Good Teaching Practices | Page 8

Method: working in three different classes about a single text, it was necessary to adopt a uniform format to easily integrate with each other the papers of all the students, so it has been defined a very detailed table of contents of what the final work would be; there were clear indications on the structure of each paper assigned and unique criteria to name files of the various drafts and corrections; quite "comfortable" times have been scheduled but with deadlines that could not be postponed. In the evaluation of the work done this item has had a significant weight. The working groups were made up of two students, three in a couple of cases, so that there was no possibility to back out of personal commitment. Finally, during the second draft correction each student was asked to suggest modifications and corrections to their classmates’ works, so that it might be clear that each was responsible for the overall design of all and not only of their own work. Students responded quite well to this request. Objective: promote personal growth through the study. Method: The proposed route for students involves three steps. Step 1: students study on the handbook the general scientific concepts related to the topic. Step 2: students examine a real problem and seek links between the concrete situations examined in the field and the theoretical concepts learned in the study. (This sequence was chosen rather than the opposite one, because on the whole more "economic" and more rapid) Step 3: through a personal reflection an opinion about the problem is formulated/assessed, integrating the knowledge and experience gained with the predispositions and personal aptitudes. The path has already been completed by only a few students, but it does not mean that those who have not produced a final comment and have not carried out the Step 3, have not necessarily processed a personal thought. This can be verified in some time when experience will have been settled and stress related to the explicit demands of the teacher will die down. In a class there is also a student with severe cognitive disabilities. He also has been proposed a simplified work within the project, with the collaboration of a support teacher. Efforts have been made to consolidate the sense of sharing and participation in class activities, getting this student to work on materials equal to those of others. In particular simple images were chosen with which to tell the oil extraction method and the difficulties of fighting the olive oil fly. In the work setting it has been chosen to favour more than the technical knowledge in itself, the development of logical skills to sequence the steps in a process. The student participated enthusiastically as by his nature. Teacher: Antonio Biondo -------------------------------------