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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Article
The Relationship Between School and Community as an Opportunity to Rethink Teaching
Author(s)
Cristina Palmieri, Manuela Palma
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DOI:10.17265/2161-623X/2017.01.004
Affiliation(s)
University of Study of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
ABSTRACT
This paper presents an action
research conducted with teachers at an “istitutocomprensivo” (jointly managed preschool, primary and lower secondary
school) in Bergamo (Northern Italy). The study was
informed by ecological and naturalistic paradigms, and above all by the values of participatory action research (PAR). It examined the possibility
that the difficult relationship between school and community
may be viewed as an opportunity. The outcomes indicate
that focusing on school-community
relations can offer benefits on two conditions: 1. That this focus is taken
as a starting point for rethinking
the school’s identity; and 2. That keywords are identified as a basis for understanding the school-community relationship
in the current social context and for guiding appropriate action. We identified
three types of action that may usefully be undertaken: introducing new forms of
documenting school experience, involving the students’ parents and the broader community in school projects, and
using the outcomes of such projects to redefine school programs. A key recommendation
for the future is to conduct further participatory research with students, their
families, or other stakeholders, and to revisit the school curriculum in the light
of the findings.
KEYWORDS
action research, relationship between school and community, school identity, students’ families
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