The course aims to provide the conceptual and operational tools to promote epistemic cognition as a prerequisite for the development of decision-making and critical thinking skills. 

The course pursues the following learning objectives:

• To know and analyse educational issues related to the transmission of knowledge in formal and non-formal contexts;
• To acquire some procedural principles to design teaching activities aimed at developing epistemically virtuous behaviour.
• To understand the role of epistemic cognition for the exercise of the educational profession in socio-pedagogical and cultural contexts. 
• To acquire the basics of critical thinking and decision-making as indispensable life skills for the exercise of the educational profession.
• To develop critical thinking and decision-making skills in order to make appropriate choices in relation to the didactic selection and reconstruction of knowledge for educational purposes.

The course is divided into two modules. In the first module, some key issues concerning the transposition of curricular knowledge aimed at promoting epistemic cognition are addressed from an epistemological and didactic perspective. In the second module, it is clarified how the practice of scientific research can contribute to improving critical thinking and decision-making skills essential for the development of educational professionalism.

The programme addresses the following topics:

The problem of disinformation in the knowledge society and the need to educate epistemically responsible citizens

• What is fake news and how it is propagated
• The knowledge illusion as an epistemic disease 
• The definition of an epistemically virtuous agent
• Types of learning and logical levels of the curriculum 
• Promoting epistemic virtues through the transposition of knowledge
• Procedural principles for designing teaching activities aimed at promoting epistemically virtuous behaviour

Developing critical thinking to improve decision-making skills through research practice

• Decision making in teaching
• Intuitive thinking and analytical thinking
• Knowledge as research: the function of epistemic doubt
• Rationality of method vs. certainty of conclusions
• Critical thinking and decision making: reasoning well to decide better
• The forms of scientific reasoning
• The fallacies of reasoning
• The teacher-as-researcher to transform the school into a community of "free doubters"
• The 'virtuous' circle: epistemic cognition, critical thinking and decision making
• Implications for curriculum design

None

Knowledge and understanding:

At the end of the course, the student should know the basics of epistemic cognition, critical thinking and decision making and understand their importance as educational goals; know the theory of didactic transposition and curriculum planning based on procedural principles; to know the characteristics of intuitive thinking and analytical thinking and their different functions in education; to know the main forms of correct reasoning and the most common fallacies; to know the cognitive biases that can undermine the teacher/educator's decision-making processes.

Applying knowledge and understanding

At the end of the course, the student will have to demonstrate the ability to use procedural principles to design teaching activities aimed at the exercise of epistemically virtuous behaviour; to critically analyse one's own and others' arguments, identifying possible fallacies; to distinguish rational decisions from choices guided by stereotypes in the educational field.

Making judgements:

At the end of the course the student will have to demonstrate the ability to evaluate the appropriateness of educational choices aimed at the promotion of epistemic, critical and decision-making competences; critically evaluate one's own epistemic habits; evaluate the soundness of arguments in the educational field; evaluate decisions in the educational field recognising pros and cons. 

Communication skills:

At the end of the course, the student will be able to clearly express the course content by explaining its meaning; communicate through the use of discipline-specific language; articulate and coherently argue epistemological and pedagogical choices related to knowledge transmission processes.

Learning skills:

At the end of the course the student will have to demonstrate autonomy in the reading of study materials related to the course; the ability to independently search for information by assessing the authority of sources.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Formative assessment tests are provided during the course to enable students to evaluate the degree of their own preparation. These tests are intended as self-assessment tests (with answer key) and will be available within the Moodle platform› blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

The course includes multi-modal lectures and structured activities.

Innovative teaching methods

Some topics of the course will be covered following the practice of 'debate' and 'flipped classroom'.

Attendance

Attendance on the course is not compulsory. 

It is advisable, for a better understanding of the course content, to have acquired basic knowledge of General Pedagogy and General Didactics.

Course books

T. Piazza, M. Croce (2019). Epistemologia delle fake news. Sistemi intelligenti, 31(3), pp. 439-468 (disponibile su piattaforma Moodle › https://blended.uniurb.it).

M. Tombolato (2023). Promoting epistemic virtues across the curriculum to educate 21st century citizens, in M. Carmo (ed.), Education Applications & Developments VIII, inScience Press, pp. 95-107 (open access: https://insciencepress.org/education-applications-developments-viii/).

