Italy

In three years the Italian school involved about 100 students (aged from 12 to 14) and 10 teachers of English, Science, Music, Geography, ICT, Art and Technology. The choice of the students for the mobilities was established by clear criteria, that were presented to the parents after being accepted by the School Council. The selection was carried out with no problems as the rules were clear. The students participated in the student exchanges, project activities, workshops, webinars, virtual and video meetings. Students coming from difficult social backgrounds were involved in activities at school in Italy with positive feedbacks. They were not available for mobilities. Slower students were given longer times for the planned activities, more importance has been given to their creativity and self-assessment in their contributions rather than to the accuracy of the result to encourage their self-confidence. During meetings and workshops we fostered teamworking, inclusion, problem solving and self–esteem. We tried to highlight the importance of each individual contribution for the final collective result, and to consider diversity as a value. Students also got aware of the importance of the European Cultural Heritage to build their future, as they made friends with their partners and currently keep their contacts. The students had to make questionnaire to evaluate each activity presented during the LTT meetings. Moreover, we shared ideas with school teachers, students and parents about the project – what to improve, change, and confirm. Parents have also being involved in Erasmus Day events, dissemination actions, evaluation surveys, contacts with the partner families and teachers in Poland, the only student exchange organized with family accomodation. After that meeting, the spread of Covid 19 and the related restricttions didn’t allow to confirm this mode and they were accomodate in a hotel when they came to Italy. This project created the possibility for international cooperation. The students learned foreign languages in an interesting way, made friends in Europe, improved computer skills (using ICT tools) and learnt more about the culture of other countries; the teachers improved their digital, professional and communication skills. The contributions, tasks and responsibilities were equally divided among the 5 schools. All 5 schools produced pedagogical materials (lesson plans, worksheets, lesson scenarios) during the phases of the project, contributed to the making of joint E-Books, Scrap Book, CLIL and QR Code guidelines that are uploaded on the school websites, on the Etwinning project site, disseminated the project activities and end-up products within their communities, made the project visible through various means (press articles, banners, conferences, TV interview, Project corner displayed at school, project blog). Teachers communicated via Twinspace, Whatsapp, Google Meet, Zoom, Messenger. Each international meeting in presence included a teachers’ meeting to review the work that had been done so far, to check if it suited the project objectives, if the project timeline was within parameters, and to set the track with clear guidelines for the next phases. Regular monthly video staff meeting were organized also because of the pandemic situation. If we had an issue, it was always solved with responsibility and collaboration among all figures involved. A common challenge was the inability to hold international meetings in Sweden Latvia and Greece due to the outburst of COVID-19. However, the schools continued implementing the project through online activities and virtual mobilities.

The students also improved their digital skills by creating Kahoot, 3D Mapping, Microbit and Coding activities, Actionbound and Avatar activities involving Myths from the partner countries as well as Country Symbols. The teachers have been challenged to turn their activities into completely digital, due to the pandemic situation, with a final improvement of soft skills and professional achievements. Each presentation, scenario, worksheet, lesson plan, the test can be used by everyone who wants to. They are free of charge. Our project results can be an inspiration for exchanging good practices. All the resources and materials are open to the public, visible on various websites and in various formats (paper and virtual). We wrote articles about the project in local magazines, we presented the project during an Erasmus Day in another Italian town and we created a Google classroom for the project in order to continue the activities during the pandemic times. A special section of the official school website was designed. We designed a project corner on the school Erasmus board, posters, cards, bookmarks, magnets, all displayed and

attracting the attention of all age viewers. It was a great opportunity for school teachers, students, their parents, local authorities to get knowledge about the progress of the project. It has been a very positive experience for all people involved and encouraged us all to continue with more Erasmus projects.