Materials from Childhood to Adulthood

Both structured and unstructured materials are fundamental objects in the pedagogical tradition and from there in the didactic experience of future teachers. Our hypothesis is that experiences from childhood influence choices made as adults, even in professional contexts. In this light, this paper analyzes the relationship between the preference of choice of materials used in childhood and those in adulthood through memories and the expectations of future preschool and elementary school teachers. Students enrolled in the third and fourth year in the Degree Course at the Education Faculty in a University in the North of Italy were given questionnaires aimed at gathering information about their preferences during two different periods regarding materials, crossing the results with the first proposals designed by the students during their practice teaching internships in local schools