Mio figlio studia : Risultati di un'esperienza di formazione rivolta ai genitori

The essay considers the role exercized by the parents' convictions in the field of education in orienting their actions in relation to the study activity of their children. Within the formation plan intended for parents of students belonging to elementary and secondary schools, a theoretical model is introduced, in relation to which the various goals of the global activity of «study» are defined. Through a teoretical-practical approach to be accomplished according to a participative model, an outline is set out of an educational process enabling the parents to identify the most relevant traits of their own style in education and to self-evaluate their interventions in following the children in school, keeping in mind that style and modalities may very well be a cause of uneasiness in the parent-children relationship. In the formation process thus realized, it was proposed to parents to act as mediators in the study activity of their children while remaining within their own context, i.e. the family, and within their specific role as parents. A task not at all easy to undertake and to accomplish, which requires for its fulfilment an awareness and a proper study of the complexity of the abilities involved in studying. Such knowledge can enable parents to open up new and even unthought of possibilities of exchange and dialogue with the children and with the school.