One of the Key Competences for Lifelong Learning recommended by the Council of the European Union is the "Mathematical Competence and Basic Competences in Science, Technology, Engineering". In Science, this competence refers to the ability and willingness to explain the natural world by making use of a large body of knowledge and methodologies, including observation and experimentation, in order to identify questions and to draw evidence-based conclusions. As connotative of this competence, there is also the ability to use logical and rational thought to test a hypothesis and the readiness to discard one’s convictions when they contradict new experimental findings. This Recommendation underlines the need to motivate young people, especially girls and young women, to engage in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) related careers through the use of an inquiry-based pedagogy at all levels of education, training and learning pathways. The enhancement of scientific competences is also consistent with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), in particular within the SDG4 and SDG5, into education, training and learning. The aim of our research is to explore new teaching approaches and methodologies in order to help students develop positive attitudes. First, we investigated the educational approach adopted in Italian High-School Physics Instruction to develop scientific competences. This overview gave us a detailed picture of students' attitudes towards Physics, intercepted some conceptual difficulties and focused on their reasoning skills as the key point to their adoption and use of a scientific language. Concerning teachers, we monitored their PCK (Pedagogical Content Knowledge) mainly related to Math/Phys Interplay and Argumentation Framework. In this way, we could identify some students' and teachers' conceptions that need to be changed to better fulfil the Recommendation's goals. Then, we focused on Physics instruction in the first years of curricular studies, which is different according to the type of high schools and curriculum. We pursued our research along two main directions, featuring an Early Physics approach and developing teachers' habits to adopt it in their classrooms. The conceptual and theoretical framework for an Early Physics grounds its foundation by the use of tools for reasoning and conceptual building as Multiple Representations and promoting inquiry-based learning. Based on research in cognitive science, scientific epistemology, and teacher perspectives, we hypothesised that the Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE) approach should be recommended at the beginning of Physics studies in Italian Secondary Schools. This approach fully aligns with the European Council Recommendation. With this working hypothesis, we conducted our study towards developing teachers' habits in the Early Physics scenario, trying to address the need to change. We engaged teachers in cognitive apprenticeship through monitoring, coaching, tutoring and reflecting phases and in a community of in-service learning teachers. They worked in their classrooms continuously sharing ideas, problems, trials, and materials with each other. During the implementation of the activities, we collected many data: teaching artifacts (notes, teaching sequence log, teachers' diary, written tests for assessments and materials for lessons), relevant conversions, audio/video recording lessons. We analysed these data collected through a mixed-method design, mainly focusing on how teachers changed their dispositions, knowledge, and skills and to what extent these changes were related to students' knowledge and attitudes. In this study, we described our attempt to start a process of developing teachers' habits (Etkina, 2017). We are confident that this goes in the direction of improving the scientific education of future European citizens.

Una delle Competenze Chiave per l'Apprendimento Permanente raccomandate dal Consiglio dell'Unione Europea è la "Competenza Matematica e Competenze di Base in Scienza, Tecnologia, Ingegneria". Nella scienza, questa competenza si riferisce alla capacità e alla volontà di spiegare il mondo naturale facendo uso di un ampio corpus di conoscenze e metodologie, tra cui osservazione sperimentale, al fine di identificare domande e trarre conclusioni basate su prove. A connotare questa competenza c'è anche la capacità di usare il pensiero logico e razionale per verificare un'ipotesi e la disponibilità a scartare le proprie convinzioni quando sono in contraddizione con le nuove scoperte sperimentali. Questa Raccomandazione sottolinea la necessità di motivare i giovani, soprattutto le ragazze e le giovani donne, a intraprendere carriere legate alle STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) attraverso l'uso di una pedagogia basata sull'indagine a tutti i livelli di istruzione, formazione e percorsi di apprendimento. Il potenziamento delle competenze scientifiche è anche coerente con gli Obiettivi di Sviluppo Sostenibile (SDG) delle Nazioni Unite, in particolare con gli SDG4 e SDG5, in materia di istruzione, formazione e apprendimento. L'obiettivo della nostra ricerca è esplorare nuovi approcci e metodologie didattiche per aiutare gli studenti a sviluppare le competenze scientifiche raccomandate. In primo luogo, abbiamo analizzato l'approccio didattico adottato nell'insegnamento della fisica nelle scuole superiori italiane per sviluppare le competenze scientifiche. Questa panoramica ci ha fornito un quadro dettagliato degli atteggiamenti degli studenti nei confronti della Fisica, ha intercettato alcune difficoltà concettuali e si è concentrata sulla loro capacità di argomentazione come punto chiave per l'adozione e l'uso di un linguaggio scientifico. Per quanto riguarda gli insegnanti, abbiamo monitorato le loro PCK (Pedagogical Content Knowledge). In seguito, ci siamo concentrati sull'insegnamento della Fisica nei primi anni di studi curriculari, che è diverso a seconda del tipo di scuole superiori e del curriculum. La ricerca si è sviluppata in due direzioni principali: la presentazione di un approccio alla Early Physics e lo sviluppo delle abitudini degli insegnanti ad adottarlo nelle loro classi. Il quadro concettuale e teorico dell’Early Physics si fonda sull'uso di strumenti per il ragionamento e la costruzione concettuale come le Rappresentazioni Multiple e sulla promozione dell'apprendimento basato sull'indagine. Sulla base della ricerca nelle scienze cognitive, dell'epistemologia scientifica e delle prospettive degli insegnanti, abbiamo ipotizzato che l'approccio Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE) dovrebbe essere raccomandato all'inizio degli studi di fisica nelle scuole secondarie italiane. Con questa ipotesi di lavoro, abbiamo condotto il nostro studio per sviluppare le abitudini degli insegnanti nello scenario Early Physics, cercando di affrontare la necessità di un cambiamento. Abbiamo coinvolto gli insegnanti in un apprendistato cognitivo in una comunità di insegnanti in servizio. Hanno lavorato nelle loro classi condividendo continuamente idee, problemi, prove e materiali. Durante l'implementazione delle attività, abbiamo raccolto molti dati. Abbiamo analizzato questi dati raccolti attraverso concentrandoci principalmente sul modo in cui gli insegnanti hanno modificato le loro disposizioni, le loro conoscenze e le loro abilità, e in che misura questi cambiamenti sono stati correlati alle conoscenze e agli atteggiamenti degli studenti.In questo studio abbiamo descritto il nostro tentativo di avviare un processo di sviluppo delle abitudini degli insegnanti (Etkina et al., 2017). Siamo fiduciosi che questo vada nella direzione di migliorare la formazione scientifica dei futuri cittadini europei.

