School Without Backpacks
Scuola Senza Zaino
Senza Zaino
Evidence of results
Purpose related to Let's Care
Level of Education
Pillars
Brief description of the Project
Duration
Scope
Funds
Objectives
To create an educational environment focused on active learning, cooperation among students and individual and collective autonomy.
Methodology
Scuole Senza Zaino's methodology is based on a student-centered pedagogical approach, which focuses on creating a stimulating and emotionally safe educational environment in which students can develop their potential autonomously and creatively.
The programme is characterised by a collaborative and participatory approach, in which students play an active role in the creation of their own knowledge, guided by the teacher as facilitator and guide.
Teamwork and collaboration are promoted, and problem solving and creativity are encouraged. Students have the freedom to choose and carry out projects and activities that interest them, and can work autonomously or in small groups.
In addition, the programme promotes inclusion and mutual respect, and focuses on the holistic development of students, including social and emotional skills.
Type of Action
Target Group and Determinants attended
Professionals involved
Networking - Actors and Institutions mobilised by the Project
Enablers
The Scuole Senza Zaino educational program has had various facilitators and collaborators throughout its history. First, the Scuole Senza Zaino educational model is inspired in part by the experience of the Reggio Emilia School Movement, an innovative pedagogical approach that developed in the city of Reggio Emilia in Italy.
Another facilitator of the program is Professor Claudio Tarditi, an expert in psychology and education who has collaborated in the design and development of the Scuole Senza Zaino educational model, contributing his expertise in the field of developmental psychology and education.
Families are also considered facilitators of the program, since one of the pillars of Scuole Senza Zaino's educational model is the active collaboration of families in the management and development of the school. In this way, families actively participate in decision-making and in the design of educational activities.
Finally, each Scuole Senza Zaino school has a pedagogical coordinator whose function is to supervise the implementation of the educational model and to support teachers in the planning and development of educational activities. These coordinators are considered facilitators of the program, as they play a key role in the successful implementation of the educational model.
Barriers
Throughout its implementation, the Scuole Senza Zaino program has faced several barriers and challenges. One of the main challenges has been the paradigm shift implied by the educational model, which breaks with traditional forms of teaching and learning, and which can generate resistance and difficulties among teachers and the educational community in general.
In addition, the implementation of the programme requires a significant investment of time and resources, since it involves the education and training of teachers, the adaptation of the school's physical spaces and the acquisition of didactic and technological materials.
Another barrier that the programme has faced is the lack of support and recognition by educational and political authorities. In some cases, the implementation of the educational model has been seen as a threat to traditional forms of teaching and learning, and has been the object of criticism and resistance.
Finally, the programme has also faced challenges related to the evaluation and measurement of the results and impact of the educational model, since it is a pedagogical approach that privileges creativity, experimentation and personalised learning, which makes it difficult to compare with more traditional educational models oriented towards standardised evaluation.
Grade of linkage with the Safe Education Model
The Scuole Senza Zaino program promotes an education based on respect, trust and dialogue between students and teachers, which fosters the building of healthy and meaningful relationships. The pedagogical approach of this program takes into account the emotional and social development of students, and is based on the idea that learning is most effective when it occurs in an environment of safety and trust.
In addition, the Scuole Senza Zaino program encourages students' autonomy, allowing them to choose the pace and form of learning that is most appropriate for them. In this way, it fosters the development of skills such as creativity, initiative and decision making, which contributes to the formation of more autonomous and responsible individuals in their educational process and in their lives in general.
Grade of linkage with the purpose of Let's Care
The Scuole Senza Zaino program addresses school failure and dropout in a preventive manner, through a methodology that fosters motivation, commitment and a sense of belonging on the part of students. In this pedagogical approach, meaningful learning, collaborative work and the development of emotional and social skills are valued.
In addition, individualised attention and early identification of learning difficulties are promoted in order to address them effectively. In this sense, the program seeks to involve parents and the community in the educational task, to generate a network of support and accompaniment that facilitates the learning process of students and their permanence in the educational system.
Grade of evidence about impact and political relevance
The Scuole Senza Zaino network of schools has had a significant impact on the Italian education system, both locally and nationally. The program has been recognized for its innovative and effective approach to improving educational quality and preventing school failure and dropout.
Since its implementation, the program has generated interest and recognition at the political level, being the subject of several studies and analyses. In addition, it has influenced the country's educational policy, promoting greater attention to the emotional and social dimension of learning, as well as to the need for a more personalised and student-centered education.
The political relevance of the program has been reflected in the approval of laws and measures that encourage the adoption of similar approaches in other schools and regions of the country. In addition, it has served as a reference model for other countries interested in improving their educational system and addressing issues such as school failure and dropout.
Currently, the network has more than 200 schools throughout Italy.
Grade of evidence about impact - Project deliverables
Reproducibility
The Scuole Senza Zaino program has been the subject of study and analysis in other countries, suggesting that it is possible to implement it elsewhere and transfer its model to other educational contexts. At the national level, the program has been reproducible in more than 200 centers in different social contexts.
Outcomes
Innovative, participatory, community-based