An Exploratory Study on Teacher Training: The Use and Impact of Technologies Within a Specialization Course for Special Needs

Since 2012, the concept of “special training needs” in Italian ministerial legislation has been connected to the concept of inclusion. In the Italian school system, students with disabilities are fully integrated in standard school activities. They can take advantage of the presence of a teacher who is a supportive figure for the whole class, who has received training in inclusion and the management of teaching strategies for dealing with disabilities. In order to train teachers who will fit that profile, a specialization course is organized by Italian universities to train teachers at every level of instruction. The chapter is contextualized to the last course of academic year 2016-2017, which took place at the University of Macerata, addressed to preschool and primary teachers. Exploratory research using a qualitative approach was run to highlight, on one hand, student teachers’ preconceptions and expectations about the effectiveness of technologies for inclusion; and, on the other hand, their opinions about the activities proposed during the technology course.