The aim of this paper is to evaluate the usefulness of educational software among teachers in Italy (N = 559). The evaluation of usefulness was conducted on the latest and most popular web-based software used by European teachers, namely: Quizizz, Mentimeter, Wakelet, Padlet, Canva, Emaze, Answergarden, Jamboard, Coggle, Createley, Wordwall,…

Purpose: To analyse prospective teachers' interest in global citizenship education (GCE) and the inclusion of GCE-related issues in a teaching programme in Italy. Design/methodology/approach: Administration of an online questionnaire to preservice teachers attending a course for becoming pre-primary and primary school teachers, and discussion of…

Physics preparation for primary school teachers has received attention only in recent decades. Research on science education provides useful guidelines, often disregarded. Several interrelated research questions must be addressed by field research, namely, (a) which physics subjects to teach in primary school and its relationships with other…

The teaching and learning of quantum physics has recently become a topic of increasing interest in physics education research. In particular, the study of two-state systems is gaining importance as a means of teaching quantum physics at various educational levels. Meanwhile, a number of approaches have been developed that are also suitable for…

International literature is increasingly disclosing the relevance of cultural aspects within the processes of teaching and learning mathematics. Knowledge is inextricably linked to the activities in which the subjects engage, and must be considered in relation to the socio-cultural context wherein the activity takes place. Literature reveals the…

This is the second of two papers on a novel physical science course for student teachers that develops and uses an imaginative approach to Primary Physical Science Education. General philosophical, cognitive, developmental, and scientific issues have been presented in the first paper; here, we briefly recapitulate the most important aspects. In…

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to explore the rationale and findings of the implementation of a Chinese lesson study (CLS)-informed model of mathematics teacher education in Italian schools. The study focuses on the modifications and invariance when introducing CLS in a different culture. Design/methodology/approach: In a previous work…

This paper discusses a model of a mathematics teacher professional development implemented in Italy and Hungary with in-service and pre-service mathematics teachers. The model focuses on comparative geometry, and it develops with the use of an artifact: the Lénárt spheres. The teacher training model is the result of several years of experience of…

Synchronous online language teaching involves the simultaneous employment of a range of techno-semio-pedagogical competences (Guichon, 2012). Indeed, given their flexibility and versatility, digital tools and the Internet can render teacher-student interactions dynamic. Among the necessary professional skills and strategies for online synchronous…

What happens when five teacher candidates and their professor bring a wordless picturebook into Italian classrooms? This article presents a grounded discussion of our immersive experiences from the United States and the minilessons they taught stemming from a piece of children's literature through our study abroad program in Italy. The opening of…

Two science teaching workshops for students of the elementary teacher education degree course at the University of Palermo, Italy are discussed, one based on inquiry-based methods and the other on "traditional" teaching methods. A questionnaire aimed to understand the teaching styles preferred by students, their reasons for…

In this work, we examined mathematical knowledge mobilised by mathematics teachers while interpreting students' answers, which we denote as Interpretative Knowledge (IK). In particular, we analysed the IK of prospective mathematics teachers (PTs), who were students of a Mathematics Education course for the Master's Degree in Mathematics. In order…

We present an experience of digital storytelling conducted as part of a course for initial teacher training. The students of a special education course produced a digital story as partial fulfillment of their distance learning assignment. We describe the structure of the work completed by the students and discuss the results of a questionnaire…

We discuss a distance teaching-learning approach, developed within two courses for prospective mathematics teachers, exploiting digital technologies to activate formative assessment practices. In particular, we analyse excerpts, from synchronous and asynchronous activities within the courses, to highlight the formative assessment processes that…

Although some research has been conducted on the importance of mediation in language learning and teaching (Dendrinos, 2006; González-Davies, 2020; Piccardo, 2012, 2020; Scarino, 2016), there is still scarce research on the integration of plurilingualism, mediation, and technology. Through qualitative and quantitative methodology, this paper…