Abstract
The two authors of this chapter work at the Department of Ancient and Modern Civilization of the University of Messina and both have been appointed by their Department to teach two modules (Fundamentals of Cultural Anthropology and Philosophical Anthropology) of 6 CFUs (European credit transfer system credits) each for the FIT program. Both gave their lectures in the second semester of 2018 to approximately 850 future teachers. Their modules are part of phase one of the three we have mentioned above, that is, preparation for the degree that allows access to teaching. This involves the collection of 24 CFUs which are to be collected in the anthropological and psycho-pedagogic disciplines. Based on fieldwork and participant observation, which lasted three months and until December 2018, this chapter suggests a view to understanding the new Italian educational system through what we have first seen from within our own classrooms, and later through what we will see following the teachers in their own classrooms in September (classrooms and teachers which we have already identified).
TopBackground, Means And Methods
A major challenge the Italian Ministry of Education and Research (MIUR) faced in recent years has been to trace the professional identity of the Secondary School teacher. The MIUR had to look at Italian teachers’ formation and fill the gap between the Italian and the European educational systems.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Zetetic Method: A system of scientific inquiry that bases conclusions on experimentation and observation rather than on an initial theory that is not be proved or disproved.
Teaching Teachers: A practice in which the principle activity is the preparation of beginning teachers in universities and other institutions of teacher education, such as teacher colleges.
Complex-Thought Education: Education that focuses not just on the learner gaining knowledge, but on the learner gaining mental processes which facilitate the ability to do complex, sophisticated thinking such as understanding concepts, generating original ideas and using logical approaches to address complicated problems.
Anthropology: Relates to the science of human beings especially with regard to the study of human beings and their ancestors through time and space and in relation to physical character, environmental and social relations, and culture.
Active Citizenship: The act of citizens getting involved in their local communities and democracy at all levels, from towns to cities to nationwide activity.