Partners from the I.D.E.A.!Together we can project entered Szkoła Podstawowa Specjalna nr 40 in Bytom on 4th March. The atmosphere was positive, joyful and peaceful. Everybody immediately felt at home. Partners were warmly received by the Headmistress and her staff . Teachers were very kind. The Polish students met in Turkey welcomed partners with open arms. The welcoming performance was moving.
The attention of the Italian teachers focused on some aspects that characterize Special Primary School no.40 and its curriculum. Although the partner school is in a poor area of the town and pupils who attend it have, in many cases, a difficult background, it does its utmost to ensure training success of students with Special Educational Needs. Teachers try to motivate pupils through practical activities and Technology. During the 2nd mobility partners attended several training sessions and workshops: using Technology in class, Biofeedback Therapy, Art Therapy. They realized wool flowers, created naïf works like Bartosz Fraczek (a Polish artist who used to mix gouaches, pastel crayons and others in his works) and made paintings and collages in cooperation with senior retired ladies that frequently go to school and work together with students. All partners were impressed by the strong bond between those ladies and students. Some children consider them grandmas. Cooperation with the Third Age University is a crucial moment to foster creativity and a love of Art in children. Moreover it enhances the pupil’s well-being and their social and emotional development. Mobility participants took part also in an ICT workshop. It was useful, funny and motivating to discover applications, games, tools and websites in order to acquire information and knowledge, to update our skills to enrich teaching and learning. The planned activities led us into new opportunities and practices, which can improve our teaching process in our school.
The host school followed the program with precision and accuracy. The Polish Erasmus+ team did everything to fulfill our expectations. Sessions and workshops enriched each teacher’s professional and personal knowledge, skills and competences. Participants had the opportunity to improve their “cultural competence” eating local food and drinks, singing and dancing typical songs, walking down the street and admiring a different landscape and beautiful monuments. Also the visit to Memorial and Museum Auschwitz was a fundamental educational experience, that will always remain deeply embedded in our minds.
Martina De Mico, Italian coordinator