Osservare le prassi didattiche dell'insegnante della scuola dell'infanzia. Il PraDISI: Primi risultati di un percorso di validazione dello strumento

This article presents the first validation of a tool of observation and evaluation of teaching practices of Italian teachers of kindergarten (called PraDISI). The PraDISI is proposed – from the methodological and procedural point of view – as an opportunity to detect valid and reliable data on how teachers act in the classroom with the children to promote their development and learning in the various fields of expertise and daily routines. According to the DAP’s studies (Developmentally Appropriate Practice), the PraDISI highlights the importance of educational practices carefully designed and tailored to the developmental needs of children aged three to six years and provides an opportunity for teachers to monitor such practices through different ways: in self-evaluation, in the evaluation between teachers and in hetero evaluation (with external observers), in order to foster and promote the quality of school contexts. Following the data collection, the PraDISI, in a perspective of formative evaluation, can also trigger processes of analysis, interpretation and collective reflection among teachers and to promote growth processes of teacher professionalism. In the article, we discuss the first results of the validation of the PraDISI Scale – conducted on a sample of 42 kindergarten teachers of the Municipality of Bologna – and the critical elements that have led to its first review.