16th-17th-18th-19th May 2011, Emilia-Romagna
ThelastWorkshopofthe YES Project(Youth EducationalSystems) heldinEmilia-Romagna from 16th to the 19th May 2011focusedon:“Key competences: instruments and methods for dealing with school failure, for offering increased learning opportunities for pupils whorisk social marginalization and for increasing pupil motivation”
The Iasi Consortium delegation was composed of the reppresentatives of the Teacher Training Centre and of the Headmistresses of the high schools partners of the YES project: Lidia Andronache and Anca Dimitriu from the Teacher Training Centre ; Camelia Gavrila, Headmistress of the Negruzzi College; Mihaela Poroch, Headmistresse of the Technical high school for Railway Transports; Ana Verginia Munteanu, Headmistresse of the Alexandru Vlahuta School.
The exchange activitieshavestartedTuesday, May 17that theCenter forEducational Documentation(CDP) ofthe City ofCasalecchio(Province ofBologna) - with whom the AIPI Association, regionalpartnerofthe Consortiumin Emilia-Romagna, has always collaborated - which annuallyinvolvesintrainingmore than3500childrenofdifferent ages, 11% ofwhomare foreigners(one of the largest communitiesaretheRomanianandthePhilippines), while providinglearning environmentsin order to formabridgebetweentheeducational dimensionand theterritory.
The CenterforEducational Documentationislocatedwithin thepremisesthatonce belonged to one of the branchesof ITCSalvemini, sadlyremembered forthetragedythatstrucktheschoolfollowingtheDecember 6th, 1990crashof an aircraft - thepilotlostcontrolof the plane due to mechanical failure - crashthat causedthedeathof12students aged 15andwounding manyofwhich mostsufferedpermanent disabilities. Aftervisitingthe classroomwheretheplanecrashed, nowadaysmemoryroom, the delegates fromIasiwere ableto deepentheroleofthe City Councilof theBoysandGirls(CCRR), experienceborrowedfroma similarFrenchexperimentmadesome years before in the classrooms andimplemented by the Rights and Social Cohabitation Area of the CenterforEducational Documentation(CDP).
TheCCRRiscomposedofmalesand femalesinequal numbersofagesrangingbetween10 and13 years old and it is dividedinto4committeesin whichyoung peoplearecalled to work on the topics: environment,communication, mobility and solidarity. Theproject'smain aim istogap the bridge betweeneducational theoryandrealityappliedwhenwedeal withissues such as: participation, representation and citizenship. TheCCRRProjecttakes placemainlyafter school andthe selection ofparticipantsis made by the traditional class votethrough which the students elect their representatives.Oncethis is done,the action ofawarenessandresponsibility begins, coordinated by the experts of the CenterforEducational Documentation andteachers, called toplay theroleoffacilitators.
Theroleofthe facilitatoris tosuggest, advise, offerreflectionsand trainyoung to apply a cooperative mannerto decision makingandaction.Theheartofthe workfocuseson the ideaof buildinga"City Fit for Children". Observe-monitor, evaluate-think, planand actare thedifferentstageswhich make upthe overallproject.
Afterwards,in the Officeof International Relations of the UniversityAlmaMaterStudiorumofBologna,a meeting was heldwithMrs..GiovannaFilippini-Executive in chargeof international relations -andMr.GianlucaBolelli-Head of the Internationalization Area.Thediscussionfocusedonthe presentationto theRomanian partners, whose studentsmayhave an interest in studyingabroad, the specificities of the UniversityofBologna, the development of educational innovations(Study conductedentirelyinEnglish) which placetheUniversity of Bolognaramongthe most prestigiousuniversitiesin Europe, theBolognaProcesswhich is theprocessofstandardizationof theEuropeanacademic systemandtheEUErasmus MundusProgrammeaimed at multiple recognition of the MastersandPhD Degrees obtained in various European universitiesinwhich thetrainingandpostgraduate research has been done.
Inthe afternoon, Mrs.RitaGatti,Professor of the FacultyofEducation Science, University of Bologna, heldfor thetwoconsortiaanacademic lectureon"Design and evaluationof the educationaland training interventionsinmulticultural contexts", carried outat the headquarters of the Legislative AssemblyofEmilia-Romagna. Whilstinthe Romanian contextthe carrier as a socialeducatorisin its beginning, intheItalian context the educational interventions, oncemade,arepoorly documentedbecause ofalack of thedocumentation culture in educationthatismostlybasedonoral transmissionof thecontent.Entering into the subject of project designProf.Gattidiscussed themodulesthat make upthe project design: rational, problemsolving, dialogueplanning. Prof.MarinaMaselli, researcher andcollaboratorofProf.Gatti, hashighlightedtheimportanceofthe collaboration withall thekey stakeholdersthatrevolvearoundaparticularprojectand mainly with the educators.
Theday ofMay 18thbeganwiththe presentation of theITCRosaLuxemburgofBolognaof the "Going tothat country. DiscoveringMozambique" Project. Theprojectwas characterizedbytheinvolvementofstudentsat riskofsocial marginalization which were asked toreflectonstereotypesandcultural differencesandto organize group workandcooperative gameswith theboysandgirlsin Mozambique. "Going to that country" implied also a study-visitof theMozambiquestudentsin October 2010 in Bologna, which will befollowed bythat offourItaliansstudentsandoneteacherin Maputoin June2011.Ithas already beendeliveredtothe young Italian students aguideonMozambique, with differentthematic areas: Economy,Tourismand Commerceof Mozambique.
Duringthe illustrationof themost significant projectscarried outby ITCRosaLuxemburgin order to enhancethe key competenciesofthe students,theNewspaperOnlinetitled"Rosa Online" was also presented as well as the web-TV created bywiththeinitial supportof the schooland ofthe provincial andregionalauthoritiesandnowtotally independent. This web TV is called Crossing TV.
