The (possible) Italian contribution to an European Big History Network

1. The (possible) Italian contribution to an European Big History Network Salas Asturias Spain Big History Towards a European Network September, 14-18, 2017 Adalberto Codetta OPPI Teachers' Training Institute

2. The (possible) Italian contributions to an European Big History Network Geological surveys The Osservatorio Geologico di Coldigioco (OGC) is an independent center for research and education in geology, art, and cuisine. Sandro Montanari and Paula Metallo run OGC, intensively involved in geoscience education activities ranging from hosting independent student researchers to short courses.

3. The (possible) Italian contributions to an European Big History Network Claudio Maccone, chair of the SETI permanent Committee of the International Academy of Astronautics, is an expert in mathematical models on the Search of ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence. He modelled Darwinian Evolution as a stochastic process in the number of living species since 3.5 billion years ago. His “Evo-SETI” model might help us to understand how much more evolved than Humanity a new ET Civilization might be when the first one is found by the SETI astronomers. Conferences

4. The (possible) Italian contributions to an European Big History Network Interdisciplinary Art Daniela de Paulis is a visual artist and lecturer living and working between Italy and TheNetherlands. She exhibits internationally, often collaborating with other artists, scientists and radio amateurs. She is currently working on a long term project called COGITO, in collaboration with neuroscientists and radio astronomers.

5. The (possible) Italian contributions to an European Big History Network BH textbooks Giovanni Abrami, former Professor of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at the University of Venice, Faculty of Architecture, Venice, is writing the first Big History textbook in Italian language. The first volume, recently published, begin with a theoretical reflection on: Historical fact = [Events + Processes] In the book we find other innovations in concepts and terminology related to Big History.

6. The (possible) Italian contributions to an European Big History Network Georesources Giovanni Grieco, Professor in Georesources and Didactics of Earth Sciences at Università degli Studi di Milano, is also author of textbooks for High School. He is a co-founder of Il Geco association actively involved in disseminating new educational tools, comprising Big History. A Big History perspective is applied in the development of geotouristic activities and itineraries and in educational projects for primary and secondary school pupils.

7. The (possible) Italian contributions to an European Big History Network applied educational research Marina Porta, teacher in science at Liceo “Banfi” Vimercate, Milan, from 2014 she experiences with her students the BH approach. She seeks out collaborations of colleagues from other subjects to promote interdisciplinary surveys for the study of the ancient and recent history of the territories. She also engages the students in the study of the Big History Project course.

8. The contribution of the OPPI research group Lilley, in his book, has built a table by assigning values to tools, machines, and technical systems of major importance in human history. For example: to the invention of : the hoe ca. 5500 BC he gives 5 points; to the plow invented 2000 years later, 10 points; at the mechanical clock, invented in 1232, 5 points, at atomic energy, 1943 In 1948 was published the first edition of : Samuel Lilley's book "Men, Machine and History: the Story of Tools and Machines in Relation to Social Progress”

9. S. Lilley: Technical equipment at various times. The graph represents roughly the type of machines and tools available to humankind

10. In 1978, Mario Reguzzoni, one of the founders of the OPPI, wrote an article entitled "Technological Progress and Teacher Profession" commenting on the book of Lilley He observed that the accumulation of technical instrumentation modifies the behavior of men and with it their collective conscience. From this point of view, the curve of Lilley, which at first approximation can be considered of an exponential type, also describes the evolution of collective consciousness and of connected human needs.

11. Institutions follow behaviors, indeed they represent consolidated behaviors, and therefore take some time to adapt to the needs arising from new inventions The distance between the two curves expresses the inadequacy of the institutions in relation to the evolution of consciousness and the needs expressed by the same conscience. Due to the characteristics of the exponential curves, the distance is becoming bigger and bigger. The adaptation of institutions to needs needs to be considered with an anticipatory look

12. The Lilley Innovation Score Curve is up until 1943. Since then, there are many other innovations ... 1953 Rosalind Franklin, James Watson e Francis Crick: DNA 1957 M. & G Burbidge, William Fowler e Fred Hoyle: Synthesis of the Elements in Stars 1962 Harry Hess: Plate tectonics theory 1968 Ludwig von Bertalanffy: General System Theory (GST) 1969 Neil Amstrong, Buzz Aldrin: First humans on the moon 1971 E. Ted Hoff, Federico Faggi e Stan Mazor: Microprocessor 1972 Nolan Bushnell: Atari: First commercial video game 1973 Motorola: The first mobile phone 1975 Bill Gates, Paul Allen: Microsoft Corporation 1975 Benoit Mandelbrot: Les Objets fractals, survol du langage fractal 1976 Steve Jobs e Steve Wozniak: Apple Computer Company 1989 CERN: WEB 1998 Larry Page e Sergey Brin, Google 2001 Jimmy Wales, Larry Sanger: Wikipedia 2004 Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook

13. How has the inventory score curve increased over the last 50 years? How has institutions delayed with respect to the evolution of consciences and needs? How can one face a criticality affecting the survival of homo sapiens? It's possibleto support the idea that huge investments in technological research must be accompanied by similar investmentsto support the same rate of change in the institutions?

