Nelson Mandela

In dicember 2016 Xhesika, a little girl from Albania, joined my class. She didn’t speak Italian at all ; therefore we needed the help of a linguistic mediator; so we submitted inquiry to the social cooperative Consorzio Solco of Imola that works for cultural mediation and literacy of immigrants.

When my collegue Ivana Leopardi and I took contact with the Albanian linguistic mediator, we  thought  an integration project of the newly arrived  pupils in Italy  aimed at our classes 3^B  and 3^C. 

This project  enhances the role of the mediator as a cultural support assistant.

 

- Raising awareness towards the values ​​of solidarity.

- Promoting respect, tolerance and mutual understanding.

- Foster a climate of acceptance and integration towards newly arrived pupils.

- Prevent uncomfortable situations.

- Implement strategies to overcome conflicts.

- Build a classroom setting which aims to foster the encounter with other cultures.

- Designing intercultural educational courses aimed at developing knowledge and appreciation of the cultures of other countries.

- Promote an active and constructive dialogue in the comparison between our culture and that of the country of origin of the student entered in the class.

 

The educational project activated was in two meetings.

With the support of the Albanian linguistic mediator, Altiona Marqeshi, in the first 2 hours meetings we took care the welcome of Xhesica. Altiona introduced herself and told us that she was 3 years old when she arrived in Italy, during the war in Albania. Now she is 20; she lives in San Giovanni in Persiceto; she studies at the University in Bologna.

She was a great support for us also because she used to attend this school “Quaquarelli”. She learned Italian very fluently, but she still speaks Albanian in her family  and every year in summer she goes to Albania on holiday.

A few weeks before Altiona meet Xhesika’s brother in her rule of mediator in the secondary school of first grade and helped him to integrate. In that period she got to know Xhesica’s family and she created a climate of confidence. She was friendly and encouraged Xhesika to build confidence with the teachers and with the class mates. She gave testimony direct Albanian culture, customs and traditions, tipycal food and money compared with our country. Then, using Internet and LIM, she showed the town of origin of Xhesika, some Albania landscapes and listened to a modern song. At the end of her reportage  we guided conversation and discussion aimed at understanding between pupils, ready to meet the challenges that can be encountered on the opinions about other countries and people.

 

The second meeting we had about our project took place on 21st February 2017, which is the date of INTERNATIONAL DAY OF MOTHER TONGUE established by UNESCO in 1999 to develop the linguistic and cultural diversity  knowledge and promote multilingual education.

During the second meeting we also proposed reading the fairy tale "The Daughter of the Sun and Moon" in Albanian by Xhesica with the translation in Italian of Altiona. In that way we could compare the two languages. The researched of the key-words of the tale helped pupils to found similar words and understood some rules.

Finally they made the illustration of the fairy tale in sequences with drawings and posters.

At the end of the project the children was very happy and they also expressed a desire to visit Albania in the future. The family of Xhesica thanks for the educational support interventions of teachers and linguistic mediator.

 

With this project we encourage children to be thoughtful, tolerant and helpful, treating others with care and respect and to help them to develop a well- rounded understanding of the world.

We are convinced that our mother tongue is a fundamental part of us and of our identity, it expresses our culture, our tradition and our roots and protect our mother tongue means protect ourselves.

Short description of resource

 

Age appropriateness of resource: 5-8 years

In the narrative of migration for me it has great value the role of the theater, as a representation of reality and fiction, which moves from the real life stories of migrants, their biographies personified by the pupils who undergo interviews by their companions.

A theater which, if well managed and attentive more to the process that enabled to achieve the result, stimulates the identification of the spectators with the actors and promotes the elimination of prejudice and stereotypes. The strategies of the CIRCLE TIME and IMPROVISATION, the use of MASKS let you communicate something of themselves to the other, creates empathy, to activate channels of expression protected, respecting the privacy of everyone, the freedom to say and do not say , to get "naked" only if we want.

The methodology of the Cooperative-Learning has as its main goal to educate to respect others, to dialogue and cooperation; a commitment from the perspective of sustainable development and peace.