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Coding and active citizenship

Coding e cittadinanza attiva con Breaking Barriers

Coding and active citizenship

Coding and active citizenship

Breaking Barriers: a lesson in creativity with Giovanna Vadalà

‘I get bored with traditional lessons. I'm always looking for something new to teach the kids. After 30 years of teaching, what keeps me motivated is my passion.’

Giovanna Vadala teaches maths and science at the E. Montalbetti lower secondary school, part of the Bernardino Telesio comprehensive school in Reggio Calabria, led by headteacher Marisa Maisano. She is one of the teachers who chose to actively participate in the free training offered by the Breaking Barriers project, promoted by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale with the support of Google.org, transforming the content learned into a concrete and engaging educational experience.

Among the various events scheduled in the programme, Giovanna took part in the online workshop “Coding and Storytelling”, choosing to try it out in class with a project focused on civic education and respect for the environment.

"Using Scratch, we created an introductory narrative and then an educational game called “Catch the Rubbish”. The content was the same as that covered in the webinar, but reworked by the students in a creative way. It was a cross-curricular and inclusive activity, also carried out in collaboration with the art teacher: the students drew the backgrounds and characters by hand, making the whole process even more personal."

The activity was met with great enthusiasm in the class. ‘The feedback has been very positive. My students are already used to working with Scratch, but in this case there was an extra motivation: tackling an important issue in an unconventional way.’

Technologies that include
One of the most important aspects, according to Giovanna, is the inclusive power of digital technology: "For children with specific learning difficulties, it is essential to move away from traditional methods. In an activity like this, they don't have to read complex texts or memorise facts: they can learn through collaboration, research and synthesis, with the support of the group.‘

Soft skills and computational thinking
The experience has also strengthened cross-cutting skills. ’Teamwork is a constant in my classes. Coding not only develops logical thinking and problem solving, but also promotes cooperation and creativity. These are fundamental skills, especially today.‘

Reluctance still widespread
Despite her enthusiasm and conviction, Giovanna does not hide a certain difficulty in getting the entire teaching staff involved. ’I often share these experiences with my colleagues, but it's not easy. Adopting new technologies requires a lot of commitment, and not everyone is willing to step outside the comfort zone of traditional teaching." Yet she continues to experiment. ‘It's a question of passion, not age. Sometimes I find more reluctance among younger teachers than among more experienced ones. But those who really love teaching feel the need to constantly renew themselves.’

Looking to the future
Giovanna already has a clear wish for the future: "I would like to explore the use of augmented reality in more depth. I strongly believe in its educational potential, but it is still difficult to find tools and structured courses. It would be great if the Fondazione Mondo Digitale offered more training opportunities in this area.‘

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The Breaking Barriers project is the result of an alliance between the Fondazione Mondo Digitale and Google to build a more equitable educational future and promote equal opportunities in the...

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