Gli insegnanti e l’utilizzo della valutazione formativa durante la DAD: prospettive di ricerca

The pedagogical potential and social effects associated with the formative assessment have long been taken into account by UNESCO and the Council of Europe in their policy directions including in education and training. Paradigmatic examples of this orientation are Goal No. 4 of the UNESCO 2030 Agenda (Provide quality, equitable and inclusive education and learning opportunities for all) and the design and implementation of the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture by the Council of Europe. The underlying goal that these bodies aim to pursue is social promotion and support for increasing democratization of society as a whole. During the first phase of the uncontrolled spread of the Sars-Cov-2 virus, in the period of spring 2020, the National School and Training Systems decided on the closure of institutes and the sudden switch to distance learning as measures to counter the contagions and not to completely interrupt teaching and training activities (e. g. in Italy: DPCM March 4, 2020, Art. 1, paragraph 1(g); Departmental Note March 17, 2020, No. 388; DL March 25, 2020, No. 19, Art. 1, paragraph 2(p); DL April 8, 2020, No. 22, converted, with amendments, by L. June 6, 2020, No. 41, Art. 2, paragraph 3; DL May 19, 2020, No. 34; DM June 26, 2020, No. 39; DM August 7, 2020, No. 89). Each school system has organized itself to meet the needs of its teachers, pupils, and families. In most cases, National School Systems have adopted distance education through e-learning or video conferencing platforms (UNESCO, 2020a, 2020b). In this context and in accordance with the path outlined above, UNESCO and the Council of Europe saw fit to encourage the use of assessment in its formative function within distance school activities. The main purpose was to support students' engagement and thus their learning journey (Engzell, Frey, Verhagen, 2020; Huges, 2020). Beyond the generalized and unanticipated use of formative assessment, the assumption of the latter in a systematic way in the functioning of school systems postulates a set of innovative actions on a large scale, among which it is sufficient to mention, by way of example, the appropriate pedagogical, didactic and docimological training of all teachers as well as the organizational arrangement of school work (Hattie, 2016). This paper is intended to give an account of the design of a research facility aimed at detecting whether and how teachers used formative assessment during the period of ERT, in order to specify the training needs and the main needs at the level of school work organization.