progetto considerava sin dall’inizio la formazione degli insegnanti come componente cruciale di un dispositivo formativo (nel senso della concezione di U. Margiotta -1997-, come meccanismo che consente un gruppo umano di fare, pensare e attuare seguendo una certa direzione strategica) mirato a generare innovazione con relazione al topico del progetto (educazione interculturale per aprire al dialogo della società civile) e nello scenario di tre culture interagenti (Italia, Slovenia, Turchia). Nel contempo, tale dispositivo per la formazione degli insegnanti ha generato un percorso riflessivo da parte dei formatori sul processo di sviluppo dell’identità professionale dell’insegnante immerso nel processo di creazione e di condivisione di esperienze e risorse educative con insegnanti da altre realtà culturali. Nella visione degli autori, l’attività formale di formazione degli insegnanti doveva essere rivista, poiché troppo strutturata, puntando a creare una nuova strategia di formazione per lo sviluppo professionale dell’insegnante in ambienti di apprendimento interculturali.In effetti, la strategia formativa si basava sul supporto dato agli insegnanti per il contatto con pari di altre realtà internazionali; l’uso di ambienti virtuali di apprendimento; il coaching nel processo di implementazione in classe delle unità di apprendimentoelaborate sperimentalmente dagli insegnanti; il percorso riflessivo per la sistematizzazione della propria pratica professionale (Pedagogia dell’Unità di Apprendimento). Infine, il modello includeva il riconoscimento di apprendimenti informali e non formali per l’accreditamento universitario presso l’ente proponente, Ca’ Foscari