CO.META - Pesaro – 27 August 2020 - The event was led by Co.meta srl with the support of the Italian school partners, the Regional authority and all the organisations belonging to the regional network. The main objectives were: to present the results of APPs project, focusing on the “Handbook for teachers”; to promote European initiatives addressed to teachers, educators and students; to share good practises and experiences about the topic. The coordinator and the Italian teachers showed the activities carried out by the students during the workshops. The participants also had the opportunity to know the European Initiatives planned at national level and the latest news coming from National Agency INDIRE about the accreditation and the future Erasmus Plus Program (2021- 2027).A pilot project was presented by Regione Marche representative to study bullying and cyberbullying phenomena and create tailored actions at regional level. All the participants were teachers and educators or representatives of school sectors from several schools in different parts of Italy. Most of them had no experience in implementing initiatives against cyberbullying and found the event and presentations very interesting. They appreciated the easy info and materials to orientate their educational plans towards the implementation of innovative methodologies such as vertical learning modules. Moreover, they learnt about how to engage students and to work with them in an active way.
APPs project (“Addressing teaching to Prevent cyber-bullying Phenomenon at Schools”) aims at developing and promoting vertical learning modules as to guarantee an appropriate curricular approach in the prevention of cyber-bullying phenomenon at school by working on common and tailored educational strategies that involve directly teachers, directors, pupils and key experts at national and European level. According to the available data, the international reports indicate there is a general perception of cyber-bullying as a growing phenomenon raising serious concerns, affecting the motivation, concentration and self-confidence and, in general, the highest level of educational attainment of students. Therefore, APPs project proposed to develop creative materials and teaching tools as well as actions that support school success of students in line with their needs and expectations, and guarantee a smooth transition between different stages of education. APPs Project has involved teachers, pupils and school staff of seven educational Institutions located in Italy, Spain, Poland and Romania. They belong to different stages of education such as primary, lower and upper secondary level (students from 8 to 17 years old). The applicant, IIS Mengaroni, is a secondary school of Art, which offers specific courses aimed at acquiring key skills using specific contemporary languages. The school has always dealt with issues related to Cyber-bullying, understanding the high risk of school dropout for students affected by these behaviours. Within the partnership, there are a SME in Italy and a research and training centre in Ireland. The Italian organisation, Co.meta srl, is a training agency specialized in designing and implementing communication activities and campaigns to raise territory awareness about EU opportunities. The Irish organization, Universal Learning System, is specialized in designing training paths about innovative learning methods through its collaboration with the National University of Ireland Galway and its Open Learning Centre. The main activity of the project was to create and test vertical learning modules (VLMs), related to cyber-bullying phenomenon and its dimensions (e.g. xenophobia, racism, gender-based harassment and disability) based on the research and analysis previously carried out in each school involved by Irish agency. The data collected has constituted the analytic framework on which each partner could work according to its grade of education. The competences and skills acquired by teachers through a blended training, implemented during the first semester, has been used to coordinate the activity in the classroom involving students and their artistic abilities in creating innovative materials using forms of verbal and non-verbal language. During the project, students and teachers have participated in three short-term exchanges, where different school partners worked together and students of each school performed tasks assigned in class, showing their innovative products to their European peers. The participating organizations and the participants, directly and indirectly, involved in the project, have benefited in terms of understanding, competences, skills and awareness regarding the cyber-bullying phenomenon and its prevention. In detail, the project provided teachers with all the competencies and skills needed to deliver vertical teaching modules in prevention of cyber-bullying phenomenon. The pupils involved increased their understanding regarding the dynamics that can lead to the emerging cyber-bullying phenomenon by stimulating their motivation and their active participation. The schools in a whole empowered the collaboration internally as well as with other external stakeholder experts in educational and training issues at local and European level and created a positive learning environment at school. The community, in general, has benefited from the project as it improved awareness-raising in terms of cyber-bullying prevention at local level and it increased their knowledge sources and synergies to face the phenomenon. As mid and long-term benefits, APPs project will contribute to the improvement of the performance of education and training systems by optimizing the capacity of these sectors to respond to societal and economic challenges, starting from the school institutions involved directly in the project to the local community, reached during the dissemination and exploitation activities of the project. In fact, the dissemination plan has included a series of activities and it employed formal and non-formal channels as to ensure the spread of the results achieved, such as newsletters, press releases, workshops, IT tools (European web platform, social networks, APPs website, Edmodo platform) and local and international events (multiplier events) located in Spain, Italy, Romania and Poland thanks to the involvement of associated partners previously identified.