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2 Experimental project: “Let’s meet at school: welcome, mediation, interculturalism” – 2006/07 Plurality of voices and symbols: comparing cultures

3 Intro In recent years the number of foreign students (mostly Albanians) in our school has increased. This fact has produced some variations in educational needs: teachers are using new strategies and teaching methods for them, promoting inclusion and interculturalism. In our school there already exist lots of activities intended to promote the inclusion of all students and this project tries to be an enrichment for the school community as a whole.

4 Living and thinking in a pluralistic society means that we believe in a school with a place and a dignity for all, with a place for each culture, each religion, each race; a school where everybody can bring one’s own peculiarities, discovering, recognising and accepting the others as a big resource. Living and thinking in a pluralistic society means that we believe in a school with a place and a dignity for all, with a place for each culture, each religion, each race; a school where everybody can bring one’s own peculiarities, discovering, recognising and accepting the others as a big resource. Intro

5 Intro Our common aims are developing a new sensibility, increasing the dialogue and the democratic coexistence through the knowledge of differences and common experience. This project is intended to create the conditions for an intercultural education, in order to educate the plural citizens of tomorrow, through a school thought of as a broad minded operational space, open to change. Our common aims are developing a new sensibility, increasing the dialogue and the democratic coexistence through the knowledge of differences and common experience. This project is intended to create the conditions for an intercultural education, in order to educate the plural citizens of tomorrow, through a school thought of as a broad minded operational space, open to change.

6 Topics and contents The subject chosen is storytelling, because it offers more motivation to comparison and communication. The subject chosen is storytelling, because it offers more motivation to comparison and communication.

7 Topics and contents Students, using a story, can find themselves, their cultural background, their sense of belonging. In our opinion, students, through the dynamic part of social co-operative learning, can better learn, beginning to use correct Italian language at the same time. Using a story, students can recognise common topics and communicate their background, their culture and their value systems. A story helps us to discover our common anthropological roots and to overcome cultural and ideological superstructures. Students, using a story, can find themselves, their cultural background, their sense of belonging. In our opinion, students, through the dynamic part of social co-operative learning, can better learn, beginning to use correct Italian language at the same time. Using a story, students can recognise common topics and communicate their background, their culture and their value systems. A story helps us to discover our common anthropological roots and to overcome cultural and ideological superstructures.

8 Practical training Telling about my country: myths and legends. Telling about my country: myths and legends. –During this stage, a group of students searches for a famous oral legend, a story or a fairy-tale which best represents their country and their traditions (we will involve their parents, relatives and/or their cultural mediator). –We discover similarities and differences: the novel in the original language and in the language of the “host” country. –During this stage, students discover differences and similarities in language and topics; the teacher will help them to be curious and thoughtful. In this didactic stage, we want to improve their knowledge of Italian language.

9 Practical training Graphic representation of the story. Graphic representation of the story. –During this step Italian and foreign students work together in the graphics laboratory, helping each other to make the final product: a comic strip and an hypertext.

10 Purposes Inclusion of foreign students; Inclusion of foreign students; Improvement of their knowledge of Italian language; Improvement of their knowledge of Italian language; Overcoming of stereotyped ideas and prejudice; Overcoming of stereotyped ideas and prejudice; Building the culture of inclusion, by means of knowledge and comparison; Building the culture of inclusion, by means of knowledge and comparison; Promoting the culture of peaceful coexistence; Promoting the culture of peaceful coexistence; Promoting sympathy among the pupils. Promoting sympathy among the pupils.

11 Goals Recognising, in our everyday life, cultures and ideas different from ours. Recognising, in our everyday life, cultures and ideas different from ours. Using comparisons to strengthen one’s own ethnic identity. Using comparisons to strengthen one’s own ethnic identity. Strengthening one’s own cultural origin. Strengthening one’s own cultural origin. Understanding different points of view. Understanding different points of view. Consolidating the linguistic knowledge of Italian. Consolidating the linguistic knowledge of Italian. Communicating by using different languages: graphic etc. Communicating by using different languages: graphic etc.

12 Methods We use the methods of Action-research, co-operative learning and group strategies. Working in the graphics laboratory makes possible to overcome linguistic barriers and helps the students to discover their creative potentialities and to recognise everybody’s identities. We use the methods of Action-research, co-operative learning and group strategies. Working in the graphics laboratory makes possible to overcome linguistic barriers and helps the students to discover their creative potentialities and to recognise everybody’s identities.

13 Tools Stories (written and/or oral), fairy- tales, legends, the internet, personal computers, graphic tools. Stories (written and/or oral), fairy- tales, legends, the internet, personal computers, graphic tools. –Bianca Lancia: an Apulian legend. –Roza Fati: an Albanian legend

14 The End Thank you very much for your attention