Absent connected: the role of the teacher in training processes mediated by technologies


Abstract

The paper analyzes the transformations to which teaching has been exposed during the pandemic emergency, with the aim of reflecting on the limits and opportunities offered by distance learning. The pandemic emergency has forced teachers and students to review not only the methods of teaching, but also the very concept of an educational relationship which, in many cases, has been the subject of a real involution. The limitations imposed by the new communication channels have led, in fact, to a return to a purely transmissive teaching model, very centered on the teacher and little on the students. This has led to a progressive impoverishment of the didactic action, evidenced by the absence of feedback from students who, in many cases, limit themselves to listening to the lessons without showing themselves on video. To build the school of tomorrow and reverse this trend, the student should return to being at the center of the training process, even if the lesson is delivered remotely. The goal should not be to identify the best way to adapt the classic frontal lesson to the needs of the DAD, but to rethink the organization starting from a blank sheet. Subject of analysis are: the role of the teacher, the teaching methodologies and the elements capable of activating the involvement and active participation of students. The paper also offers some insights for thought on the possibility of using the experience gained to innovate the organization of teaching.