La discussione guidata come strategia didattica per imparare a pensare

This study tries to identify how teaching strategies that are based on guided discussion can affect some aspects of learning. A group of upper secondary school teachers used five guided discussion teaching methods. The techniques have been carried out within a class from September till December 2014. After each session, the pupils were asked to fill in a short questionnaire, focused on four learning dimensions: cognitive, metacognitive, social and emotional. The data analysis showed, on one hand, that the learning dimensions developed positively as the discussion strategies became more complex and, on the other hand, it underlined some difficult educational moments. This study shows how the guided discussion may represent an effective teaching strategy to develop meaningful learning for students and the professional development for teachers