'Improving the activity of All-day school', the Italian Educational System at Glance

During one week at the end of February, a group of 5 teachers from Lithuania had the opportunity to peak into the Italian school system as part of a Job Shadowing experience. The collaboration between Šakių rajono Plokščių mokykla - daugiafunkcis centras and AMFI International materialised into the form of the project 'Improving the activity of All-day school' . The scope of the partnership is to offer the guests the possibility to learn, compare and contrast various aspects of the Italian Educational System. For this particular project, seven Italian educational institutions from the Marsica area have been carefully selected to reflect different educational practices varying on age (0-16), on different needs (disabilities) and methods( Montessori method).

The program was divided in a 5-day Job Shadowing experience, with an average of two visits per day and two days of full participation in educational activities at Scuola dell'Infanzia Montessori in Avezzano. The visists were assisted and mediated by AMFI tutors who assured the uniterupted flow of information and the accuracy of translation from Italian to English.

In these five days, the group had the opportunity to get a glimpse of the school institutions and day centers in organized tours given by the school officials. The teachers were especially impressed by the activities performed as part of the additional curricula. For example, Scuola dell'Infanzia Montessori has extended their activity portfolio to include yoga-classes for teh little ones. In the ANFFAS -Onlus centers (day-center and permanent center for adults with disabilities) of Celano and Tagliacozzo adults are undergoing permanent work to help them participate in the society. Strong emphasis is put on creativity and creative activities, therefore ANFFAS residents are encouraged to be crafty with materials such as plaster and clay. Worth mentioning are the widespread anti-bullying campaigns which seem to be popular in both the Italian and the Lithuanian schools. It was very reassuring to see that diversity is cherished and encouraged.