Success stories. A view of initial vocational training through the eyes of former students

Abstract The paper reports the main results of a research that aimed to explore in depth the role that the experiences within the Salesians' Vocational Training Centers played in influencing the personal and professional profile of former students. To this end, 54 former students from 6 Vocational Training Centers who have recognized as successful in work, personal life and social commitments were participated in the study. The research is not intended to "prove" that training leads to educational success, but to identify the conditions under which the training could promote educational success. Exploring the biographies of some of the lived experiences of former students, I was interested in particular to know what had allowed the trainees - who often come to CFP with heavy burdens, and with great difficulty against a certain type of school - to enhance their potential and succeed as adults, as respected professionals and individuals capable of taking responsibility for themselves and others. Research on training and life stories of former students become therefore also - and above all - a research on the practices of teachers and characteristics of learning environments, from the view of former students. Through the details of the stories collected and analyzed, it is possible to learn the characteristics of environments and educational practices that could assist in finding out the direction for offering best training. The contribution is divided into three parts. In the first, I tried to give a detailed account of how the research comes to take the current shape. The second part deals with the results focusing on the characteristics of the educational environment of the Vocational Training Centers and intervention strategies that the participants have found to be keys to their growth. The third part is the conclusion and offers a discussion of what emerges from the analysis of the data and highlights its major assets

Il lavoro dell\u2019educatore. Un approccio narrativo

In questo contributo, a partire dall\u2019analisi tematica di un testo narrativo, che restituisce l\u2019esperienza di un educatore francese che ha lavorato come clown con i ragazzi di strada della Romania postcomunista, si cerca di mettere a fuoco qualche aspetto essenziale del lavoro dell\u2019educatore nel quale possano rispecchiarsi anche i formatori e le formatrici che operano nei Cfp

Between evidence-based education and analysis of teaching practices. A review of didactic research on the Italian high school system

The document proposes a review of the didactic research on higher education which, in recent years, has been conducted in Italy, referring also to the international research landscape. This is an evidence-based education research, but also a research based on the so-called branches of the analysis of teaching practices and routines. It draws an overview highlighting the specificity of the various branches and emphasizing the possibility to combine them profitably

Strumenti per formare - 1. Verso la costruzione di un repertorio della comunità professionale dei/delle formatori/trici: le strategie per la costruzione di un clima positivo

Questo articolo dà avvio ad una serie di contributi che intendono tradurre in indicazioni operative i risultati della ricerca empirica sull'analisi delle pratiche dei/delle formatori/trici di area culturale (in particolare italiano e matematica) che operano nei Centri di formazione professionale del Cnos-fap. La prima area esplorata è quella delle strategie che i docenti utilizzano per creare un clima positivo in aula

Guest editorial

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Between evidence-based education and analysis of teaching practices. A review of didactic research on the Italian high school system

The document proposes a review of the didactic research on higher education which, in recent years, has been conducted in Italy, referring also to the international research landscape. This is an evidence-based education research, but also a research based on the so-called branches of the analysis of teaching practices and routines. It draws an overview highlighting the specificity of the various branches and emphasizing the possibility to combine them profitably

Il mestiere del formatore secondo Primo Levi

Il contributo sviluppa un discorso didattico sulla formazione a partire da una particolare lettura tematica de La chiave a stella (1978), il libro che Primo Levi ha dedicato al lavoro. Ne emerge una prospettiva che vede la narrazione come risorsa fondamentale per un\u2019azione formativa che sappia valorizzare e mettere in parola il sapere pratico.This article discusses the theme of education starting from the reading of the book \u201cLa chiave a stella\u201d (1978) which the Italian writer Primo Levi has dedicated to the work. What emerges is a perspective considering the narration as a fundamental resource for an effective training action

Strumenti per formare - 4. Per una valutazione riconoscente ed incoraggiante

L'articolo fa parte di una serie dedicata ad una sintetica restituzione dei principali risultati della ricerca empirica condotta con un centinaio di formatori e formatrici di area culturale nei CFP della Federazione CNOS-FAP. In questo contributo si analizzano le strategie che i docenti mettono in atto per consentire ai propri allievi, attraverso la valutazione, di dare valore a ciò che apprendono

Costruire conoscenza attraverso la narrazione La valenza formativa della ricerca sull’analisi delle pratiche di insegnamento

By presenting two research experiences conducted with in-service teachers, this work aims at demonstrating how the participation to a research project leading to the narrative and analysis of one’s own practices constitutes a worthwhile opportunity for teachers’ education. The crucial factor is that of being able to hold fruitfully together two instances that may seem opposite: the rigor required by a qualitative research process, and the sustainability needed within a continuous training path which is meant to be taken up by professionals during their job activity.Nel presentare due esperienze di ricerca condotte con insegnanti di ruolo, questo lavoro intende dimostrare come la partecipazione a un progetto di ricerca che conduca alla narrazione e all’analisi delle proprie pratiche costituisca una preziosa opportunità per la formazione degli insegnanti. Il fattore cruciale è rappresentato dalla capacità di mantenere efficacemente unite due istanze che potrebbero apparire contrastanti: il rigore richiesto da un processo di ricerca qualitativa e la sostenibilità necessaria a un percorso di ricerca continuo, intrapreso da professionisti nella loro pratica lavorativa

Using Hypervideo to support undergraduate students' reflection on work practices: a qualitative study

Abstract According to several exploratory studies, the HyperVideo seems to be particularly useful in highlighting the existing connections between the school-based and the work-based contexts, between authentic work situations and theoretical underpinnings. This tool and its features, in particular, the video annotation, seems to constitute an instrument which facilitates the students' reflection on work-practices. Even though several researchers have already studied the efficacy of HyperVideo, studies concerning the qualitative differences between a reflection process activated with or without its use are still missing. Therefore, the present contribution is focused on the reflective processes activated by two groups of students engaged in a higher education course while they carry out a reflective activity on work practices using the HyperVideo or not. The aim is to investigate wether the HyperVideo can be useful for students to foster the connection between theoretical concepts and work practices. Through multi-step qualitative analysis which combined Thematic Qualitative Text Analysis and Grounded Theory, a sample of reflective reports drafted by a group of students who employed HiperVideo to make a video-interview on a work-practice and to reflect on it (Group A) was compared with a sample of reflective reports drafted by a group who did not use it to complete the same task (Group B). The results emerging from the comparison of the coding frequencies between the two groups show that HyperVideo can support the reflective processes of students, better connecting theory and professional practice