Afterthe discussionanddebateonhowtocontinuethepartnershipand on the bilateralagreementsthat can be concluded inorder to achieve sustainablelong-term collaborationbetweenthetwoconsortia, itwas theturn of IPSCTElsaMorante of Sassuolo(Modena) which together with the Romanian colleagues analyzed the importance of sports activitiesas a tooltoincreaseself-esteemandconfidencebothin thestudentswith disabilitiesas in thosewithdifficultiesinsocial integration.Thestarting pointwastheprojectconductedbythe schoolcalled"SportSympathySprint. "
Further discussionsinvolvedthe Regional Education Department of Emilia-Romagnawhopresentedtheresultsof the project conductedbyschoolsof theEuropean Networkof Education, whichhad as a result a final evaluation, carried outamongstudentson the activitiesundertakenand on their worktoimprovekey competencies.
The day’s activitieswere concluding with the presentations made by ITCBodoniof Parma,whichhasexhibited, with the helpof somestudents, the resultsof the implementationof the Projects“Infobetizza" and "Intrapprendere”. The first one isaworkshopconductedbystudentsaimed atreducingthe digital dificultiesofthe elderly. Theyoungstudentstogether with a tutor led workshops for the elderson theknowledgeof thePC. This Laboratorywhichreachedits tenthyearin2010, hasseenahuge amount of workputinby thestudentsinvolved, for communicating and transmitting their computer knowledge using alanguageunderstandableto peoplewithadifferentframeof mind.
With “Intrapprendere” Project thestudents of the ITC Bodoniexperiencedthe simulationof the creationof an enterprise. The workperformedtogether withthe teachersimplied the carrying outallthebureaucratic andadministrativestepsto buildarealbusiness: the appointment of a Board ofDirectors, the establishment of a market investigationand the developmentofaoperationalplan for the sustainabilityof thebusinessin a competitive market
Thefinal day, May 19th 2011, was centered on the theater projectof the ITC"G. Ginanniof Ravennathatledto the creationof the theatre play “Future men! Whoare you?” an adaptation of"The Bedbug" by VladimirMayakovskyandof thegraphicnovel "Mecnavi - Ravenna, March 13th, 1987”by LeonardoGuardigli, incollaborationwiththeTeatrodelle AlbefromRavennaandtheproject "non-school ".
The"non-school" isaneducationalandcultural experience, started inRavennamorethan twenty yearsago, and which hasrecentlyreachedmilestonesofsuccessasScampiain Naplesand in othersuburbsof the world, involvingyoung people at riskofmarginalization. The youngactorsofGinanni High school, asthe"guides" ofthe Teatrodelle Albe, LauraRedaelliandDeborah Pradarellihave confirmed,hada leading roleduring the laboratoriesandtheninthe theaterin the creationand in the representationof a textonthe terribletragedythat occuredinRavennain1987 - thedeathby suffocationfromfumes of13workersofMecnavi. Mayakovsky's play has been"torn apart" to recoverthe importance of the classical theaterintelling the story of the presentthrough theeyesof the adolescents, avoiding stereotypes andnarrativedocumentary. Thestudy and the group workaimed at the development of anarrative structurethat would allow, asthe students explainedto the Romanian partners, tohonorthe deadtogether with the theater audience, througha deepemotional involvement.Amongthepositive resultsof the project: theclosenessof theseyoung peopleto theaterandpoetry, but alsoagreatpersonal growthandgreaterawareness of beingcitizens.
Themorning activities endedwithaverydetailedpresentationof theHeadmistressofthe NegruzziCollege of Iasi, Prof.CameliaGavrila, onthe resultsof theYES two-year projectand with adiscussionoffutureprospectsofcooperation between the twoconsortia.
Atthe conclusionof theworkshop activities, thetwodelegations visitedtheSavenaneighborhoodwhere the AIPI Associationworks withvariousinstitutionstopreventschool failureamong young people.
Atthemiddle school"Guercino",theafternoonworkshops are also opentostudentsnotenrolledin this school (which hasa20% foreign students, comingmainlyfromEastern EuropeandEastAsia): amongthese, asexplainedbyRobertoPasquali, thepoetry workshops, but also those of picture andsound, andmovement, organized in collaborationwith thetraineesof the University. Alltheselaboratorieshavethemeritofhelpingchildrentoovercomestereotypical attitudestowardcertaindisciplines, andallow themafreerself-expression, integrating the school curriculum.
ProfessorEleonoraZardifocusedinsteadon the literacy coursesfortheItalian languageduring school hours, heldbythe schoolteachersas well as byretiredteachers, and organized also by CDLEI which offers these coursesofpreparationfor the exam at the end ofmiddle school.
Theco-designisalso importantfor the activities organizedby the TerritorialEducational School Service of the District of Savena, and these are aimed atthreetarget groups: children aged from 6 to13 years, childrenaged between 14and18,andchildrenofSintiorigins, fora totalof about200children. Thegroupmore difficultto"hook" is that between14 and18, whostudyoutsidethedistrictof residence. Theactivitiesmost frequently used, evento combatbullying, is theurban dance, martial arts, and even "dangerous" disciplinesasparkour(a disciplineborninmetropolitanFrancein the early'80s, which implies overcominganykindofobstacle, adaptingone’sbodyto the surroundings). In general,sport isbestusedaspreventionagainst theuseof drugs.
In themonthofJune, in each regional consortium,the finalseminarswill beheld involving all of the regional partners, for presenting the conclusionsofthe two-year projectand to share the results.
- Work documents
