S.Ap.I.E. (Society for Learning and Education informed by evidence) has its origin from a network of university professors and researchers belonging to the educational field with the aim to promote the use of evidence in educational practice.
S.Ap.I.E works with schools through different research projects with the purpose to improve the quality of the teaching and learning process and to evaluate the effectiveness of educational practices.
The actions and events undertaken by S.Ap.I.E. are based on the ideas expressed in the Manifesto Horizons of scientific research in education. How to link research and educational decision-making. In this document the following theses are summarized:
- Educational Research has acquired during last decades characteristics that typically distinguish sciences and their methods. We propose to define this area Instructional and Learning Science (ILS);
- ILS adopts explicit criteria and transparent procedures to define the level of reliability that can be assigned to their statements;
- (3) ILS applies the results of research and updates the state of knowledge, distinguishing between the consolidated knowledge, those that require a further verification, and the promising ones;
- ILS interacts with three main areas: evidence-based education (EBE), cognitive science and neuroscience, comparative pedagogy, even if Instructional and Learning Science does not derive its statements deterministically from any of the areas indicated above and from the others with which it dialogues; it is characterized by design and implementation autonomy.
Working with schools
The association organizes workshops and conferences for researchers and practitioners to discuss the effectiveness of specific teaching methods and more in general the perspective of evidence-based education. The following experimental projects are currently active:
- Logical Intelligence Enhancement program (LIEP) – a program for 3rd to 5th grade students that consists of different types of exercises on problem solving and reasoning with the purpose of enhancing cognitive skills (see Pellegrini, Nepi, & Peru, 2018).
- Phono-Syllabic Approach to Reading (PSAR150) a 150-hour program to teach reading to 1st grade students according a phonological and syllabic method.
- Reading Comprehension-Reciprocal Teaching (RC-RT) program – a program for 4th grade students that uses some techniques of Reciprocal Teaching combined with new materials and procedures with the purpose of improving reading comprehension.
Contacts
info@sapie.it
Marta Pellegrini
Giuliano Vivanet