Teaching

The course supports students through 4 different types of tutoring:

1. Orientation and transversal tutoring, carried out by Education Coordinators, aimed at supporting the students in the reception phase, introducing them into the university life, monitoring their learning pathway, motiving them throughout the course (with special reference to the planned results), supporting them in bureaucratic procedures, the latter in collaboration with the Student Administration Office;
2. international tutoring, carried out by the International Office, which wil offer personalized assistance to both international students enrolled in the degree course and Erasmus students;
3. didactic tutoring, provided by the didactic support staff (teaching assistants, doctoral students, holders of supplementary teaching contracts, etc.), who will support the students with supplementary teaching activities related to the specific subjects of the learning pathways;
4. specialized tutoring, carried out by Education Coordination for inclusion, aimed at students with disabilities or specific learning disorders and special educational needs, aimed at reducing the obstacles that might prevent their full integration in the academic environment.

The pedagogical-didactic workshops are aimed at providing first-hand practical experience of what they have learnt in lessons and in personal study with primary and nursery school students. Each CFU is equivalent to 15 hours of face-to-face teaching and 10 hours of individual student work, for a total of 25 hours.

The workshops are assessed with proficiency tests will not be assessed with a grade expressed in thirtieths. Responsibility for the pedagogical teaching workshops is entrusted to the holders of the corresponding courses, with the possible collaboration of coordinating tutors, organizing tutors and the teaching assistants. The methods for verifying attendance are indicated by the professor in charge of the teaching activity, who may avail himself of the collaboration of graduate technical staff and classroom tutors.

Internship activities are carried out on the basis of an internship project in order to develop the students' ability to critically analyse their own and others' teaching experience; as well as the ability to design their own teaching action and to evaluate its results;  the ability to reinterpret professional experience in relation to an articulated teacher profile with reference to classroom management,  as well as to the aims and objectives proposed in the planning/assessment, of the professional role; the ability to use teaching technologies in a way that is functional to the learning objectives and development goals underlying the teaching action the ability to critically reflect on experience, with special reference to the inclusion of students with special educational needs.

Indirect and direct internship activities will begin in the second year of the course. The compulsory indirect internship activities wil consist in the preparation, reflection and discussion of teaching activities as well as in the documentation for the final work placement report; the direct internship activities will take place in schools and involve observation activities, the recording of data emerging from observations, the guided realisation of learning pathways, and participation in research-training projects agreed with the host schools and carried out with the support of lecturers from the degree course.

The Degree Course supports students by consulting a list of educational establishments that already have an agreement with Link University to carry out the internship, present throughout the country. It is also available to examine proposals for new agreements with schools proposed by the students themselves.

The internship activity is managed by coordinating and organizing tutors. The learning pathway is articulated by providing, from the second year, experience in both pre-school and primary school.

Attendance and performance of both direct and indirect internship activities are compulsory for the entirety of the hours of each year. Absences are allowed only in case of indirect internship (for a maximum of hours communicated at the start of the course and in any case no more than 20% of the total number of internship hours) and must be made up by participation in activities agreed with the coordinating tutor (seminars, workshops, etc.).

The fourth year of Internship (Internship IV) concludes with an examination in which the students are required to discuss a Final Internship Report. The TIR4 examination is graded in thirtieths. The Final Report is based on a personal re-elaboration of the placement experiences, enriched with the knowledge acquired in teaching and workshops activities.

The final exam of the master's degree, pursuant to art. 6, par. 5, Decree, 10 september 2010, n. 249 consists in the discussion of a final dissertation and a final internship report. At the end of the fifth year, the student must draw up a final report on the 600 hours of internship. The final exam consists in a final dissertation written by the student on a topic agreed upon with a member of the teaching staff of the University. The final dissertation consists in a project of particular commitment or other work demonstrating significant autonomous work on the part of the students, who must prove that they are able to develop, draft, present and individually discuss a written dissertation on a topic of theoretical or applied nature, original and critical, consistent with the specific objectives of the master's degree. The final dissertation must be the expression of the competency of the graduating student and must show the candidate's abilities related to the professional profile of pre-primary and primary school teacher as well as to similar subjects. The commission, appointed by the competent academic authority, is supplemented by two tutors and a representative appointed by the regional school office designated by the MIUR. The discussion of the final dissertation and internship report constitutes an examination qualifying for teaching in pre-primary and primary schools.

For further information: https://www.unilink.it/en/students/final-dissertation