Teaching and learning are now experiencing a new centrality. The fast socio-cultural transformations, the vertical growth of digital media and, therefore, the new ways children and young people learn suggest that changes and innovation are essential. School, today, can be improved towards an authentic learning environment, in which students can work in a laboratory school (Freinet, 1978), promoting significant and deep learning (Ausubel, 1968). New paradigms and teaching methodologies are emerging to meet the new educational needs; among them, the “Episodes of Situated Learning” approach, EAS in Italian (Rivoltella, 2013), was chosen for this study. This approach broadly refers to the “Flipped Class” model (Mazur, 1991), in which the lesson structure reverses the traditional teaching/learning cycle with a positive outcome on engagement and learning (Lage, Platt & Treglia, 2000; Enfield, 2013). The present study aims to explore and describe the differences between EAS teaching methodology and the usual style of teaching, taking into consideration class management, teachers’ actions and their proxemic transitions. Moreover, this study aims to verify whether the EAS, according to literature about the Flipped Class model, has a positive outcome on student engagement, focusing on its emotional, cognitive and behavioral components. In particular, we hypothesize that the EAS teaching methodology changes teachers’ behavior in classroom, increasing perceived self-efficacy and positive emotions, thus improving students’ level of engagement. We chose a quasi-experimental nested design (Creswell and Plano Clark, 2007), with a pre-post test within subjects. Both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis were performed (Greene & Caracelli, 1997), in order to reach, as far as possible, a holistic, effective and exhaustive representation of the studied phenomenon (Camerino, Castañer & Anguera, 2014). The research was conducted in a secondary school, in Milan, and included 15 teachers and 102 students attending third and fourth year that voluntarily took part in the study. Pre-post measures, including video-recording, systematic observation and questionnaires, of both students and teachers, were collected during the eight months of experimentation. A pilot study aimed to define the experimental setting, calibrate the observation instruments and guarantee the participants’ familiarization. The quasi-experimental study included a pre-test, in which teachers gave lessons according to their usual style; a training about EAS methodology for the teachers; a post-test, in which the same teachers gave their students the EAS lessons designed during the training. Results showed a major change in the classroom management: in particular, during EAS lessons, teachers made use of more didactic actions and different proxemics transitions. Moreover, students showed higher levels of engagement in EAS lessons than in the usual ones. This research project could foster positive outcomes, for its participants as well as the broader society, in which school dropout is increasing. In fact, many authors (e.g. Fall, 2012) positively associate low levels of students’ engagement to high rates of school dropout. For this reason, research on improving teaching methodologies, and effectively measure students’ engagement, could enhance deep learning and, at the same time, opposing school dropout.

Le trasformazioni del contesto socio-culturale, il protagonismo dei media digitali e i nuovi stili di apprendimento evidenziano una nuova centralità didattica e suggeriscono un’idea di scuola in grado di predisporre un autentico contesto di apprendimento, dove i soggetti in formazione possano allenare competenze in un clima attivo (Freinet, 1978), promuovendo un apprendimento profondo (Ausubel, 1968). Tali riflessioni trovano spazio nei più recenti paradigmi didattici: ne è un esempio la Didattica per Episodi di Apprendimento Situati. (Rivoltella, 2013). L’EAS può essere considerato una rielaborazione italiana della “didattica Flipped”, la cui struttura inverte il tradizionale ciclo di insegnamento/apprendimento (Mazur, 1991), con risultati positivi dal punto di vista del coinvolgimento e dell’apprendimento stesso (Lage, Platt & Treglia, 2000; Enfield, 2013). Il progetto di ricerca intende perseguire un obiettivo esplorativo, descrivendo in che modo la didattica EAS si differenzi dalla didattica agita abitualmente dagli insegnanti, per quanto riguarda la gestione d’aula e le azioni didattiche e prossemiche. La ricerca si propone inoltre di indagare se e come la didattica EAS sia una metodologia in linea con le evidenze teoriche afferenti alla Flipped Class e, quindi, efficace dal punto di vista dell’Engagement scolastico nelle sue componenti comportamentali, emotive e cognitive. In particolare, si ipotizza che la didattica EAS favorisca nell’insegnante livelli più alti di autoefficacia e di emozioni positive e, negli studenti, livelli più alti di Engagement scolastico in ciascuna delle tre componenti. In linea con gli obiettivi e le ipotesi presentati, la metodologia scelta è quella mista (Greene & Caracelli, 1997), in grado di offrire una chiave di lettura olistica che permetta di indagare costrutti multicomponenziali (come l’engagement) in contesti complessi come quello scolastico (Camerino, Castañer & Anguera, 2014). Nello specifico, si è utilizzato un disegno quasi-sperimentale annidato, con pre-test e post-test entro i soggetti (Creswell and Plano Clark, 2007). La ricerca ha previsto la raccolta e l’analisi di dati quantitativi (codifica sistematica delle videoregistrazioni, questionari) e qualitativi (osservazioni carta-matita, questionari ad hoc e focus group). La sperimentazione ha avuto luogo in una scuola secondaria di II grado di Milano e ha compreso 15 insegnanti e 102 studenti delle classi terze e quarte che volontariamente hanno acconsentito di partecipare al progetto. Il primo studio pilota ha avuto come obiettivi la definizione del setting sperimentale, la messa a punto degli strumenti di osservazione e la familiarizzazione dei partecipanti. Lo studio quasi-sperimentale ha previsto: una fase pre-test, in cui gli insegnanti hanno condotto le lezioni secondo il proprio stile didattico abituale; un corso di formazione agli insegnanti sulla didattica EAS; una fase post-test, in cui gli stessi docenti hanno proposto, a ciascuna classe di riferimento, le lezioni EAS progettate durante il corso. I risultati hanno evidenziato un cambiamento rilevante nella gestione d’aula da parte del docente, il quale ha espresso maggiori azioni didattiche e un diverso uso della prossemica. È altresì emerso un miglioramento significativo dei livelli di Engagement percepiti dagli studenti. La ricerca, oltre alle ricadute dirette sui partecipanti coinvolti, presenta potenziali benefici a livello sociale: alcuni studi internazionali (es. Fall, 2012) associano positivamente bassi livelli di coinvolgimento ad alti tassi di dispersione scolastica, delineando quindi l’Engagement come una co-variabile incidente l’abbandono del ciclo di studi. La ricerca sulle buone pratiche didattiche e un’efficace misurazione dell’engagement potrebbero quindi favorire lo sviluppo di un apprendimento profondo e, nello stesso tempo, contribuire a contrastare l’abbandono scolastico.