14. Educational systems are the most stressed: in the past, learning of behaviors and knowledge has been changing with the pace of generational changes. But now the curve grows so rapidly and things change in a much shorter time of a lifetime. " In education the conventional division of the curriculum into subjects is already as outdated as the medieval trivium and quadrivium after the Renaissance. Any subject taken in depth at once relates to other subjects…… Continued in their present patterns of fragmented unrelation, our school curricula will insure a citizenry unable to understand the cybernated world in which they live… It is a principal aspect of the electric age that it establishes a global network that has much of the character of our central nervous system…. Our central nervous system is not merely an electric network, but it constitutes a single unified field of experience”. M.McLuhan, Understandig media, Mc Graw-Hill, NY, 1964, 347 “In educational institutions, adaptation should take place by creating flexible school structures capable of responding to the changing needs of students. In this way it will be avoided to force students to adapt to constantly obsolete programs” M. Reguzzoni 1978

15. Many changes in educational institutions have been tempted and realized over the last fifty years, but the resources have not been adjusted to the extent of the need for change Educational research has produced ideas and models that could help young people interpret and integrate into the globalized world, and adult to live it with awareness. In particular two scholars have been a reference for the OPPI's teacher training activity Joseph D. Novak studies on student’s ideas on learning and epistemology, and methods of applying educational ideas and tools (such as concept mapping) in corporate settings and distance learning programs Edgar Morin developed a method that can meet the challenge of the complexity of our world and reform thinking, preconditions for confronting all fundamental, global problem. “The treasure of human unity is human diversity and that the treasure of human diversity is human unity”. In 2014, after the IBHA conference in San Rafael, OPPI formed a working group to study the contents of BIG HISTORY movement. We presented the results of our research at the Amsterdam conference.

16. OPPI training model on BHfirst teacher’s training All the teachers of the same class (class teacher council) are involved in in discussing together the contribution that each of the subjects they teach can provide knowledge of the processes of formation and maintenance of the complexity thresholds in the Universe. Teachers are asked to reflect on the links between the subjects emerging from the study of the complexity They also discuss the difficulties due to the different periods in which content that contributes to knowledge of the complexity thresholds are studied according to the programs Finally they share an activity plan where students, organized in groups, first study the history of the universe and then apply the BH approach by exploring a territory.

17. OPPI training model on BHsecond, action research in class: formation of groups The action research is guided by class teachers which engages the students in an investigation on Big History. OPPI tutors follow the activities through an on-line platform At the beginning the students fill out a questionnaire in which they can freely answer the question, “What does the universe mean to you?” They could employ keywords, phrases, drawings, formulas, symbols and so on. This type of questionnaireis used to collect, in a constructivist approach, spontaneous ideas that students have already gained through family tradition, personal experiences, and previous studies on the subject. Then the students analyze their questionnaire to construct a conceptual map to represent how each student thinks about the topic. These maps are then used to form groups of student with similar interests. In the secondary school each group deepen a threshold using the course: “Big History Project”.

19. OPPI training model on BHthird, action research in class: study groups In the secondary school each group deepen a threshold using the course: “Big History Project”.

20. OPPI training model on BHthird, action research in class: working groups Applying the JIGSAW method, new groups are formed by mixing up the previous ones. Now new groups can explore a territory that can cover up to 500 million years of land history in Italy Observation charts were developed with indicators that help note the abilities of the students while they work in groups, make decisions, work on the project, and present it to the public. While working together, students learn together new contents, use them in real situations, make decisions, prepare documents, present them to the public. The Big History Investigation is a multidisciplinary activity that offers an extraordinary opportunity to improve and evaluate student skills

21. RECOMMENDATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCILof 18 December 2006on key competences for lifelong learning(2006/962/EC) 1) Communication in the mother tongue; 2) Communication in foreign languages; 3) Mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technology; 4) Digital competence; 5) Learning to learn; 6) Social and civic competences; 7) Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship; 8) Cultural awareness and expression