ITALY
- Busto Arsizio -
PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS IN ITALY
Presentation
I.T.E "Enrico Tosi" is located in Busto Arsizio, Italy, 30 km from Milan. It is a state secondary school with over 2,000 students (aged 14 to 19) and 200 teachers. It is the first international technical school of economics in Italy to obtain international school status, thus experimenting with a four-year program. It is a multi-task center for long-term education, characterized by pedagogical innovation, internationalization and a focus on individual success.
In addition to the four-year international courses, students can also choose from four different five-year courses: business/marketing, tourism, IT and international relations. The campus also focuses on the development of ICT skills, and is the pilot school for the IDEA LAB project, offering courses and opportunities for students and adults to promote digital education.
The faculty uses fully digital technologies in teaching and pays particular attention to personalized teaching to support motivation and develop cross-curricular skills, but also to support students with special needs. Addressing these issues is common practice at the school.
ITE Tosi is the reference center for Cambridge International University and the examination center for ECDL, IGCSE CAMBRIDGE and foreign language certificates. It is also an ESABAC school offering dual French-Italian certification, and a DSD center for German language proficiency.
ITE TOSI is a member of the national Book-in-progress network, and has been using digital textbooks designed, written and edited by a network of Italian teachers on various subjects for several years, while experimenting with WEB 2.0 methods for project-based learning.
For over twenty years, ITIE TOSI has been deeply involved in promoting the European dimension. It has cooperated in Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci, Grundtvig, Life Long Learning and now Erasmus +. The school has promoted several Erasmus+ KA2 and national projects focusing on innovative learning, flipped teaching and teaching through debate.
In 2015, the school was awarded the VET Mobility Charter and organizes over 60 student and teacher internships every year. They are deeply involved in virtual enterprise management and cooperate with companies and entrepreneurial associations to bridge the gap between supply and demand for skills on the labor market.
As of this academic year 2022-23, the school has received accreditation for Erasmus + KA121 -SCH.
Each year, the school organizes the international mobility of around 300 students with most European countries, China, Israel, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Uruguay and the USA.
The school participates in the World Schools Forum (a network of 20 schools representing each continent, aiming to create opportunities for dialogue and organize an annual international forum for debate).
ITE E. Tosi is one of the founding schools of Avanguardie Educative, an Italian innovation movement that brings to the system the most significant experiences of organizational and educational school transformation.
Enrico Tosi is the coordinator of "WeDebate", a national network of 300 schools whose curriculum always includes the development of critical thinking, argumentation and active citizenship. The school collaborates with international partners such as the English-speaking Union, the International Association for Debate Education and Za in Proti to promote and disseminate "debate" techniques.
Since 2017, the school has been appointed by the Italian Ministry of Education to organize the National Debating Championship, an annual championship involving over 500 teams organized in person and online.
Instituto Technico Economico "Enrico Tosi
Project experience and expertise
ITE E. TOSI takes part in a wide range of national and international projects: one- to three-week exchanges with European students and partner schools, Erasmus internships in European companies, apprenticeship weeks, summer language courses and long-term exchange visits (1-3 months).
The school also accepts teachers from partner schools for a twinning experience.
Open to collaboration with other local schools at different levels, we have already set up a European project (Erasmus+ KA121 - SCH.) with a middle school and elementary school.
The school can guarantee a stable staff, as there is a fairly large number of teachers who have always actively contributed to promoting the European dimension in education.
The staff of the international department act as a reference group for the planning of European projects, offering assistance and consultancy services, and cooperate with local provincial and regional authorities to strengthen the European dimension of the schools.
The school's administrative department has extensive experience in international project management, with specific skills in the financial and administrative management of EU projects.
Presentation
IC Bertacchi is a public school located in Busto Arsizio, Lombardy, Italy. It is a group of schools: three elementary school (G. Bertacchi, A. Moro, Pieve di Cadore) and one lower secondary school (B. Bellotti). Our organization has 23 years' experience in teaching as a polyvalent institute, and the B. Bellotti junior high school even has more than 50 years' experience. Bellotti has over 50 years' experience in education.
IC Bertacchi represents a positive educational model in Busto Arsizio, collaborating with several associations located in the same area. Bertacchi learners range in age from 6 to 13. Over 800 students attend our school, while the non-teaching staff numbers 22. Nearly 100 teachers are permanently employed. In addition, every year new teachers and professionals on fixed-term contracts work with our organization during the school year (September to June). The Institute is headed by Director Fabiana Donatella Ginesi. She is assisted by the Director of General and Administrative Services (DSGA) Carmela De Milato to oversee the school's administrative and general services. The Director has also delegated a number of specific tasks to certain teachers to support her management and administrative duties.
