Sector of Activity

The sector of activity refers to the tags present within the Start Learning Cities Up platform.

• Youth activities
• Active citizenship
• Environmental sustainability and education
• Territory and history

Start Date and End Date of the Initiative

April 2022-June 2023

Location (i.e., city, Region, Country) of the Initiative

Friuli Venezia Giulia Region (Secondary School Institute of Gorizia Liceale Pole) and City of Modi’in (Israel – Ironi Bet Mod’in High School)

Project Synopsis

The project fits into the realm of contemporary pedagogy, focusing on meaningful and autonomous learning. It is based on constructivist theories that oppose mechanical learning and promote active, situational, collaborative, and communicative education. The approach to lifelong learning, which can take place anywhere, places the learner at the center and promotes bidirectional collaboration between teacher and student, encouraging personal growth and community contribution. The role of the teacher, in a learning city logic, is to prepare and organize educational contexts in which the presence of a structured set of stimuli is able to arouse curiosity and creativity and thus motivate the student – and more broadly the citizen – to develop a personal learning path that allows them to acquire specific skills and not just knowledge. Transferable skills are emphasized, especially in light of the challenges posed by the pandemic and the need to adapt learning abilities. The exchange between the Gorizia Liceale Pole and the Ironi Bet High School of Modi’in involved 20 students from the respective institutions, who participated in educational and cultural activities carried out both online (joint event held on the occasion of the Day of Remembrance on January 27, 2023) and in person with visits to Israel (January 2023) and Italy (March 2023). The activities were structured by the involved teachers through the “Breaking Classroom Walls” model, which aims to use community resources to promote learning, involving students, parents, organizations, and local authorities and supporting self-exploration, quality education, and connection between communities based on shared values.

Description of Needs to be Addressed by the Project

Experimentation of new learning methods through international exchanges between students, teachers, and communities, including:

• Strengthening multicultural dialogue through international exchanges for young people, teachers, and families, aimed at sharing participatory learning experiences in reference communities.
• Promotion of the culture of lifelong learning.

Description of Activities

The activities include: Collaborative Learning Actions aimed at promoting sharing among teachers of experiences and techniques related to collaborative learning through small group activities. Using small groups of students, collaborative learning activates cooperation and aims to maximize both the learning process and the development of social skills. This mode surpasses the view of knowledge transmission in favor of an active knowledge construction by all group members. International exchanges of students, teachers, and parents The action aims to allow the sharing of the experience realized within participatory learning. International exchanges allow the community to experience the immense cultural richness of the territories, allowing the growth of global mindset and increasing knowledge and understanding of an ever-interconnected world.

Description of Tools and Methodologies Used in Project Activities

Identified tools and working methods:

• Brainstorming
• Peer tutoring
• Group work
• MLTV, making learning and thinking visible (learning method)

Objectives

General objective: Promote lifelong learning and develop learning cities and communities.

Specific objectives:

• Increase collaborative learning capacity in students.
• Strengthen multicultural dialogue through international exchanges between students, teachers, and communities.

Intervention Recipients

Students, teachers, and parents of two schools (one in Israel and one in Italy) with an international partnership.

Expected Results

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Immediate Results (i.e., outputs) after Project Initiation and for Whom

Implementation of an exchange between groups of Italian and Israeli students, educational and cultural activities carried out both online (joint event held on the occasion of the Day of Remembrance on January 27, 2023) and in person with visits to Israel (January 2023) and Italy (March 2023).

Expected Long-Term Impact (i.e., outcomes) of the Initiative

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Public Actors

• Secondary School Institute of Gorizia Liceale Pole “Dante Alighieri” https://www.pololicealegorizia.edu.it Involvement of students, teaching staff, and parents for the realization of international exchanges between Gorizia and Mod’in Maccabin Re’ut.
• Ironi Bet Mod’in High School (Israel). Involvement of students, teaching staff, and parents for the realization of international exchanges between Gorizia and Mod’in Maccabin Re’ut.

Project Cost

17,000.00 Euros

Funding Sources

Cofinancing by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region within the framework of the project “Giovani e PartecipaAzione in FVG 4”, in implementation of Agreement No. 96/CU on the allocation of the National Fund for youth policies

Funding Entities

Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia

Funding Years

2022-2023