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Teacher Training Resource
Centre
Premise
Scuola-Cittą Pestalozzi, since its foundation in 1945, has always been
active in the field of teacher training, both internally and through
refresher courses attended by its teachers. In this phase of change and
redefinition of the scholastic system and the education of its teachers,
Scuola-Cittą has reconsidered its role as experimental state school from
an
organisational and strucural point of view. Thus, it has decided to
direct
the resources and competencies that it has accumulated over time through
research and experimentation towards education in a more articulated and
defined manner than before.
In 1997-1998, the Teaching Body and the Technical-Scientific Committee
assigned Scuola-Cittą as a Resource Centre for Teacher training.
Activities
In these first two years, we have operated as a "service centre" for
other
schools that have requested our input on certain issues that have arisen
in
their refresher courses, specifically on: continuity between primary and
secondary school, environmental education, project work and
inter-disciplinary integration, including non-verbal language,
constuction
of vertical curriculum. Furthermore we can make available our relative
experience of: community life, school spirit, adult laboratories,
student
laboratories, theatrical events, didactic use of scholastic library and
newspapers, didactic use of computer/multimedia resources
(Telecommunication
Project and other online projects), European Comenius projects, exchange
weeks, particularly at the end of the eight year English language cycle
with
English schools. Since the 1998/99 year, the initiative, promoted by the
Florence Decentralisation Local Authority, entitled "The keys to the
city"
sees us as co-protagonists, as a Resource Centre, in conjunction with
ARPAT,
the Florence Local Authority for Sustainable Urban Living, IRRSAE
Toscana
and Environmental Association, in the project "A Sustainable City". This
project presents an important opportunity to activate a proposal for
education, and at the same time, to experiment with the possibility of
establishing concrete autonomy in the construction of synergetic links
between some agencies and institutions of the city.
It follows the collaboration with the Faculty of Science of the
Education,
in particular regarding the relative internship problems, of the future
teaching graduates. It also follows the involvement of the IRRSAE
research
group on the curriculum of 8 to 16 year olds.
Fields of Intervention
- Continuity between primary and secondary school
- Vertical Curriculum (also for english language taught from the 1st
Elementary class)
- Community life
- School spirit
- Environmental education
- Project work and integration between disciplinary areas including the
area
of non verbal language
- Adult laboratories (elaboration of vertical curriculum)
- Student laboratories as classwork
- Theatrical events
- Didactic use of the School library and newspaper
- Didactic use of computer/multimedia resources
- Exchange weeks
- European projects
Functions
Each teacher, with the exception of certain cases, is put to work in at
least one of the following functions
- Elaboration of Refresher courses, intervention in refresher courses,
seminars, conventions etc for presentation of experiences in
Scuola-Cittą
Pestalozzi
- Publication of experiences in articles and other forms of
communication
- Relationship with Universities (tutoring, processing of internships,
work
groups, research projects etc)
- Coordination of "Gluce" (Work Group for the Educational Continuity of
subarea District 11)
- Links with EE. LL. for processing and realisation of projects of
education and documentation.
- Links with IRRSAE for the collaboration and/or participation on
projects
and other activities.
- Documentation of a project (for internal documentation and for
distribution to other schools)
- Internet: updating of school internet site, management of
communication
with other schools, research of sites of interest for the school (esp in
respect of European projects)
- Relations with other schools: visits to the schools, transfer of
documentation, meetings with teachers and students.
- Counselling to schools and teachers.
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