From Rome to Palermo, from Bologna to Turin, passing from Bergamo, Padua, Milan, Cagliari, Florence. Inside a section of its own website, the Italian Ministry of Education collected all the stories, examples, twinning experiences and other facts which happened during this emergency period thanks to online teaching. This is a way not to lose contact with students, and to liven up good practices, bringing all the educational institutions together. Daily stories told through the social media channels of the Ministry (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Telegram, featuring the hashtag #lascuolanonsiferma – #schooldoesnotstop), giving space and voice to stories coming from schools all over Italy.
Stories include students from Vo’ Euganeo (Padua) having coding classes together with 300 other classmates connected live from other regions. Students creating a community thanks to their school radio; creating a videogame to “defeat coronavirus”; playing their music instruments remotely following the directions of their music teacher; or students producing face masks during their laboratory classes thanks to the 3D printers available in their institute, and donating them to hospital of Civil Protection Department.
Some teachers wrote, directed, and made a cartoon for primary school pupils featuring behavioural guidelines for the health emergency. Some others offered remote fairy tales readings every night. Some institutes launched a twinning, others “adopted a school”, exchanging good practices and making their own experience available. Some organised a series of “space” meetings for students connected remotely and some celebrated the “Poetry Week” thanks to podcasts.
Stories of resilience, solidarity, all collected on a map on the website of the Ministry of Education – https://www.istruzione.it/coronavirus/didattica-a-distanza_lascuolanonsiferma.html – telling how the world of school can become an educating, united and creative community even in such difficult and unpredictable times.