THE INSPIRATION: RODARI’S NOVEL IN THE CENTERARY OF HIS BORN
Once upon a time there was a big arrow, blue-painted, on a train. A toy train. This blue train was in a shop window with other toys. And… during the night these toys decided to take on live of its own to reach the children that needed each of these toys, priceless. The only logic was the affinity with each worthy child.
This is not Disney’s Toy Story, but this is the plot of a tale (Blue Arrow/La Freccia Azzurra) written by Gianni Rodari in 1964 and brought as cartoon in 1996 by an European co- production between Italy, Switzerland and Luxemburg. The BLUE ARROW project borrows the name starting from the metaphors of the story and with the aim to be in memory of Gianni Rodari, in the centenary of his born (23 October 1920), the Italian author of children literature famous all over the Europe and world that won the prestigious and biennial Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1970 for child literature.
NEW METHODOLOGIES FOR THE CHALLENGE IN DIGITAL ERA
The BLUE ARROW project works on the metaphors that starts from the Rodari’s book. The main aim is the improvement of the teacher education of pre-primary and primary in higher education institutions Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) by providing new tools and new methodologies. This is the engine of the “Blue Arrow” train that directly brings methods and technologies to the homes of the young children, even in the case they are forced to be at home, as happened during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. The choice made by toys represents the personalization by trained teachers of an educational approach that needs to be developed when the distance learning is ongoing. The project aims to improve teachers’ preparedness to support digital learning, in a broad sense.
Rodari’s “Blue Arrow” is a novel strongly addressed to the tangible aspect of the toys and their “souls”. BLUE ARROW project aims to take inspiration from this idea, reapplying this in the digital era by providing innovative practices for teacher education programs in HEIs.
The idea is that distance learning does not mean only a work with a digital platform but could be strongly connected with a multisensory learning using innovative ICT tools, that is central in pre-primary and primary education, directly represented by toys. In the novel, the toys – real and tangible objects – come alive: in the same way the project will bring life into the objects using the Tangible User Interfaces paradigm.
This paradigm is the natural candidates for an enhancement of the learning methodologies for pre-primary and primary education, involving all the senses and the active manipulation of objects, supporting autonomous learning activities, even for young children. This innovative approach is able to engage children (Di Fuccio et al., 2018) and support learning activities and interactive storytelling based on practical activities by manipulating objects and experience with senses (including also smell and taste) with a direct recognition of the digital side.
The Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) promote the interaction of the children (and teachers) with tangible and multisensorial objects, when physical objects could be recognized by a digital component. The tangible user interfaces are physical object included in a dedicated kit empowered by NFC technology. Then, objects start “talking”, as the toys in the Rodari’s novel, supporting the learning in an engaging and motivating way, also in distance learning.
FACING THE SKILL GAP IN DIGITAL CREATIVITY FOR INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION
Finally, the trigger of the Rodari’s story is centred on creativity, that is a key element of the project as a fundamental skills that new education methods for tackling the skill gaps, more relevant when distance learning become essential in education during the pandemic.
BLUE ARROW has the objective to strengthen the professional development in teacher education. On one hand, the project aims to have a relevant impact on the teacher education programmes, providing new teaching tools including digital creativity, so strategic in digital era and fundamental to face COVID-19 consequences, including innovative technology system learning process; on the other hand, the project aim to allow teachers educators in higher education institutions to be involved in the co-creation of contents, also involving their students (initial teachers) by development of Open Educational Resources (OERs) for new innovative tools based on innovation of the Tangible User Interfaces, for providing a new multisensory approach for kindergarten and primary education. OERs will impact directly with their needs, as they will be the designers of these educational and stories scenarios.
The MOOC platform will provide a flexible and open learning space, integrated in teacher education programmes of 4 EU countries and open to all on digital creativity and TUI practical approach.