https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool Learning Diary en-us 2016-12-01 10:42:01 UTC 2025-12-24 21:40:01 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Shakinghands.png innisfail82 https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/141548724 I'm Martina, I'm 33 and I'm an Italian Math teacher.
Nice to meet you!]]> 2016-12-03 14:47:42 UTC https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/141548724 innisfail82 https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/141548737 I agree with the idea that integration of migrants in our school is a challenge but also a great opportunity. 
In Italy we recently started considering immigrants' cultural, social, linguistic and economic needs such as special education needs that deserve a personal education plan. But we need to work on these issues, we have to train properly all the school staff, not only teachers, and to fight against racist ideas that sadly sometimes take place among students. We have to re-think our schools in a more open and welcoming way, changing first of all our minds.]]> 2016-12-03 14:48:06 UTC https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/141548737 innisfail82 https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/141549934 In the last years as a teacher I met students with very different needs: sometimes they had language issues, sometimes economic issues and the difficulty to buy clothes, shoes, books. Sometimes they were in Italy alone, without their family and they lived in communities for underage people.
So they had a large amount of cultural, economic and emotional needs. 
Unfortunately in our schools we do not always have programs like the ones described in the second video. We have tried to help our students as we could, but it's not enough, we need to have structural programs in every school, with the help of a psychologist and maybe to build a strong net with cultural associations, sports associations.]]> 2016-12-03 15:18:27 UTC https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/141549934 innisfail82 https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/141552919 In my school, we use the integration model. At the beginning of the school year, we write a personal school plan for students with special education needs linked to their economic, social and linguistic situation. ]]> 2016-12-03 16:16:13 UTC https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/141552919 innisfail82 https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/142785392 In the last 8  years I changed many schools, and I found different situations. Sometimes there was a good organisation, with the help of educators and psychologists, sometimes I found that no projects had been activated.
The situation is very different from one school to another, depending on the presence of young migrants attending that school, and even from the will of the single school to realize a real and significant integration. ]]> 2016-12-09 13:41:46 UTC https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/142785392 innisfail82 https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/142789275 I didn't know the RespAct project and I found it very interesting.
I would like to involve my class in the future, because I think that many of my students need to "be actively engaged in shaping their environment and in protecting themselves from violence." 
I'd like to organize talks and debates about different themes, such as the ones proposed in the video: gender equality, addictions, violence, integration. And I'd like to involve my students in social engagement projects such as voluntary work.]]> 2016-12-09 13:54:04 UTC https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/142789275 innisfail82 https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/142808170 When a young migrant comes to a new class, I think it's very important to prepare the school staff that works in that class, and the other students too.
All the community should study the social and cultural background from which the new student is coming from, and should try to improve their empathy skills, so when the migrant student finally comes to the class, everyone is ready to welcome her/him. ]]> 2016-12-09 14:48:48 UTC https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/142808170 innisfail82 https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/142957012 I never had any experience with newly arrived migrant students with specific needs, due to their personal situation and origin. But as a teacher for children with special needs, I often have had to deal with many social, psychological, educational and sometimes economic issues. In those situations I always work in team with educators, neuropsychiatrists, associations, parents, and other structures outside the school. I think that we should do the same when newly arrived migrand students have specific needs: sometimes they don't even have a family with them, so it's really important to find help from the community outside the school. ]]> 2016-12-10 17:41:12 UTC https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/142957012 innisfail82 https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/142958138 Last year I had an interesting experience with a project about autogenic training and relaxation techniques, that helped many of my students with anxiety issues.
Other activities in the classroom could be:
-painting the classroom walls,
-to write a song all toghether,
-sport activities,
-poetry and drama.]]> 2016-12-10 18:04:01 UTC https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/142958138 innisfail82 https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/142959176 I still didn't have any experience with newly arrived students that don't talk Italian (or at least English) at all. I'd like to try all the resources that you've shared and maybe to start a project in my school to teach them Italian as a second language (L2).]]> 2016-12-10 18:27:16 UTC https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/142959176 innisfail82 https://padlet.com/innisfail82/IntegratingMigrantschool/wish/142960062 I still have not tried any of these activities yet, but surely I'll try in the future.

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