Once Upon a Time

The goals set by the institutions in the three countries were various: as for the pupils, we worked on their reading skills, digital literacy and creativity, to enhance and develop their ability t...

The goals set by the institutions in the three countries were various: as for the pupils, we worked on their reading skills, digital literacy and creativity, to enhance and develop their ability to express their opinions freely, their personality and identity, demonstrating the fact that although very young they already have their own clear thinking; the ability of expression and interaction, reading albeit through others, helps their vocabulary and consequently stimulates a better mode of expression; as for the teachers, the goal was to aim at a strengthening of the professional profile through exchange, sharing and development of best practices: three schools with common needs but different backgrounds inevitably stimulate each other. A greater awareness of the positive impact of a different cultural heritage on one's own environment and daily life, stimulated a work of deeper knowledge of oneself as a country while at the same time giving rise to a desire to be enriched by the traditions of others: we rediscovered ourselves as different countries but with deep roots and, in many cases, common roots.

The activities carried out were multifaceted: all were committed to the maximum dissemination of the project, through the use of analog and digital tools, creating appropriate spaces within schools and through the use of social media. A project was implemented on the etwinning platform, although the switch to the Esep platform resulted in a loss of material. During the first meeting, a project logo was chosen, proposed by Italy, made by a child and his parents: the project also wanted to involve families. Encouraging literacy in schools among 21st-century pupils deserves attention; tools were used to create digital content to stimulate listening with ebooks, videos, but we also valued books and lesser-known and ancient tools such as kamishibai, a theater of Japanese origin that was recreated by teachers, with real stories written and drawn by them. It was told with voice and the support of musical instruments; we acted. While recognizing the importance of digital nowadays, we also wanted to make room for alternative tools that would help their imagination, memory and attention.

The results obtained involved students and teaching staff. As for the students, they increased their attention, listening and verbal production skills. They were involved in activities that allowed them to invent stories, write them down through drawing and telling them, stimulating them from multiple perspectives. We told fairy tales and myths related to the area, creating in them a greater attachment to and appreciation of their origins, an aspect that characterizes a good citizen in general.In particular, the children interfacing through screens with peers from other countries helped to build and enhance active European citizenship, inclusion, empathy, all of which was made even more concrete by the human approach with the partners. The results also involved the teachers, in terms of: professional, thanks to the exchange of good practices, emotional-experiential by virtue of the fact that for some teachers it was the first time they went abroad, that they were confronted with colleagues from different countries. Important steps for the construction and enhancement of a European culture, which in some places, especially small ones, is not yet present.