Maddalena Colombo

Significant Learning Incidents and critical Conversations in an International Context: promoting reflexivity with in-service students

Abstract The role of significant learning incidents as a means of generating reflective practice is perceived here as fundamental to the development of improvement amongst professional educators. This perception underpins the case studies represented in this article, the modus operandi of which is the generating and recording of significant learning incidents by international in-service students, incorporating critical conversations between students and their tutors. The rationale behind the article centers on the promotion of effective learning in workplace environments through reflective practice. To this end, a range of models for conducting critical conversations are trialed as to their potential for developing professional insights and practice for evaluation and improvement in the workplace. In keeping with this, the concluding remarks examine the potential impact of this aspect of continuing professional development in an international context, particularly in terms of the increased involvement in active learning by students as a result of educators reflecting upon their learning and teaching methods

School Integration as a Sociological Construct: Measuring Multiethnic Classrooms’ Integration in Italy

Abstract Integration is a fundamental mandate of schooling in democratic and differentiated societies. This chapter analyzes the consequences generated by an increase in number of students without Italian citizenship in Italian schools, and the development of multiethnic classrooms. When non-Italian pupils comprise >25–50% of the pupils in classrooms, it’s worth questioning: Are these classrooms segregated? Which factors affect school integration and for whom? The chapter presents the results of the first survey on classrooms with a “high density” of students with an immigrant background carried out in Italy. This study is based on a sample of 1,040 students enrolled in lower secondary education in Lombardy. We use statistical indicators related to two dimensions of integration: (a) the institutional dimension (school access and achievement), and (b) the relational dimension (well-being and absence of conflicts among peers). Data analysis included indexes and a correlation matrix between indexes, regression analysis, and cluster analysis. Results demonstrate a positive correlation between the rate of non-native students in the classroom and low degree of integration, but also the complexity of factors at stake such as gender imbalance and the high concentration of students whose families have a low Socio-Economic Status (SES), independently from citizenship. These results enabled us to de-construct the concept of school integration, identifying a plurality of integrative factors and providing suggestions for intervention.

I giovani migranti nelle scuole italiane: percorsi formativi, disuguaglianze, risorse

In 2013, the presence of foreign minors in Italy reached significant figures, especially for the presence of second generations (44%). Some families and young foreigners strive for social rights regarding education that they feel they are denied (ius sanguinis); educational levels of migrants are increasing gradually, but they indicate some critical issues: a) the persistence of a negative gap between the educational performance between students of Italian nationality and foreign nationality; b) in certain areas and institutions, increased visibility of different ethnic backgrounds seems to cause inconvenience in the interactions between natives and immigrants; c) in some educational sections with high levels of foreigners, the concentration of social problems threatens the anti-discrimination concept and liberal school. However, even in these sections there are educational resources that should not be overlooked.