OVERVIEW

The course aims to provide and / or reinforce basic knowledge in biology and ecology, appropriate to build critical and conscious attitudes in teaching / learning pathways in Life Sciences. Discussion and sharing of personal mental representations, hypotheses and experiences, analysis of conceptual nodes, foundational concepts and effective teaching strategies for exploring life processes in primary and secondary schools will be discussed.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

A teaching strategy characterized by participation and knowledge sharing will allow participants to become aware of their mental representations of life phenomena. Both in kindergarten and in the primary schools, this will allow to define teaching actions which can encourage in the pupils the independent research of the meanings of reality, through a scientific approach centered on curiosity, on sharing personal experiences and hypotheses, on the experimental validation of assumed solution of the issues addressed and the development of an appropriate language to the sharing of the knowledge acquired.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to develop some of the central concepts of biology and ecology and to adequately address the aspects of teaching in primary and secondary schools. Since the field of the Life Sciences is not characterized by a formal language, it presents conceptual nodes of particular importance for the order of school considered. The reference to the National Curriculum Indicator (DM 16 November 2012, No 254) will be the basis for discussing the cognitive, teaching and programming problems of the two school orders, including through the analysis of educational pathways experimented in some italian schools.

TEACHING METHODS

The lessons on basic concepts will be developed with the support of computer material and, as far as possible, organized by giving space to participatory mode. With regard to the didacticpart, reference will be made to the constructivist paradigm to allow students to experience a teaching methodology appropriate to building skills in the field of life sciences. When possible, seminars and thematic visits will be organized. Supporting materials (ppt presentations, articles, links to sites of interest, bibliography, videos, etc.) will be made available in aulaweb.

For the didactical part, the teacher commits to uploade in aulaweb a reasoned summary of the contents of the discussion in the classroom. Participants are invited to upload, in the appropriate forum for each meeting in the classroom, their comments, doubts, questions, discussion invitations, and any other material they consider useful for common work.

Non-attending students will have to point out to teachers (by mail) their inability to attend. These students are required to follow the course development through materials uploaded to aulaweb and any texts indicated. For the didactical part, it is also mandatory to upload to aulaweb, at the forum devoted to each lesson, their reflections, doubts, opinions and suggestions regarding the contents discussed in the classroom so that they can feel part of the common work.

No extra texts are indicated for non-attendants.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Main topics:

- Water is Life. The importance of water in the environment, the history of life on earth, the living structures, the interaction between organisms and environment.

- Ecosystems and biodiversity. Structure and functioning of ecosystems; importance, evolution and conservation of biodiversity.

These topics will be initially addressed from the point of view of basic knowledge and then deepened with regard to didactic transposition.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Reccomended reading:

M. Arcà, "Insegnare biologia", Naturalmente scienza Ed., 2009.

The text can be ordered on line (both in PDF or printed format) in the website: www.naturalmentescienza.it/sections/?s=52

Other study materials (ppt presentations, articles, links to websites of interest, bibliography, video etc.) will be made available on aulaweb.

No additional text is indicated for non-attending students

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

GIORGIO MATRICARDI (President)

EVA PISANO (President)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The start of classes will take place in the first effective date of the second semester of the academic year. Any changes will be communicated to students on time.

Class schedule

DIDACTICS OF THE LIFE SCIENCES

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral examination

ASSESSMENT METHODS

At the end of the part of the course devoted to basic knowledge, some self-checks with collective discussion will be proposed. During the examination, the acquisition of basic concepts and an appropriate language will be assessed.

For the didactical part, in accordance with the methodological choices made for the class work, the evaluation methods will be discussed and defined with the students during the lessons.

In particular, the examination will look at assessing:

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: the development of students' adequate skills to read and understand the biological reality and the main conceptual bases of life sciences.

CAPACITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: students must demonstrate critical abilities to explore the fundamental themes of life sciences; they also have to be able to design and plan meaningful learning paths for pupils in each of the two school orders.

JUDGMENT AUTONOMY: the participants will be able to use their own culture to understand what is happening around them and to formulate personal proposals for solving problems; This will have an impact on their ability in curriculum programming, as well as on deepening of their personal Knowledge in Life Sciences.

COMMUNICATIVE SKILLS: an assessment method set up on the participatory model will enable students to reinforce their communication skills both towards their pupils and to a general audience (parents, general public, etc.).

LEARNING CAPACITIES: Students will be able to develop adequate learning skills that will allow them to continue to deepen the core issues of discipline autonomously, finding significant insights into the local teaching context.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

All the students are invited to consult periodically the page dedicated to the course on aulaweb (www.aulaweb.unige.it).