The  

AIF Calitri Division http://www.scienzaviva.it/ 
AIF Latina Division http://www.historyofscience.it/ 
AIF Napoli1 Division
AIF Napoli2 Division
AIF Minturno Division

(AIF: Italian Association for Physics teaching www.aif.it )

 and

Manager-in-Chief, Prof. Giuseppina FERRIELLO, Institute Magistrale Statale
"N. Jommelli", Aversa (Ce), Italy

PRESENT

 1° Workshop Inter-Division AIF: Calitri, Latina, Minturno, Napoli1, Napoli2

What is the cultural and interdisciplinary role played by physical and mathematics sciences? Hypothesis of study and perspectives.

 Monday 19 May 2008 from 9.00 to 18.30

Liceo Linguistico e Liceo Socio-Psico-Pedagogico Statale  "N. Jommelli" Via Ovidio, 15- 81031 Aversa (Ce) -
tel. 081 5020840 

Introducton to Workshop 

Up to now,  it seems that the didactics of mathematics and of physics have generally proceeded according to the strict assumption that in schools (especially secondary high schools) the teaching of a major amount of mathematical and physical of principles only, as well as of mere experiments, is required, regardless of the possibility that students could  follow exactly the way round in their learning process, aware of the fact that nothing is immediately attainable according to what principles read and how they are interpreted in their statements. Teaching so conceived, seems to be the natural inheritance and, let is say, the consequence of a perspective typically positivist and, in some aspects, mechanist of science.   

Furthermore, we should mind the high precariousness of the scientific education at school. Solutions to the problem seem to concentrate just in the habit (though an advantageous one) of a continuous updating of didactic technologies in the field of computing science. This is not followed, though, by a logic and intellectual jump in the usual teaching methodologies; on the contrary, they seem to keep on referring to rigid contents, sometimes the replacement of academic teaching plans, whose targets are correctly accomplished by universities but turn to be, under some aspects, evidently different from the school ones. Meantime, such a complex model seems to have been followed – not effortlessly, because of the permanent delay concerning the technological innovations (and what more a certain internal opposition to changes) by an a-scientific model of the school institution: did it cause the spread of the habit of conceiving school exclusively aimed to the glory of the results of research? What about the capacity of abstraction? And the teaching of the process of reasoning?   

Let’s wonder if following a different  trend in the teaching of mathematics and physics, properly connected to philosophy as well, after a teaching model (further than with the aid of experimental activities), those subjects might appeal to students also as cultural topics, consequently less sterile than they can appear at the present. Probably it would be the right way to cooperate in making up a kind of school able to set its own autonomous cultural identity, without any limits for what concerns hyper-specializations, pointing to further targets than the basic competences and skills. Among other things, starting from hypothesis of work, not from mere suggestions or recipes, one could think of: how to build up at the best, politically and from an educational point of view, the pattern of a teacher endowed with the following characteristics:

        a professional individual, teaching, studying and carrying out research (eventually in order to publish and disseminate his results )? 

To sum up:

AIF, the “Association for Physics Teaching”, through a thick net of “AIF division”, has been performing, since more than 40 years now, an efficacious activity of educational support to the teaching of physical sciences.

The sensibility of the Institute “Jommelli” stood out in its headmaster, chief-in-head, Prof. Giuseppina Ferrriello’ and her Staff’ high professional profile and competences. Together with the five AIF division (Calitri, Latina, Minturno, Napoli1, Napoli2) , protagonists of the  event, they wish the taste and the level of the research that is going to be presented  by  the honourable speakers on May 19th , may contribute to feed up the debate, so to attempt the setting of new basis for more of them hereafter. Similar debates and cultural events seem to be, in our opinion, ethically right and proper, further than professionally necessary either for school and university or for the field of research all over Italy and Europe.

Scientific Committee:

• DS Giuseppina FERRIELLO 
• Prof. Pietro CERRETA
• Prof. Luigi CAPUOZZO
• Prof. Laura FRANCHINI
• Prof. Raffaele PISANO
• Prof. Francesco VALERIO
• Prof. Rosa ROZZOLINO

Organization Committee:

• Prof. Raffaele PISANO
• Prof. Ada GUERRIERO
• Prof. Gabriella CLEMENTE
• Dr. Bruno NATI – Web and art manager event
• Prof. Bernardo CICCHETTI

Proceedings (ISSN….) are coming

This event aims to offer a cultural and multi-disciplinary approach to explore different perspectives and points of view (philosophical, historical, epistemological, teaching etc.) and citing research, studies and reflections upon this important subject. The event is considered educational for researchers and teachers; and both students and current Ph.D. candidates will be given the opportunity to join the debate. 

More info:
Prof. Raffaele Pisano (339.3164592 – email: ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ); 
Prof. Gabriella Clemente, Istituto Magistrale Statale “Niccolò. Jommelli”, 081 5020840 - fax 081/8902082 - Cell. 339 3627000.

The speakers are:

Prof. Marcello CINI
Physicist - Dep. of physical science
Epistemologist of science
Professor Emeritus University "La Sapienza” di Roma
Speaker on invite and preface-postface Proceedings of workshop

Prof. Lucio RUSSO (waiting for definite answer)
Mathematician - Dep. of mathematics
Epistemologist of science
University of Rome Tor Vergata
Speaker on invite and preface-postface Proceedings of workshop

Prof. Antonino DRAGO
Physicist
Historian and Epistemologist of physical and mathematical sciences
University of Pisa and Firenze -  Speaker on invite

Prof. Romano GATTO
Mathematician Dep. of mathematics
Historian of mathematics
University of Basilicata -  Speaker on invite

Prof. Mauro DORATO 
Philosopher of science
University of Roma TRE - Speaker on invite

Prof. Pietro CERRETA
Physicist
AIF Division Calitri
“A.M. Maffucci”- Associazione “ScienzaViva”, Calitri - Speaker on invite

Prof. Laura FRANCHINI
Physicist
AIF Division Napoli2 - Speaker on invite

Prof. Luigi CAPUOZZO
Physicist
AIF sezione Napoli1 - Speaker on invite

Prof. Francesco VALERIO
Physicist
AIF Division Minturno
Supervisor SSIS - University of Napoli "Federico II"
Speaker on invite and member of circle table

Prof. Raffaele PISANO
Physicist - Historian of physics
AIF sezione di Latina, ESHS - European Society for the History of science
Speaker and member of round table

Dr. Bruno NATI
Web and art manager event

Prof. Ferdinando CASOLARO
Mathematician - Dep. of mathematics
University of Sannio - Supervisor SSIS - University of Napoli "Federico II"
Speaker on invite

Prof. Emilio AMBRISI
Mathematician
Inspector for Dep. of Public Education -MPI
Moderator of round table

Prof. Danilo CAPECCHI
Engineer and mathematician - Dep. of structural engineering
Historian of science
University of Roma "La Sapienza"
Speaker on invite

Prof. Franco DILIBERTO
Physicist - Dep. of physical science
Univesrità di Napoli "Federico Ii" -  Speaker on invite

Prof. Nicola MELONE
Mathematician - Dep. of mathematics  Chief-in-Head Faculty of MM.FF.NN.
Seconda Università degli studi di Napoli - Speaker on invite


Patronage:

• ESHS - European Society for the History of Science  
• SISFA - Italian Society of Historians of Physics and Astronomy
• Regione Campania
• Provincia di Caserta 
• Comune di Aversa
• USP - Ufficio Scolastico Provinciale di Caserta