TRIGGERING A VIRTUOUS CYCLE: ENHANCING ARGUMENTATIVE ABILITIES IN SFP STUDENTS TO ENHANCE THEIR ACADEMIC SUCCESS AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

In the face of the low levels of linguistic and mathematical literacy in students enrolling to Scienze della Formazione Primaria (SFP, the Italian degree training and qualifying perspective pre- and primary school teachers), we elaborated activities and teaching strategies aimed at supporting the development of basic math and language skills in these students, including argumentative skills. The article presents a programme developed during academic year 2023-24 in the framework of remedial activities organised for first-year SFP students with additional learning requirements (OFAs). The aim is to contribute to the discussion on possible strategies to reduce school (and university) dropout and guarantee academic success for a larger number of students. These activities were focused on basic grammar, text comprehension, arithmetic, algebra and argumentation. Argumentation has been given relevance, not only because knowing how to argue and being able to understand and assess argumentation is necessary for daily life activities and is essential for a successful university career, but also because SFP students will have to teach it to their pupils. The paper presents preliminary data collected during these remedial programmes, focusing on the activities proposed, the results obtained and the participants’ opinions.