Preschool teachers’ training processes about coding and robotics

Abstract The Action-Research involved 19 Italian preschools within a teachers’ training on coding and educational robotics as innovative tools for enhancing children’s learning processes. The initial program used BeeBot, Cubetto, and Lego Wedo 2.0 technologies, while a subsequent version introduced i-Code, a newly developed tool specifically designed for Programmable Digital Storytelling applications. The research framework incorporated two fundamental methodological approaches: training conceptualized as a dialogic process emphasizing collective reflection on authentic educational practices, and small group methodology implemented with both children and adult participants. Initial findings demonstrate that adopting a practice-based, dialogic perspective successfully transformed teachers’ initial “oppositional ideas” regarding the integration of coding and robotics with 3-to-6-year-old children, while simultaneously revealing significant transformative processes in teachers’ discursive positioning within collaborative small group contexts.