In Italy, the aim of primary education is to enable pupils to acquire the fundamental knowledge and skills needed to develop basic cultural competencies. The subjects taught during the 5 years of elementary school are: Italian, English, history, geography, mathematics, science, technology, music, art, sports science (also called "Body, Movement and Sport"), Catholic religious education (optional). Learners aged 6 to 10 attend classes from Monday to Friday, with a weekly
weekly timetable of 40 hours. Collaboration between primary and secondary teachers, and the sharing of learning strategies and objectives, are important to ease children's transition from primary to secondary school.
Generally speaking, the aim of lower secondary education is to enable students to acquire the fundamental knowledge and skills needed to develop basic cultural competencies. At this level, this is achieved by using school subjects and disciplines as a means of knowing, interpreting and representing reality and the real world. The subjects taught during the 3 years of middle school are: Italian, English, French, history, geography, mathematics, science, technology, music, art, sports science, Catholic religious education (optional). Classes run from Monday to Friday, and students stay at school for 6 hours a day.
"Citizenship and Constitution" is also included in the curriculum as a subject. Its content is currently worked out by all teachers according to the institute's pedagogical plan (Piano dell'offerta formativa). Some examples of educational activities organized by teachers focus on legality (mafia, eco-mafia, types of mafia in Italy and worldwide, victims of the mafia and Italian heroes against crime, etc.).
Other issues include healthy living and eating, social-emotional competence, environmental issues, women's rights, civil rights, harassment and cyberbullying. Meetings with experts and/or professionals and projects concerning these issues are constantly organized by the teaching staff.
Istituto Comprensivo Bertacchi
Project experience and expertise
Our comprehensive school teaching team benefits from innovative teaching methods: we promote exploration and discovery activities, encourage cooperative learning and, last but not least, aim to develop awareness of one's own learning methods. Coding plays an important role in our educational activities, particularly at ischool. At high school, our educational activities are linked to ICT, and we are also the first Canva district school in Italy.
In high school, too, teachers aim to make students aware of the correct and effective use of new technologies and social media. Web netiquette and spreading false news are just some of the issues we deal with at Collège B.Bellotti.
Some of our day-to-day activities include: welcoming new students, especially new arrivals; helping foreign students learn Italian as a second language.
Other daily activities include
- Theater: theater, with its training and performance activities, enhances students' social and communication skills, as well as their self-confidence. Students perform at the public theater in Busto Arsizio.
- Music education and practice: orchestral performances, music competitions, choir. Musical education is one of the region's strengths. It fosters teamwork, communication skills and imagination.
- Debate. The aim of debate is to reinforce several skills: oral presentation, leadership, teambuilding and problem-solving.
- CLIL courses: CLIL courses are a way of engaging and creating a stimulating context for students, while fostering confidence and mastery.
Foreign language learning is given special attention at our school. Additional language courses are part of our educational plan (called PTOF in Italy). Students can take additional courses in English, Spanish and German. Primary school students can practice with native speakers and obtain certification for the International Trinity exam, while secondary school students can obtain KET certification.
Students with special educational needs are supported by the school at all levels, and our vision for the school is to put students with all types of difficulties at the center of our educational activities. We strive to create the best possible inclusive environment. Indeed, student well-being is our priority, which is why we offer professional psychological support to students. Parents and teachers can also benefit from this service, to further the well-being of the whole community.
Another important service is student guidance. It eases the transition to high school and helps young
students choose the right path to success in high school.
A traditional project implemented by our school every year is EDUchange. This project focuses on the global goals of the Agenda 2030. The Global Goals are the sustainable development objectives to be achieved by 2030, as suggested by the United Nations. These goals address the biggest problems facing the world today. The project is being carried out with the help of young international volunteers selected by the international student association AIESEC. International volunteers, hosted by families, plan teaching sequences in collaboration with our staff. Lesson plans focus on the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), and lessons are primarily linked to environmental issues. The children discover an international environment thanks to the international students, and use English in real-life conversational situations.
The "Our Ideal European School" project is a great learning opportunity and a way for students to reflect on important issues. What's more, an international environment is the ideal setting in which to engage in educational activities. By seizing this opportunity, the linguistic and social skills of students and teachers will improve. Our institute will benefit greatly from this experience, so we're highly motivated.