This is our fifth weekly instalment of interviews with teachers in Project “Our School” who we have described as i-Teachers, inclusion teachers, who work day in and day out to make sure that no one is left behind [see news: Our School].
Today, a short video and an interview by Ilaria Gaudiello will introduce us to Prof. Stefania Altieri, a new technology enthusiast and Scientix Ambassador.
Stefania Altieri is a teacher and educator, a Scientix Ambassador and an eTwinning moderator for a European group on coding. She is enthusiastic about new technology and digital didactics and firmly believes in the role of teachers in educating the new generations to work towards a more responsible and better future.
INTERVIEW
Stefania, as a teacher and educator you are on the frontline, both nationally and internationally. What do you think about the evolution of digital teaching and the needs of teachers in this international working context?
The Covid19 pandemic provided digital teaching with a surprising acceleration. Schools, proverbially slow to change, had to face the emergency by providing distance learning. And many Italian schools were unprepared and not adequately equpiied to do so, but the key word was resilience. Most teachers exhibited an incredible ability to react and adopt a completely new pedagogic approach to reach out to their students. Nonetheless, we still face many difficulties: lack of devices, connection, school dropouts, etc.
The route to reach a true digital transformation is still long. We need training and new methodologies and learning environments. I’m experiencing this challenge in the first person and fighting to allow it to unfold, both nationally and internationally.
Your profile is that of an agent of change for schools who can design, experiment, involve. How did this aptitude to innovation begin and how did you keep it going?
I’ll use a pencil metaphor to explain my position. The eraser represents the conservative faction, those who try to remove the new. The metal ring holding the eraser represents those who are so sure of themselves, they are convinced technology has no role in a classroom. The wooden part is composed of those who use technology that someone else set up for them. Then, there is the shaved wood, representing those who exploit experiences, learn from best practices and work well. The pencil tip represents the pioneers, the first to test and use new technology and lead the way. I have always tried to be on the tip, although I actually would like to go even further and be able to see what is necessary beforehand. Afterall, today’s school prepares students for tomorrow’s world.
You are working on a project for didactic innovation as part of the “Our School” Network of teachers organised by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale. What is the key idea of the unit that you are working in your group (and that will shortly be published on the FMD website)?
The key words of the project are collaboration, inclusion and sustainability. Collaboration amongst teachers who developed the project and participating students is fundamental. We all learn from each other. The whole is always more than the sum of the parts. Inclusion is key to education, but we also have to value diversity. Sustainability interprets our wellbeing and calls us to glocal challenges (global but also local). Our project is based on a treasure hunt with questions and coding games based on the Agenda 2030 to obtain a sustainability passport. The questions, which are increasingly difficult, have been developed by students in various classes, calling everyone to action and participation, because everyone must pitch in to become an aware citizen.
The “Our School” Network of teachers organised by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale includes pioneers like you who conceive, test, evaluate and divulge. What do you believe would be helpful to these workgroups and what message would you like to give them?
Pioneers often move to fast and when they turn around notice that no one is there. The message I would like to send to all the teachers inthe “Our School” Network is “look to your sides, find someone else working on daily reality. There are many of us working for ourselves and our students. We can chip in and improve bot hour future and theirs. We are not alone!
