Italy is divided into 4 zones according to COVID outbreaks and hospitalisations. Red, orange, yellow and white, red being the worst and white the best. Restrictions depend on the zone your town, province or region finds itself in.

Italy began the first lockdown in March 2020, this lockdown lasted 3 months and was very testing for schools, students and families. Teachers and students found themselves at home from one day to next, parents were homeschooling and teachers were scrambling to get online learning moving. Students found themselves at home, without school friends and teachers.

Students difficulties:

1. Missing friends and teachers and the school environment

2. Trouble with internet connection

3. Not everyone had a computer, iPad or mobile device, particularly families with more than one child

4. Motivation

5. Understanding work set by teachers

6. Mask wearing, particularly during hotter months

School/teacher difficulties:

1. Learning new systems for online teaching

2. Trouble with internet connection

3. Payments regarding school fees, school fees were reduced

4. School hours reduced, therefore importance was given to core subjects (Italian/maths)

5. Stress from teaching online (family presence, homework, student understanding

6. Mask wearing, particularly during hotter months

School started in September 2020 with diverse rules:

· Social distancing, 1 meter distance between student desks

· Temperature testing

· Mandatory masking wearing

· No gathering in groups

· Students were to remain seated unless going to the bathroom, bin….

· No outside visitors (parents, expert speakers etc)

· Cleaning

During the first lockdown our projects were put on standby and teachers concentrated on core subjects and student welfare. However, once school was reopened we began work on our projects, while respecting the various new rules set out to contain community contagion and to avoid, at all costs, class quarantines.

We focused on individual work rather than group projects, where social distancing is harder to contain. Students were asked to bring materials needed from home and were unable to share materials, for the same reasons stated above, the same rules apply to school materials such as pens etc. Our school is lucky to have a large outdoor area and garden, rare in Sicily, so we were able to spend time with our students, working on projects and building prototypes. Outside work was recommended in Italy and schools who have outdoor areas took great advantage of these spaces, even during the winter months.

We teachers found it hard and we missed meeting with colleagues, online meetings and little face to face possibilities didn’t help with motivation and enthusiasm. As teachers we never stop learning, meeting and observing colleagues is fundamental for teacher learning.

We have definitely improved our technological skills during this year and a half of the pandemic, many difficulties were dealt with by respecting our government COVID restrictions.