Primary teacher education

GUIDO BENVENUTO
PATRIZIA SPOSETTI

The training course on "Evaluation Theory and Practice" will lead the student to:
- master the main theories and regulatory contexts relating to the forms and methods of school evaluation, taking into account their historical evolution and the different school levels present in the Italian education and training system;
- be able to reflect on the pedagogical and didactic dimensions of evaluation theories and practices in consideration of the variety and variability of the socio-economic, territorial, organizational and managerial contexts of school institutions, as well as the training and development of teachers' professionalism;
- being able to evaluate the micro-macro perspectives of evaluation in educational contexts and manage the design and monitoring of evaluation and self-evaluation plans in educational institutions, with particular attention to the context of kindergarten and primary school, promoting activities that favour collegial attitudes and collaboration in the preparation of tools and procedures for evaluation;
- designing and building in groups different types of evaluation tools of an observational versus measuring order, providing for the practical use of IT tools and multimedia technologies.

The activities that contribute to the development of these competencies and abilities are the following: connection with the phase of the observational internship to monitor and propose evaluation models in the classroom; group work; laboratory activities mainly dedicated to the age group 3-6 and 6-11 years, preparing checklists for the observation of educational dimensions and authentic tasks for the certification of skills.

Basic skills; Research skills; Knowledge of the kindergarten context and the primary school context; Knowledge of multimedia tools

The course, divided into two modules closely integrated, has the general objective of presenting the main theories and operational dimensions of evaluation with particular reference to their application to the educational contexts of kindergarten and primary school.
The reflection is placed in a historical-cultural dimension concerning educational research and the training of teachers to introduce the general themes and problems of the subject on a double theoretical and methodological level.

MODULE 1: starting from an introduction to the theory of evaluation, the dimensions underlying the evaluation processes will be deepened and the different evaluation models described through the presentation of different tools that can be used in the reference training contexts and thus deepening the relationship between theory and practice.

MODULE 2: theories and methodologies useful for planning, designing, and implementing effective evaluation interventions in kindergarten and primary school contexts will be presented, with particular reference to observation and documentation techniques aimed at evaluation. Through case studies, experiences of evaluating training actions will be critically analyzed, the use of the tools in context will be exemplified.

The course, divided into two modules, will refer to online consultation materials and the following texts:
A) two of the following texts (Module 1):
Trinchero (2012). Building, evaluating, certifying skills. Franco Angeli
- Castoldi. (2019) Evaluation Rubrics. Guiding the expression of judgment. Utet
- Benvenuto, G., González I.S.M., Lanciano N., Passolunghi, M.C. (2018) (edited by). Early Assessment Test Of Mathematical Proficiency. A tool for childhood and primary school. Italian adaptation Early Numeracy Test-Revised (ENT-R) by J. Van Luit and B. Van de Rijt, Rome, Anicia.
B) the following texts (Module 2)
- Rossella D’Ugo, The quality of the Kindergarten, the PraDisi rating scale, ed. FrancoAngeli, Milan 2013.
- Sabrina Bonaccini, Valuing skills. Evaluation at the nursery and kindergarten, ED. Junior, Parma 2018.

C) the course handout (available in Moodle at the beginning of the course):
- National Indications 2012 (http://www.indicazioninazionali.it/2018/08/26/ indications-2012 /)
- National Indications and New Scenarios (https://www.miur.gov.it/documents/20182/0/ National + indications + and + new + scenarios /)
- Guidelines for the certification of skills in the first cycle of education (D.M. 742/2017) https://www.miur.gov.it/-/linee-guida-certificazione-delle-competenze
- Pedagogical guidelines for the 0-6 system (https://www.ificazione.it/sistema-integrato-06/)
 

The course, divided into two modules, will refer to online consultation materials and the following texts:
A) two of the following texts (Module 1):
Trinchero (2012). Building, evaluating, certifying skills. Franco Angeli
- Castoldi. (2019) Evaluation Rubrics. Guiding the expression of judgment. Utet
- Benvenuto, G., González I.S.M., Lanciano N., Passolunghi, M.C. (2018) (edited by). Early Assessment Test Of Mathematical Proficiency. A tool for childhood and primary school. Italian adaptation Early Numeracy Test-Revised (ENT-R) by J. Van Luit and B. Van de Rijt, Rome, Anicia.
B) the following texts (Module 2)
- Rossella D’Ugo, The quality of the Kindergarten, the PraDisi rating scale, ed. FrancoAngeli, Milan 2013.
- Sabrina Bonaccini, Valuing skills. Evaluation at the nursery and kindergarten, ED. Junior, Parma 2018.

C) the course handout (available in Moodle at the beginning of the course):
- National Indications 2012 (http://www.indicazioninazionali.it/2018/08/26/ indications-2012 /)
- National Indications and New Scenarios (https://www.miur.gov.it/documents/20182/0/ National + indications + and + new + scenarios /)
- Guidelines for the certification of skills in the first cycle of education (D.M. 742/2017) https://www.miur.gov.it/-/linee-guida-certificazione-delle-competenze
- Pedagogical guidelines for the 0-6 system (https://www.ificazione.it/sistema-integrato-06/)
 

During the course, there are lectures dedicated to the presentation of theoretical and functional concepts and models for the study of the texts in the program, seminars dedicated to the topics of assessment and observation in the contexts of kindergarten and primary school exercises and group work aimed at the use of the assessment and observation tools presented and discussed.
To facilitate the achievement of the expected training objectives and the expected learning outcomes in terms of knowledge, the following methods will be used: both frontal and participatory lessons; presentation of texts and preparation of questions; organization of seminars with teachers/researchers.
To facilitate the achievement of the expected training objectives and the expected skills and abilities, the simulation methods of evaluation, observation, and documentation cases will be used in the contexts of kindergarten and primary school;
The different methods of development are in strong integration with each other and provide moments of connections between the various themes in the form of position of questions.

optional

For attending students, the assessment methods include:
a) practical activities using the Moodle platform and the forums; Attending students will be asked to discuss and design evaluation tools for internship contexts and/or for the analysis of learning contexts. The formative evaluation will be carried out in the form of tasks to be uploaded on the platform and will keep track in terms of ongoing evaluation
b) an oral interview on the topics covered in class and present in the study texts.
For students who have not been able to attend the course, the oral exam consists of an in-depth interview on the topics covered in the study texts. Students who cannot attend classes are invited to contact the teachers to define the study of supplementary text

Observation and Documentation Tools
Analysis of Evaluation Reports
Descriptive Judgment and Evaluation in Primary School

• master the main theories and regulatory contexts relating to the forms and methods of school evaluation, taking into account their historical evolution and the different school levels present in the Italian education and training system


•  able to reflect on the pedagogical and didactic dimensions of evaluation theories and practices in consideration of the variety and variability of the socio-economic, territorial, organizational and managerial contexts of school institutions, as well as the training and development of teachers' professionalism


• being able to evaluate the micro-macro perspectives of evaluation in educational contexts and manage the design and monitoring of evaluation and self-evaluation plans in educational institutions, with particular attention to the context of kindergarten and primary school, promoting activities that favour collegial attitudes and collaboration in the preparation of tools and procedures for evaluation


• designing and building in groups different types of evaluation tools of an observational versus measuring order, providing for the practical use of IT tools and multimedia technologies


• Theory and practice of evaluation in nursery and primary schools