The course aims to offer students the advanced theoretical and practical fundamental concepts related to the methods of pedagogical research in relation to different educational contexts, in particular by focusing on systematic observation and research methods of active schools.

The following topics will be addressed: the educational models and contexts of research; the epistemological and practical foundations of research; "learning by doing" in schools active from Dewey to the present day; the multiple potentialities of educational research in the school-laboratory: between experimental research and research-action, and research-action in the laboratory complexity; systematic observation in the educational field.

In relation to the discipline, the student must show possession:

- mastery of basic knowledge:

- Students will be able to acquire theoretical and methodological knowledge on the main topics related to educational research, in particular on the distinction between classical experimental research and action-research, qualitative and quantitative cognitive paradigms, experimentalism and empiricism.

- Multiple instruments of observation and data collection (video-recorded observation, descriptive observation, grids, etc.) will be presented, discovering their characteristics, strengths and criticalities.  

- During the lessons the students will learn about some educational issues related to the learning contexts in the history (past and present) of pedagogical activism. In particular, the school-workshop model will be analysed as an ideal pedagogical-educational paradigm for the construction of quality educational contexts.

- of understanding the fundamental concepts of the discipline:

- During the course students will have the opportunity to choose and compare the different instruments of observation and data collection in relation to the research paradigms considered most functional to the field of investigation.

- Students will be able to analyse some pedagogical models through a historical and cultural perspective (traditional model, activism, distinction between East and West), and then relate them to the research and to the different cognitive and explanatory paradigms. 

- the ability to use knowledge and concepts to reason according to the logic of the discipline:

- During the course, research projects will be proposed on themes chosen by the students and which have been analysed during the lessons (motivation, mind-body relationship in education, etc.), in order to promote the autonomous and active elaboration of the contents dealt with theoretically.

- In this way students will be able to confront empirically on some important issues played around the relationship between the complexity of educational phenomena and the different methodological research models.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

The teaching material prepared by the teacher in addition to the recommended texts (such as slides, handouts, exercises, bibliography) and the teacher's specific teaching communications are available on the Moodle ' blended.uniurb.it platform.

Teaching

Frontal lecture; seminars; research groups; workshops; in-depth essays.

Course books

A. Bondioli (ed.), L'osservazione in campo educativo, Junior, Bergamo 2007. 

R. Travaglini, Il modello pedagogico attivista. Da Dewey ai nostri giorni, Aracne, Roma 2020.

Further bibliographical indications can be provided by the teacher during the lessons.

Teaching

Frontal lecture; seminars; research groups; workshops; in-depth essays.

Course books

A. Bondioli (ed.), L'osservazione in campo educativo, Junior, Bergamo 2007. 

R. Travaglini, Il modello pedagogico attivista. Da Dewey ai nostri giorni, Aracne, Roma 2020.

Further bibliographical indications can be provided by the teacher during the lessons.