Teaching Italian prepositions to foreigners: a semantic-cognitive approach

This paper presents a series of reflections aimed at simplifying and rationalising the teaching of Italian prepositions in plurilingual learning classes, with particular attention paid to how to classify prepositions and what the best strategy is to introduce them.
Generally, Italian L2 books present prepositions in a disordered manner, spread over numerous units. Especially in monographs, prepositions are described within more organic categories; nevertheless, this setting exhausts its explanatory aims by matching the various cases to specific nomenclatures, similar to those used by logical analysis, and mostly exemplified by fictitious examples. We noticed that this strategy disorients the learner, who often fails to fully understand the meanings associated with the various Italian prepositions and opts for mnemonic learning. The danger is also that the student more willingly entrusts the translation of certain meanings from L1 to L2, resulting in fossilisations that are difficult to “correct.”
In the preparation of the didactic materials designed for students enrolled in the Centro di Cultura per Stranieri–University of Florence, Italian prepositions have been grouped into four macrocategories, which, from the semantic-cognitive point of view, have intrinsic affinities in many spoken languages, although they do not fall under the same grammatical nomenclature. In this way, the learner is given the opportunity to actively participate in the formation of an L2 competence and to consider the differences and similarities in L1.

This article explores the importance of teachers' conceptions of student learning. In the first part, we focus on the teacher conceptions that stimulate process-oriented instruction. In the second part, we present the results of empirical research on teachers in Slovenian border areas. The principal aim of the research was to determine to what extent the teachers' conceptions of student learning are process-oriented (contrary to traditional orientation), and whether there are any differences between teachers who graduated from different faculties and those that were educated in different teacher education programs.

Inquisitiv as a Stage of Cognitive Activity of Children of Preschool Age

The article considers the essence of the concept of «curiosity » of preschool children. The theoretical and methodological substantiation of the researched problem is determined. The analysis of the works of scientists allowed to emphasize the need to cover this issue. Emphasis is placed on the process of cognition, which has several stages and it begins with the innate curiosity of the child. Under the guidance of an adult, whether in a preschool or with parents at home, curiosity is formed, which later grows into cognitive interest. The formation and improvement of cognitive interest, which generates cognitive activity, which is the culmination of the development and formation of the personality of a preschool child, is highlighted. It was found that curiosity is a source of cognitive interest of the preschooler, as well as the processes underlying the cognitive activity of older preschool children. The structure of the child’s curiosity development is clarified, which is formed on the basis of elementary curiosity and with further guidance develops on the basis of children’s natural cognitive needs. The process of cognition is full of emotions caused by the process of intellectual work and the perspective that arises in the course of cognition. Signs of preschooler’s curiosity are expressed, which are expressed in cognitive issues, desire to find solutions to problems, to gain new knowledge, inner openness to people, phenomena, the world, sincere desire to meet cognitive needs and gain new experiences or impressions. The conditions of successful development of curiosity in preschool children are characterized: creation of cognitive environment (fullness of zones, centers), encouragement of manifestations of independence in solving problems, in various activities, providing information that determines children’s social experience, holistic view of the environment, a variety of ways of activity and is actualized as cognitive activity. The connection between curiosity and its importance, which will be needed in the further school stage of life, is considered, because it is the basis on which the process of formation and development of independent cognitive activity of a senior preschooler is built. It is proved that successful mastering of experience, effective development of personality occurs only in active activity, in purposeful efforts to obtain the planned result. Much depends on the human environment: understanding, stimulation, support, communication are important in the formation of personality and education of curiosity. Further ways of research of a problem of development of cognitive activity are defined: comparison of all components, stages in their similarities and differences.

The article addresses the issue of usefulness of pyramid and boat epistemological metaphors in the process of cognition in security sciences, with the aim of creating a coherent epistemological theory of subject security. This usefulness was examined for the sake of the basic components of epistemology: the truth and its sources, the scope of cognition, and the specificity of the subject of cognition – subject security. A deductive method with syllogistic drawing of conclusions leading to the solution of the general problem and the probability of the working hypothesis was used. As a result, it was established that understanding the truth and its sources, methods of finding the truth, and determining the scope of cognition of subject security are supported by an epistemology subordinated to the boat metaphor. This metaphor allows for a less fundamental, but more systemic, look at the subject security. The holistic nature of the boat metaphor results from the overlapping of concepts (parts of the planking) built on the skeleton, the core of which is formed by the axiology of the security of the subject (keel), and the shape is given by ontology, epistemology, and methodology of the security of the subject (frames) and paradigms (stringers).

The article attempts to solve the problem of updating higher education content to form a modern worldview of the individual through the interdisciplinary course “Biophilosophy”. Biophilosophical knowledge and cognition content is studied at the fundamental and applied levels using methods of description, explanation, and analysis. The obtained results make it possible to formulate conclusions and perspectives regarding updating the content of philosophical knowledge in higher education, where biophilosophy can be a new worldview paradigm for preserving human culture and civilisation.