Erasmus+ program

SECOND LTT MEETING: Liceo Aristotele

“The Role of UNESCO in Protecting Cultural and Historical Heritage ”

ASSESSMENT OF ACTIVITIES AND RESULTS

The second LTTA was held in Rome, Italy from 11th to 15th March 2019, organized by Liceo Aristotele.

The aims of this LTTA were:

1. To study and analize the aims, rules and organization of UNESCO
2. To visit, research and study UNESCO cultural and historical heritage in one of the richest areas of the world.
3. To appreciate the fragility of art manufacts and have an insight into restoration techniques
4. To prepare various didactic materials (a guidebook, leaflets, posters) in order to foster the knowledge and appreciation of monuments the students have visited and to disseminate results in their ennvironment
5. To take responsibility in the defence and knowledge of national UNESCO heritage, by offering their service as UNESCO guides for a day
6. To promote the inclusion in UNESCO Heritage list of a new site, Ostia Antica in order to motivate students to take action in social life.
7. To develop key competences such as group working, creativity, enterpreneuship,foreign language competency, public speaking, use of digital tools

These aims were intended to focus the students’ reflections on the following themes:

1. getting to know UNESCO: its origins, its aim and procedures; explaining the different kinds of heritage: historical, natural, material, immaterial
2. helping participants recognize, appreciate and respect diversity in cultural expressions,
3. learning about dangers which threaten cultural and historical heritage
4. understanding the threaths suffered by cultural heritage and taking responsability for the preservation for the future geneations
5. Make students aware of their personal growth and how i twill influence their future careers.

These aims were fulfilled by the following activities:

1. The ABC of UNESCO Heritage booklet, completed and printed by the Italian school, was handled out to all participants, and commented on; it contains a brief explanation of UNESCO origins, aims, organization and rules; it also contains elements connected to heritage in the participating nations, being the result of a brainstorming activity carried out during the Macedonian meeting.
2. Every school presented their own national peculiar aspects of UNESCO heritage using ppt presentations, videos, brochures, guidebooks, postcards, realia. Traditional cakes from different participating countries were shared, with explanations about their origins
3. A Kahoot quiz about Italy (created by hosting students) was played by the international teams: its aim was to arise curiosity in the students about different aspects of local cultural heritage;
4. In the afternoons, guest Students and teachers visited the main UNESCO cultural sites in the city of Rome and in the Vatican City. The Italian students worked as UNESCO guides during these visits: they informed their peers about the history, structure and function of monuments, thus taking responsability for the preservation and knowledge of their own national heritage
5. A publication called UNESCO in Rome Guidebook had been prepared by the Italian students, printed and was handed out to all partecipants. It was used by the guests students while exploring the city
6. A presentation was held to show the main techniques used by expert curators to preserve artistic manufacts in wood, pottery and paiting. The work was presented by Italian students who had attended a restoration course. This made the students reflect on the fragility of historical manufacts and on the great expertise developed in restoration by Italian curators
7. Students worked all the time in international teams to assure they communicated in the vehicular language and  all brought their contribution in terms of ideas, materials, digital skills.
8. International teams produced posters on their nations, which will be used in an event organized at the end of the school year by the hosting school for the dissemination of the project’s results.
9. International teams also produced informative leaflets on some important artistic spots which were the result of historical and artistic reseach
10. The whole group visited Ostia Antica, a perfectly kept Roman town which is not registered as a UNESCO site yet
11. Italian students had prepared a Guide to Ostia antica Booklet and worked as guides on the sites for their peers.
12. International groups took part in a Photo Treasure Hunt in Ostia Antica, which led them to observe and photograph different spots.
13. A visit to the neraby Ostia Beach made the students reflect on the impact of tourist activities on the natural environment and on the consequences of pollution on the sea ecosystem,
14. Students prepared a poster, a logo, some slogans and hashtags to create a social campain which aims at making Ostia Antica become a UNESCO Site. In this way students will feel responsible for the valorization and preservation of their national cultural and historical heritage and they will acquire a sense of purpose and civic partecipation
15. A presentation was shown about the origins and the tradition of Neapolitan Pizza, recognized as UNESCO immaterial heritage since 2017
16. All the group took part in a pizza evening in a Neapolitan restaurant, which used a traditional wooden oven. Students and teachers had the possibility to observe the preparation of the pizza and the cooking procedure.
17. On the 15th of March, students watched videos and commented on the Friday for Future strikes happening in many countries of the world and led by students to encourage governments in preventing the damages created by climate change. In an open discussion, students reflected also on the consequences climate change has on heritage, both material and immaterial,
18. An expectation questionnaire and an evaluation questionnaire were filled in by all students: Collected data will be used to evaluate the students’ expericence in the meeting.
19. Apart from official meeting and activites, students had plenty of opportunities to stay together in informal occasions, share expericences and ideas and create bonds of friendship: this will help them to feel citizens of Europe and to overcome any form of discrimination based on ethnic group, sex and religion.

The methodology applied was the one of problem based learning: starting from a real-life facts and problem: after having searched for solutions and suggestions and being given some scaffolding materials, students will be guided to produce informative materials using their ITC abilities.

During all the mobility students worked in international teams and used English for the creation and for the illustrations of their products in English, thus developing their language skills and their public speaking abilities.

This learning activity involved different subjects: art history, social studies, technology, foreign language. It also fosters the development of a large choice of basic skills, such as working in groups, reading complex texts, comparing and contrasting opinions, expressing one’s opinions in a foreign language, public speaking, entrepreneurship.

Students reinforced their social abilities and sense of belonging to the larger community of European Heritage. They experienced a sense of responsability for their common heritage and a sense of satisfaction in doing something valuable and long-lasting for their fellow mates.

The role of teachers was that of facilitators. They shared lectures, field trips and presentation of results with their students, thus encouraging an atmosphere of collaboration and mutual learning among different generations. They organized the tasks, arranged the international groups and guided activities and discussions.

Teachers attended meetings to assess the progress of the project and the products and results already obtained. Teachers met also to plan ahead the following steps. In particular teachers discussed on the main results regarding the first year of activity and mobilities, the completion of the tasks due and the general satisfaction of all the parts. This was made also in preparation to the interim report, due on May 31st.

All activites, products and results planned so far have been accomplished and are considered fully satisfactory by all the memebers. Moreover, some other progresses have been made in the field of dissemination and sustainability, with the opening of a Facebook group for students, an E-Twinning project and a dedicated website.

Next LTTA meeting to be held in Tokaj has been scheduled from 1st to 5th October 2019, travel days not included. A discussion about final products to bring to Tokaj has been started, but a detailed list will be issued in the following weeks, after consultations with teachers from the participating schools.