Stem workshops at the Mattei-Di Vittorio Comprehensive Institute in Pioltello
The Mattei-Di Vittorio Comprehensive Institute in Pioltello, in the province of Milan, has enthusiastically joined the initiatives of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale to bring girls and boys closer to technical-scientific paths with a series of workshop activities that have met with great success among younger students and older ‘colleagues’.
The pupils tried their hand at building electronic circuits with leds and batteries, programming robots and challenges on customised paths, but they also put themselves to the test with educational games.
The synergy with the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, as school head Salvatore Longobardi emphasised, has strengthened the public school's educational offer. ‘At this time, characterised by rapid and complex transformations, the school can no longer be an isolated entity. It has become imperative to open up to collaborations with the territory and external entities, so that we can offer students a comprehensive, innovative education that is in step with the needs of the contemporary world. These alliances, in fact, allow us to make the most of the resources of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, integrating traditional teaching with high value-added projects that promote technological innovation, sustainability, and the transfer of transversal and professional skills'.
An important choice for the modern and inclusive school as Longobardi understands it. ‘Targeted projects such as those of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale offer our students the opportunity to experiment with innovative technologies and strategies that enrich learning and make it more dynamic, helping us to train responsible young people, capable of applying the knowledge learnt in the classroom to concrete projects, developing problem-solving skills, teamwork and critical thinking. A goal that reinforces the school's role as a hub of the territory: an open institution that becomes a reference point for the growth not only of the students, but of the entire community’.
Michela Galullo, French teacher at the secondary school, added: ‘The collaboration with the Fondazione Mondo Digitale arose from a common desire to promote Stem education with an innovative and engaging approach that combines theoretical training and workshop activities. The integration of theory and practice allows students to immediately apply what they have learnt, consolidating their knowledge and increasing their enthusiasm for these disciplines, which are often perceived as difficult. This approach fits perfectly with our educational mission, which aims to prepare students to face the challenges of the future with solid skills and an innovative spirit’.
For kindergarten, the teacher mentioned the use of Bee Bot educational robots to introduce basic concepts of computational logic. By playing, the children explored sequences, spatial orientation, geometric shapes and numbers. For primary school, there were activities with educational robots such as Blue Bot, Lego WeDo and Lego Spike Prime, with which students designed and built robotic models, developing programming and logic skills. Finally, workshops on technological innovation and solving complex problems with the aid of 3D printing were held for the first and second classes of the secondary school; the third classes used Arduino.
‘These experiences generated great enthusiasm among pupils of all ages,’ commented the teacher. ‘A significant episode concerned the kindergarten children, the youngest ones, who, after having carried out the activities with the Bee Bots, enthusiastically recounted their experiences to their classmates who remained in the class, to the point that we had to organise further sessions to involve all those interested. The interest shown by the children and young people and the positive feedback received from the teachers confirm the value of this training course. Thanks to the great interest shown, the project is having unquestionable success and the planned activities aim to consolidate and expand the skills already acquired. We hope to continue on this path to train generations of future innovators and problem solvers'.
The interviews are by Onelia Onorati, who is in charge of the press office for the Fondazione Mondo Digitale.