L'approccio Early Physics per migliorare gli atteggiamenti scientifici degli studenti. Il ruolo delle abitudini degli insegnanti / Bologna, Valentina. - (2023 May 02).

L'approccio Early Physics per migliorare gli atteggiamenti scientifici degli studenti. Il ruolo delle abitudini degli insegnanti

BOLOGNA, VALENTINA
2023-05-02

Abstract

One of the Key Competences for Lifelong Learning recommended by the Council of the European Union is the "Mathematical Competence and Basic Competences in Science, Technology, Engineering". In Science, this competence refers to the ability and willingness to explain the natural world by making use of a large body of knowledge and methodologies, including observation and experimentation, in order to identify questions and to draw evidence-based conclusions. As connotative of this competence, there is also the ability to use logical and rational thought to test a hypothesis and the readiness to discard one’s convictions when they contradict new experimental findings. This Recommendation underlines the need to motivate young people, especially girls and young women, to engage in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) related careers through the use of an inquiry-based pedagogy at all levels of education, training and learning pathways. The enhancement of scientific competences is also consistent with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), in particular within the SDG4 and SDG5, into education, training and learning. The aim of our research is to explore new teaching approaches and methodologies in order to help students develop positive attitudes. First, we investigated the educational approach adopted in Italian High-School Physics Instruction to develop scientific competences. This overview gave us a detailed picture of students' attitudes towards Physics, intercepted some conceptual difficulties and focused on their reasoning skills as the key point to their adoption and use of a scientific language. Concerning teachers, we monitored their PCK (Pedagogical Content Knowledge) mainly related to Math/Phys Interplay and Argumentation Framework. In this way, we could identify some students' and teachers' conceptions that need to be changed to better fulfil the Recommendation's goals. Then, we focused on Physics instruction in the first years of curricular studies, which is different according to the type of high schools and curriculum. We pursued our research along two main directions, featuring an Early Physics approach and developing teachers' habits to adopt it in their classrooms. The conceptual and theoretical framework for an Early Physics grounds its foundation by the use of tools for reasoning and conceptual building as Multiple Representations and promoting inquiry-based learning. Based on research in cognitive science, scientific epistemology, and teacher perspectives, we hypothesised that the Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE) approach should be recommended at the beginning of Physics studies in Italian Secondary Schools. This approach fully aligns with the European Council Recommendation. With this working hypothesis, we conducted our study towards developing teachers' habits in the Early Physics scenario, trying to address the need to change. We engaged teachers in cognitive apprenticeship through monitoring, coaching, tutoring and reflecting phases and in a community of in-service learning teachers. They worked in their classrooms continuously sharing ideas, problems, trials, and materials with each other. During the implementation of the activities, we collected many data: teaching artifacts (notes, teaching sequence log, teachers' diary, written tests for assessments and materials for lessons), relevant conversions, audio/video recording lessons. We analysed these data collected through a mixed-method design, mainly focusing on how teachers changed their dispositions, knowledge, and skills and to what extent these changes were related to students' knowledge and attitudes. In this study, we described our attempt to start a process of developing teachers' habits (Etkina, 2017). We are confident that this goes in the direction of improving the scientific education of future European citizens.
2-mag-2023
SORZIO, PAOLO
PERESSI, MARIA
35
2021/2022
Settore FIS/08 - Didattica e Storia della Fisica
Università degli Studi di Trieste
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11368/3045981
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