4ward together in education

Representatives of four partner schools met recently at Galileo Galilei Comprehensive School in Montopoli (Pisa), Italy, to continue working on the EU Comenius School Development Project '4ward together in education', begun last year.

There were four headteachers, four deputy heads and nine teachers representing the Italian school itself: Plascrug Community Primary of Aberystwyth, Wales; Lundskolen of Horsens Denmark; and Guzeppina Deguara Primary School of Marsaxlokk. This was represented by myself and Louis Spiteri, deputy head.

In these school development projects educational issues such as managerial and organisational strategies, pedagogical approaches, pupil educational support, assessment procedures, the curriculum, resources and similarly interesting topics are discussed and the information gathered from each of the four partner schools is then shared among the others for subsequent possible adoption back home, if required.

During the visit to Galileo Galilei last month we discussed in particular the important role that information technology plays in modern teaching, especially as a resource to help children with special educational needs.

We also discussed aspects connected with the curriculum. During the working sessions each delegation would present and distribute their material, elaborate on its use and then answer any questions.

Administrators focused on organisational, managerial and implementation strategies, and teachers concentrated on methodologies, class organisation, parental involvement and similar issues.

The Italian host school also provided us with supplementary information on the National Teacher Training Plan for ICT, the National Guidelines for Personalised Study Plans in Primary Schools, the Teaching Programme (or Curriculum) for both Kindergarten and Elementary School as well as three projects from its School Development Plan - environmental, physical education and musical enrichment.

Our Italian hosts reciprocated the kindness and hospitality we Maltese and the Welsh had extended to them (and to the Danes) during last year's Comenius visits to Malta and Wales, respectively.

Daniela di Vita, school principal, and her entourage prepared an interesting programme for the visit to their school. There were of course our daily working sessions in Ms di Vita's central office, visits to the classrooms where we were introduced to and conversed with the children in their distinctive pink/light blue (kinder) and navy blue (elementary) uniforms.

We saw the children working in their classrooms - from Kindergarten right up to Scuola Media (about 14 years old). We clapped loudly during the presentations the children and their teachers prepared for us when importance was given to both individual excellence and all-important group teamwork.

We observed an ICT/Internet lesson in the seniors' Computer laboratory and admired project work connected with the environment, physical education, music and other subjects.

We were taken round the main school in Montopoli and also visited its several cluster schools (or annexes) in Capanne, Marti, Angelica and San Romano, each of which had put up an exhibition of children's work and organised a children's presentation for us visitors.

The Italian system is different from ours in the sense that a headteacher manages the main school, while deputies (or teachers) are in charge of the day-to-day running of the cluster schools. In Malta we may very well adopt this scenario one day.

Our hosts accompanied us to the Town Hall where we were welcomed by the deputy mayor. Later the group was guided on a tour of Montopoli's old town centre.

Our Italian friends even took us on a visit to San Gimignano, a picturesque medieval fortress town rising proudly from the Tuscan countryside surrounding it. On Saturday we ended our experience with a visit to Firenze.

Before the delegations separated we set out plans for the continuation of the project. At our own school we shall continue to address the strategies we have agreed with our European partners.

We have spoken to our schoolchildren about the visit and encouraged them to continue sending e-mails and letters to their friends overseas. We have put the material we have brought back with us - CDs, school handbooks, information on IT, Kindergarten Baseline assessment material, official national curricula and photographs on exhibition in the school entrance hall for our pupils, teachers and parents to have a good look at.

And we look forward to the next visit - this time to Lundskolen Primary in Horsens, Denmark - provided we can obtain more funds for the continuation of the project.

This EU-funded Comenius visit to Galileo Galilei school was a worthwhile developmental experience for Mr Spiteri and me.

Mr Grech is headteacher of Guzeppina Deguara Primary School, Marsaxlokk.