L'insegnamento delle competenze storiche nell'istruzione secondaria superiore in Italia

Resumo

The aim of this doctoral thesis is to understand and analyse how historical thinking is taught in upper secondary schools in Italy. In particular, in its last year, the 5th year, in humanistic high schools. To this end, two specific objectives have been set. The first is to analyse how work with second-order content related to the subject of history, i.e. historical competences, is approached in textbooks. Secondly, the aim of this thesis is to analyse the teaching methodology used by teachers to teach history in the classroom. The study carried out is part of an educational research with a diagnostic purpose. Due to its objectives, this project is framed within a mixed methodology, which has allowed the realisation of proposals for improvement based on the collection of information and evidence. The sample consisted of 106 Italian history teachers. The age range of the participants is between 30-41 years old and over 60 years old. The data collection instruments are three: a textbook data collection instrument, a questionnaire and written interviews with in-service teachers. All of them have been designed to fulfil the purpose of this doctoral thesis and have been validated by external experts. As far as the results are concerned, the most important consideration that can be made after analysing the results refers to two crucial aspects. Firstly, part of the participating teachers are oriented towards teaching history within the theoretical framework of historical thinking, although the presence of teachers with a more traditional approach is still numerous. Secondly, the teaching approach has an important gender connotation; it is women, in fact, who perceive the importance of a renewed practice aimed at developing meaningful knowledge through the second-order content of historical thinking. However, what is important, in the Italian context, does not refer to an ideal adherence to one pedagogical model rather than another and the possible gender differences that characterise them. What is more relevant are the effects that adherence to one or the other model determines on pupil outcomes. Research has shown for many years that learner- centred teaching brings benefits not only in humanities and science achievement, but also in children's well-being and civic development. Therefore, if gender difference can be determined by ideals and historical issues, it might be even more instructive to think that women and younger teachers adhere to a constructivist, non-traditional history didactic simply because they follow what the academy indicates and towards which - humbly or pragmatically - they do not have the tools to question. It is concluded that a new methodological orientation in the teaching of history is essential, promoting greater interaction and the development of skills that allow students to argue, discuss and construct the historical content addressed in class, promoting the use of more active methodologies, such as problem-based learning, service-learning, challenge-based learning, gamification and the use of video games and virtual reality.