(2019). Episodi di Apprendimento Situati: la didattica EAS per incrementare l’Engagement e favorire l’apprendimento profondo. Una ricerca multi-metodo nella scuola secondaria di secondo grado. (Tesi di dottorato, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 2019).

Episodi di Apprendimento Situati: la didattica EAS per incrementare l’Engagement e favorire l’apprendimento profondo. Una ricerca multi-metodo nella scuola secondaria di secondo grado

TERRENGHI, ILARIA
2019

Abstract

Teaching and learning are now experiencing a new centrality. The fast socio-cultural transformations, the vertical growth of digital media and, therefore, the new ways children and young people learn suggest that changes and innovation are essential. School, today, can be improved towards an authentic learning environment, in which students can work in a laboratory school (Freinet, 1978), promoting significant and deep learning (Ausubel, 1968). New paradigms and teaching methodologies are emerging to meet the new educational needs; among them, the “Episodes of Situated Learning” approach, EAS in Italian (Rivoltella, 2013), was chosen for this study. This approach broadly refers to the “Flipped Class” model (Mazur, 1991), in which the lesson structure reverses the traditional teaching/learning cycle with a positive outcome on engagement and learning (Lage, Platt & Treglia, 2000; Enfield, 2013). The present study aims to explore and describe the differences between EAS teaching methodology and the usual style of teaching, taking into consideration class management, teachers’ actions and their proxemic transitions. Moreover, this study aims to verify whether the EAS, according to literature about the Flipped Class model, has a positive outcome on student engagement, focusing on its emotional, cognitive and behavioral components. In particular, we hypothesize that the EAS teaching methodology changes teachers’ behavior in classroom, increasing perceived self-efficacy and positive emotions, thus improving students’ level of engagement. We chose a quasi-experimental nested design (Creswell and Plano Clark, 2007), with a pre-post test within subjects. Both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis were performed (Greene & Caracelli, 1997), in order to reach, as far as possible, a holistic, effective and exhaustive representation of the studied phenomenon (Camerino, Castañer & Anguera, 2014). The research was conducted in a secondary school, in Milan, and included 15 teachers and 102 students attending third and fourth year that voluntarily took part in the study. Pre-post measures, including video-recording, systematic observation and questionnaires, of both students and teachers, were collected during the eight months of experimentation. A pilot study aimed to define the experimental setting, calibrate the observation instruments and guarantee the participants’ familiarization. The quasi-experimental study included a pre-test, in which teachers gave lessons according to their usual style; a training about EAS methodology for the teachers; a post-test, in which the same teachers gave their students the EAS lessons designed during the training. Results showed a major change in the classroom management: in particular, during EAS lessons, teachers made use of more didactic actions and different proxemics transitions. Moreover, students showed higher levels of engagement in EAS lessons than in the usual ones. This research project could foster positive outcomes, for its participants as well as the broader society, in which school dropout is increasing. In fact, many authors (e.g. Fall, 2012) positively associate low levels of students’ engagement to high rates of school dropout. For this reason, research on improving teaching methodologies, and effectively measure students’ engagement, could enhance deep learning and, at the same time, opposing school dropout.
ZURLONI, VALENTINO
Classe Capovolta; EAS; Engagement; Osservazione; Ricerca Multi-metodo
Flipped Classroom; EAS; Engagement; Observation; Ricerca Multi-metodo
M-PSI/01 - PSICOLOGIA GENERALE
Italian
19-feb-2019
SCIENZE DELLA FORMAZIONE E DELLA COMUNICAZIONE - 91R
31
2017/2018
open
(2019). Episodi di Apprendimento Situati: la didattica EAS per incrementare l’Engagement e favorire l’apprendimento profondo. Una ricerca multi-metodo nella scuola secondaria di secondo grado. (Tesi di dottorato, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 2019).
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/241115
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