Baldacci M. (2010), Il curricolo e i suoi livelli logici, in L. Binanti e D. Ria (a cura di), La ricerca educativa e formativa in Italia oggi, Anicia, Roma, pp. 17-25 (disponibile su piattaforma Moodle › https://blended.uniurb.it).

M. Tombolato (2020). Il ruolo della pratica della ricerca nello sviluppo delle competenze di decision making degli insegnanti, in R. D'Ugo  G. Marani (ed.), Le pratiche collaborative per la sperimentazione e l'innovazione scolastica. Franco Angeli, Milano, pp. 150-184..

D. Antiseri (2017). Scienza senza certezze, Ithaca: Viaggio nella Scienza, (9), pp. 21-32 (disponibile su piattaforma Moodle › https://blended.uniurb.it).

L. Pastore, S. Dellantonio, R. Job (2019). Il critical thinking e l’arte di ragionare bene. Giornale italiano di psicologia, 46(4), pp. 877-886 (disponibile su piattaforma Moodle › https://blended.uniurb.it).

C. Lanciotti, I. Marazzani (2004). Logica. Carocci Faber, Roma (pp. 109).

G. Sergioli (2015). Fallacie argomentative. APhEx, 12(12), pp. 1-31 online (disponibile su piattaforma Moodle › https://blended.uniurb.it).

M. Baldacci (2015). La buona scuola nasce dal pensiero critico, intervista di Carlo Crosato a Massimo Baldacci, 2015, online , pp. 1-5 (disponibile su piattaforma Moodle › https://blended.uniurb.it).

Assessment

Learning objectives are verified through a written examination consisting of three open-ended questions. The duration of the test is 45 minutes.

The evaluation criteria are the following:

• pertinence of the answers to the questions
• exaustiveness of the answers to the questions
• mastery of the disciplinary language

Equal weight is assigned to each criterion. The final evaluation is expressed in thirtieths.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Those unable to attend class lectures will study on their own according to the program outlined in this vademecum and taking into account the files available on the platform Moodle › https://blended.uniurb.it.

Attendance

Attendance on the course is not compulsory. 

It is advisable, for a better understanding of the course content, to have acquired basic knowledge of General Pedagogy and General Didactics.

Course books

T. Piazza, M. Croce (2019). Epistemologia delle fake news. Sistemi intelligenti, 31(3), pp. 439-468 (disponibile su piattaforma Moodle › https://blended.uniurb.it).

M. Tombolato (2023). Promoting epistemic virtues across the curriculum to educate 21st century citizens, in M. Carmo (ed.), Education Applications & Developments VIII, inScience Press, pp. 95-107 (open access: https://insciencepress.org/education-applications-developments-viii/). 

Baldacci M. (2010), Il curricolo e i suoi livelli logici, in L. Binanti e D. Ria (a cura di), La ricerca educativa e formativa in Italia oggi, Anicia, Roma, pp. 17-25 (disponibile su piattaforma Moodle › https://blended.uniurb.it).

M. Tombolato (2020). Il ruolo della pratica della ricerca nello sviluppo delle competenze di decision making degli insegnanti, in R. D'Ugo  G. Marani (ed.), Le pratiche collaborative per la sperimentazione e l'innovazione scolastica. Franco Angeli, Milano, pp. 150-184..

D. Antiseri (2017). Scienza senza certezze, Ithaca: Viaggio nella Scienza, (9), pp. 21-32 (disponibile su piattaforma Moodle › https://blended.uniurb.it).

L. Pastore, S. Dellantonio, R. Job (2019). Il critical thinking e l’arte di ragionare bene. Giornale italiano di psicologia, 46(4), pp. 877-886 (disponibile su piattaforma Moodle › https://blended.uniurb.it).

C. Lanciotti, I. Marazzani (2004). Logica. Carocci Faber, Roma (pp. 109).

G. Sergioli (2015). Fallacie argomentative. APhEx, 12(12), pp. 1-31 online (disponibile su piattaforma Moodle › https://blended.uniurb.it).

M. Baldacci (2015). La buona scuola nasce dal pensiero critico, intervista di Carlo Crosato a Massimo Baldacci, 2015, online , pp. 1-5 (disponibile su piattaforma Moodle › https://blended.uniurb.it).

Assessment

Learning objectives are verified through a written examination consisting of three open-ended questions. The duration of the test is 45 minutes.

The evaluation criteria are the following:

• pertinence of the answers to the questions
• exaustiveness of the answers to the questions
• mastery of the disciplinary language

Equal weight is assigned to each criterion. The final evaluation is expressed in thirtieths.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.