Course program
Classical models of learning: transmissive model, radical constructivism, social constructivism.
Classical theoretical frameworks of mathematics education: theory of didactical situations, semiotic mediation, metacognition and affective factors.
Institutional aspects: national curriculum, INVALSI, OECD-PISA.
Methodological elements for the teaching of mathematics: role of the teacher, mathematical laboratory, mathematical discussion, assessment.
Studies on mathematical thinking: problem-solving, argumentation and proof, defining, modeling.
Didactic elements for specific mathematical contents: arithmetic/algebra, probability, calculus.
Prerequisites
The mathematical contents that are taught at lower and upper secondary school.
Books
The slides of the lessons and teaching materials will be shared on the e-learning page of the course.
Teaching mode
The teaching methodology adopted for the Mathematics course will be characterized by interactive lessons and moments devoted to working group activities and collective discussions, focused on the analysis of activities for secondary school classes, students’ protocols and excerpts that document teaching-learning processes.
Students will also be involved in the design of activities and educational paths, which will be discussed during the lessons.
The student will find on the e-learning platform the slides and the teaching materials useful for the preparation of the exam.
If the course will have to be held at a distance due to the COVID emergency, the teacher will adopt the following methodology:
- online lessons through zoom or meet;
- video-recording of online lessons and sharing of these recordings on the e-learning page of the course;
- assigning distance-tasks via the e-learning page of the course and discussing them during online lessons.
Frequency
Course attendance is optional, but recommended.
Exam mode
The assessment of the course is carried out through an oral examination, aimed at certifying the knowledge related to the main aspects introduced during the course and the skills developed in relation to the ability of analyzing teaching activities and teaching-learning processes, referring to the theoretical lenses provided by mathematics education research.
Both attending and non-attending students will also be required to work on the design of an educational activity for secondary school classes, which will be discussed both during the lessons (in the case of attending students) and during the exam.
Sufficient knowledge of the contents covered and a corresponding sufficient competence in the analysis of teaching materials and teaching-learning processes and in the planning of activities for the classes is required for passing the exam with the minimum grade. To achieve a score of 30/30 cum laude, the student must also demonstrate that he/she has acquired excellent knowledge of the contents introduced during the course and the ability to refer to such knowledge to develop in-depth reflections on teaching-learning processes and to effectively design activities for classes.
Bibliography
No textbook is adopted.
Lesson mode
The teaching methodology adopted for the Mathematics course will be characterized by interactive lessons and moments devoted to working group activities and collective discussions, focused on the analysis of activities for secondary school classes, students’ protocols and excerpts that document teaching-learning processes.
Students will also be involved in the design of activities and educational paths, which will be discussed during the lessons.
The student will find on the e-learning platform the slides and the teaching materials useful for the preparation of the exam.
