PROJECT DATA

For this reason, a STEM summer camp for students has been organized since 2016. So, the project’s activities will take place in a fertile ground, enabling the school to reach higher standards and objectives. Thanks to the cooperation with the partner Institutes, the school aims to the creation of a competent, aware, qualified team of teachers, people who will be able to face the modern challenges and the new educational needs. The use of CLIL methodology, innovative pedagogical approaches and ICT in the best possible way will greatly help teachers’ work in the new 2.0 classes and their contribution to the “Book in Progress” network. The school’s priority is to offer good opportunities to all students, especially those at disadvantage and those with special needs, paying attention to individual needs. Students need to be conscious and prepared European citizens.

As a result, the school expects:

• to introduce new teaching methods, strengthening CLIL teaching;
• the adoption of innovative pedagogical approaches and the use of ICT;
• new learning material to use in the “Book in Progress” network and in e-learning platforms and Open Educational Resources;
• a significant change in the school curriculum and lesson planning;
• a big improvement in the teaching professionalism and students’ competences which can be shared on the eTwinning platform, on the school web site and in the local press.

Long term benefits will be achieved with qualified and motivated teachers, as well as a better relationship among school-students-parents. We would be happy to give success perspectives both in a local and in a European context. The school has been a partner as well as a coordinator in several Comenius projects. Last year it carried out an Erasmus+KA1 project centered on CLIL (Grant Agreement Number 2016-1-IT02-KA101-023189 Project Title Innovazione didattica “in progress” per una scuola europea dell’inclusione School year 2016/2017). The mobilities led the schools write different booklets. An example is “In the Footsteps of the Tudors”: the outcome of a CLIL activity linked to History. This led the school to pay particular attention to language acquisition and use, emphasising the importance of teaching English through images and trying to develop critical thinking, even at an early stage. The school also organized cultural exchanges with France, Spain, Poland and Germany (hosting students and teachers) as well as linguistic stages in Great Britain and Spain. Further on, it has always been offered to secondary school students training for the Cambridge University KET/PET language certifications with excellent results. The school is active in its area with local projects like the very well-known one linked to AVIS-AIDO-ADMO (blood, organ and bone marrow associations). The school tries to promote multiculturalism. The last Comenius project was entitled “I’m the author of my future” and it was focused on the topic of learning styles and life-long learning as a key to success. Finally, the school received a very important national award for the project “Women for Women”: it was the only school in Marche region to attend the award ceremony held by the President of the Republic in 2015.  Referring to robotics, the school organized an initiative linked to an integrated Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) approach during the summers 2016 and 2017, with a lot of exploring, testing, observing and doing. All this was so enjoyable for students who attended these special classes with interest. Talking about the key people involved in this project, the contact person is the teacher responsible for European Projects appointed by the school. She has experience with past Comenius projects and the Erasmus+ KA1 and has attended a specific course in European Project planning. As to general management the Headmistress is actually pushing the school towards an international dimension. As to administrative skills, the school’s employees know how to deal with budget management very well. As to robotics, there is a team of teachers willing to develop a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — in an interdisciplinary and applied approach. Last but not least, there is a very active team of teachers in the linguistic area and a conspicuous group of very dynamic teachers of other subjects (Italian, History, Geography, Music, Art). These teachers are part of an innovation plan and the majority of them were involved in the KA1 last year.