Teaching code

4S003489

Teacher

Paola Dusi

Coordinatore

Paola Dusi

Credits

9

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

M-PED/01 - PEDAGOGY, THEORIES OF EDUCATION AND SOCIAL EDUCATION

Period

Sem. 1A, Sem. 1B

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars

Learning outcomes

Syllabus

Given the inherently changeable nature of social contexts, and their immediate impact, if we wish to identify educational needs as they arise and promote a pedagogically significant response that can stimulate the capabilities of individuals/citizens, it is vital that we remain fully cognisant of the changes that are taking place. Social pedagogy has a number of ultimate objectives, from combatting situations characterised by marginalisation and difficulty, and increasing the agency of individuals and their participation in social activities, to the promotion of an educative society, and others too numerous to list here. Social pedagogic theory and practice is underpinned by an awareness of the systemic nature of both the lives of individuals and the wider society in which they live, and the importance of satisfying the demand for education that we witness, again, at the level of both the individual and that of the social group.
Society and community are tightly interwoven aspects of an individual’s life: a person exists in relational circles and sociocultural contexts. They mould the individual’s mindset and it is within them that he or she seeks to be recognised. The family is the primary context in which certain processes take place: recognition, the formation of identity and relations, the process of learning to live with others and to be concerned with the world as it is shared with other people. When the family is not able to fulfil its educative responsibilities, society identifies other contexts in which it is possible to intervene and offer care, protection and instruction.


Required learning outcomes: acquisition of knowledge and abilities
1st descriptor: Knowledge and Understanding

1. Familiarity with the principal theories of recognition and relationships between oppressor and oppressed in light of the forms these processes assume in contemporary societies.
2. An understanding of the foundational function of relationships of recognition within education settings, with particular consideration of the forms of misrecognition found in family settings (mistreatment and forms of negligence) and relative interpretive models.
3. Familiarity with the social, historical, cultural and legislative processes that led to the institution of supportive, correctional or therapeutic residential communities for young people (comunità per minori), the requirements that these communities must meet, and the competences required by the educators that work in them.

2nd descriptor: Understanding and application of acquired knowledge
1. The ability to recognise, identify and analyse forms of oppression/misrecognition as they occur in contemporary society at macro-, meso- and micro-levels.
2. The ability to detect the presence of relationships characterised by misrecognition in primary education contexts, and to analyse the relative symptoms, manifestations, risk factors and protections.
3. Acquisition of communicative-relational competences, with particular focus on the specific duties and function of educators in residential communities for young children and adolescents.

Program

COURSE PROGRAMME

Prerequisites
In order to fully benefit from the course, students should already have a basic grasp of pedagogic and education theories, and be familiar with the principal methods and techniques used in education research.


Expected educational outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be expected to:
Part I

1. Show an understanding of the political dimensions of existence, and cultivated greater personal agency: education as awareness-raising (increased awareness of oppression in contemporary contexts).
2. Understand the tenets of Recognition Theory – the need for recognition

Part II
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the family as a “place of recognition”
4. Be familiar with the main interpretive and theoretical models of the contemporary family.
5. Understand the fundamental constitutive dimensions of relationships of recognition in education contexts (family, school, residential communities).
6. Understand the issues and implications of correctional or therapeutic residential communities for young people (comunità per minori), as compared with in-family solutions.
7. Be familiar with the “casa-famiglia” model (family foster homes)

Part III (across all learning units)

8. Develop and demonstrate related communicative-relational skills (professional competences):
9. Develop and demonstrate an awareness of their own, personal communicative style.
10. Develop and demonstrate communicative skills (listening, decentring, reflective practice)




Topics covered

• Social Pedagogy
• Multicultural Society
• Paulo Freire's “liberation pedagogy”
• Recognition
• Recognition in education contexts
• Families today
• Residential communities for young people (comunità per minori)
• Family foster homes (case-famiglia).
• Professional competences: communicative-relational skills


Teaching methods and learning settings

Traditional lectures using additional materials (slides, video clips, extracts from government publicaitons, other texts, etc.), individual exercises (personal skills and competences) and group exercises (case studies, interviews, etc.); invited speakers (accounts from experts and professional educators); group discussions (micro and macro-groups).



Bibliography

Part. I
1. P. Freire, Pedagogia degli oppressi, Ega, Torino, 2004.
2. P. Dusi, Il riconoscimento nei contesti educativi, F. Angeli, Milano, 2017.

Part II
3. M. Saglietti, Organizzare le case famiglia. Strumenti e pratiche nelle comunità per minori. Carocci, Roma, 2012.
4. P. Dusi, Una storia esemplare ‘Parada’. Dispensa a cura della docente.

Part III
There is no bibliography related to this module

The Bibliography applies equally to the programmes for attending students and for non-attending students. Additional recommendations will be provided to attending students during the course of the lessons and research activities.


Teaching Materials
The course uses the Moodle platform to allow students to download certain course materials (e.g. PowerPoint presentations, handouts, further reading, interview templates, etc.)

Examination Methods

Assessment:
Learning outcomes will be assessed using two methods:

1) A written test with 5 structured, open questions on the texts indicated in the exam reading list.

2) Group-research project on the topic of educator competences in learning settings (to be agreed with the lecturer based on the student’s degree programme). The project should take the form of an empirical micro-study based on semi-structured interviews with education professionals. The interviews will be based on a template/process developed over the course of the lessons, and may be videoed. The written research report will consist of an argumentative essay through which the student(s) examines, analyses, and develops an interpretation of the collected data using methods, information and theory covered in the lessons and prescribed reading materials, and any other sources identified by the student him/herself.
The study report should include a cover page (containing: the student’s first and last name, ID number, degree course title, employment position, e-mail and telephone number); the central part of the essay should comprise a brief summary, introduction, analysis of the data and conclusion.
The essay should be subdivided into sections, with footnotes and a final bibliography.
The student should submit both a paper and electronic copy of the essay.

Assessment Criteria

The assessment result will be expressed as a score out of a possible thirty marks
- A maximum of 20 (twenty) marks will be available for the written test;
- The final report is worth up to 10 (ten) marks;
- The final result (out of 30) will be the sum of these two scores.

Marks will be awarded on the basis of the following criteria:

For the written test:

- The extent to which the answers address the questions, and the extent and quality of the theoretical learning demonstrated;
- The extent to which the student is able to offer a personal reflection on the material studied and his/her ability to reconcile theory and practice;
- The command of specialist terminology appropriate to the field in question;
- Correct grammar and syntax.

For the study report:
The micro-study must provide clear evidence of learning:
- by discussing the methods and processes used to administer the interviews;
- by citing the texts indicated in the bibliography and other texts identified during the research process,
- by providing a personal interpretation of, and reflection on, the analysis of collected data, the lessons attended and bibliographical sources.