Laura Battaini
L. Battaini - Professional insight and awareness through exchange and direct experimentation
SUPSI Image Focus
Laura Battaini, pre-school teacher, reflects on the value of the course she attended, which enabled her to explore certain ideas and become aware of central themes for teaching thanks to exchange with colleagues and direct experimentation.
Introduce yourself briefly by giving information about your training and professional activity
I have been a pre-primary teacher since 2006.
What motivated you to attend DAS Train to teach Mathematics?
I decided to attend the DAS Train to teach mathematics after having collaborated in the drafting of the curriculum. A desire arose within me to explore the role that primary education could play in introducing pupils to mathematics in a relaxed manner and laying a solid foundation for future learning.
With regard to your experience, in particular the teaching of mathematics, how important is the integration of practice and theory? Can continuing education make a contribution in this respect?
I believe that the integration of theory and practice is the key to effective education. Thanks to the increased experience gained through years of teaching, continuous training proves to be important to allow one to fill in some gaps or explore certain aspects by being able to experience what is proposed. Moreover, it allows one to exchange with colleagues, broaden one's vision and share one's experience.
Did the course you attended provide you with new tools and perspectives?
The course I attended helped me to explore and refine my way of working. In addition to greater mathematical awareness - which led me to develop some of the practices I was already doing and understand their importance, to experiment with new paths and introduce effective habits - I gained more confidence in working in a hands-on way, increasingly letting the children lead their own path.
Would you recommend the DAS you attended to other colleagues? Why?
I would recommend everyone to attend the course because I found trainers and colleagues enthusiastic about their work, willing to get involved, to share and to build together. I really appreciated the presence of different professional figures (subject matter experts, inspectors, directors, pre-primary and primary teachers) and the exchange that was created. The variety of proposals always allowed me to find my own space and my own interest, depending also on the energies available and the children I was working with.