The last Teacher Training meeting of the EUPress project was held on Tuesday, May 9, on the occasion of Europe Day. Many topics were addressed by the participants: the importance of the link between combating climate change and human rights, the power of music to convey European values, the relationship between the Covid-19 pandemic and technological progress in the European education system, and the importance to save water for future generations, just to mention some of them.
Regarding the value of water for European citizens, Ernesto Bellucci, English teacher from Petrarca Classical-musical high school (Arezzo) affirmed that an impressive expression he came across while studying Hamlet for his thesis describes the character of King Claudius as perfectly as it describes water: “fascinating and frightening”. “No other element on the planet – continued Ernesto- is so essential to life to identify with life: bread is life does not exist as a motto, nor does air is life, however vital it is to our life. Water, itself, is life, there is no living being that can possibly survive without it. And yet…nothing can harm, or even destroy, life like water”.
Another interesting subject was raised by Piotr Nazaruk, English teacher from CLVI Liceum Ogólnokształcące Integracyjne (Warsaw). “Although the most visible negative effects of the pandemic included school closures, the impact on mental health and educational inequality…. on the other hand, – continued Piotr – the pandemic helped to accelerate the advent of the long overdue change in the educational system. With schools closed, many institutions had to switch to online learning.
According to Piotr, even if this shift to remote learning was not easy for all students it is hard to say that this is not the future of European education system, whether we like it or not. “What is more – concluded Piotr- the pandemic accelerated the use of technology in education, with many schools and universities using online platforms for teaching and assessment. As far as the assessment is concerned, the pandemic has led to changes in assessment methods, with many institutions moving away from traditional exams and tests in favor of online assessments, projects, and essays.”
Finally, Francesca Borgogni from Arezzo affirmed that an effective didactic path should aim “to offer the teacher some tools to enable him to deal with a topic in a participatory way, which at first impression may seem very complex and articulated, throughin-depth study and reflection activities, to highlight the link between the effects of climate change and the failure to enjoy basic human rights”
“It is important – continued Francesca – that girls and boys are able to understand the anthropogenic causes of climate change and the consequences that this phenomenon will have on present and future generations and that teachers help them manage this awareness, the emergence of new emotions and the desire to actively take action for change”.
