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Article published In: Dialogic Dimensions of the Digital
Edited by Răzvan Săftoiu
[Language and Dialogue 16:1] 2026
► pp. 143–177

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Preschool teachers’ training processes about coding and robotics

A dialogic use of technology among adults to transform the educational practices with 3-to-6-year old children

 | Provincial Federation of Preschools of Trento
 | Provincial Federation of Preschools of Trento
 | Fondazione Bruno Kessler of Trento
 | Fondazione Bruno Kessler of Trento
 | Provincial Federation of Preschools of Trento
Published online: 9 October 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ld.00216.mon
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.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Theoretical framework
    • 2.1The small group methodology
    • 2.2Coding and robotics as tools to promote children’s learning processes
    • 2.3The teachers’ training: A dialogic and practice-based approach
  • 3.The Action-Research
    • 3.1The participants
    • 3.2The main objectives
    • 3.3Methods and materials
      • 3.3.1The coding and robotics tools
        • I-Code: A new PDST tool
        • The BeeBot
        • Lego WeDo 2.0
      • 3.3.2The training’s main structure
        • The first year of training (2022–2023)
        • The second year of training (2023–2024)
        • The third year of training (2024–2025)
  • 4.The initial results
    • 4.1Participants’ positionings at the beginning of the program
    • 4.2Participants’ positioning at the end of the first training year: The teachers were changing their perspectives
    • 4.3Participants’ positioning at the end of the second training year
  • 5.“Temporary” concluding remarks
  • Notes
  • References
References (59)
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