Break the barriers 2021

The  New technologies for education to support Hospital Schools: the approach of the ABF Digital Lab workshop was held on November 18 and represents the foundation’s first event to engage in dialog and share the results of the project, promoted by the Andrea Bocelli Foundation with the support of the Italian Pediatric Hospitals Association (AOPI) and the Italian Ministry of Education.

The ‘Digital Lab’ Pilot Project implemented in the Hospital Schools that are part of the AOPI network has had its 1st anniversary in 5 children’s hospitals (the Gaslini Institute in Genoa, the Salesi Hospital in Ancona, the Burlo Garofolo Pediatric Institute in Trieste, the Santobono-Pausilipon Pediatric Hospital in Naples and the Meyer Children’s Hospital in Florence) and with the workshop day held on November 18, 2021, it shared its results, opening up reflection on the benefits that a good use of new technologies can bring to the hospital educational and teaching spheres.

“Giving a central role to the rights of children: a right to health, a right to education and, above all, in the Hospital Schools project, the right to scholastic continuity when ill and receiving care,” said Alberto Zanobini, AOPI President – Italian Pediatric Hospitals Association – at the opening of the workshop.

The first session included the greetings of Sara Funaro (City of Florence, Education and Welfare Councilor), Alberto Zanobini (AOPI President and Meyer General Director), Giovanni Rezza (Director General for Prevention from the Italian Ministry of Health) and Andrea Bocelli (Andrea Bocelli Foundation), introducing the round table called “What Opportunities, What Policies, What Resources for Hospital Schools” to start the workshop, which saw the participation of Clelia Caiazza (IV Department Director of the General Directorate for Students, Inclusion and Academic Guidance for the Italian Ministry of Education), Andrea Silenzi (Healthcare Director of the General Directorate of Prevention of the Italian Ministry of Health), Nicola Magrini (Director General of the Italian Medicines Agency), Flavia Tarquini (Deputy Committee Member and Italy representative for the Hospital Organization of Pedagogues in Europe), Vanna Boffo (Director of the Department of Education, Languages, Interculture, Literatures and Psychology of the University of Florence) and Elena Tenti (Lecturer on the National Projects of the Regional School Office of Tuscany).

After framing the issue marked by the many perspectives of the many actors involved, the first working session – introduced by Veronica Berti (Andrea Bocelli Foundation Vice-Chair) – was dedicated to the innovative methodological approach and the prospects of implementing new educational technologies in the hospital settings, which saw Laura Biancalani (Andrea Bocelli Foundation President) introduce the ABF Break the Barriers program, and then talk more in depth about ABF’s approach to education, the context, the history and the specific details of the Digital Lab Pilot Project led by Serafino Carli (Andrea Bocelli Foundation Pedagogical Coordinator). The working session then concluded with a talk by Antonio Restivo (Tuscany Regional School Office (URS) Training Team), who set forth the National Digital School Plan, its applications and prospects for Hospital Schools.

The second session was dedicated to experiences from the projects: the Pilot Project at the “G. Gaslini” Pediatric Institute with the “Sturla” School in Genoa and the first experimentation at the “Salesi” Hospital with the “Novelli Natalucci” School in Ancona. The works were opened by Erica Volta and Federica Selleri (Andrea Bocelli Foundation Digital Atelieristas) illustrating the ABF Digital Lab pilot project in HS settings, the theoretical framework, the methodologies and working techniques and continued thanks to talks by some of the teachers involved in the project at the Gaslini Hospital School in Genoa (Nicoletta Soldi, Fulvia di Fiore, Mara Margiarotti, Claudia Mereu, and Daniele Rosace), the Principal (Lucia Cipolla) and a few teachers representing the “Novelli Natalucci” School in Ancona (Chiara Pirani and Alessia Tarantelli), and concluded with an overview of experiences, pathways and development prospects provided by Federica Selleri (Andrea Bocelli Foundation Digital Atelierista).

The working table then focused on the issue of focusing on monitoring and evaluation processes in the educational space, with a talk by Serafino Carli (Andrea Bocelli Foundation Pedagogical Coordinator), who highlighted the need to create the conditions to monitor the quality of the projects and identified assessment as a resource for participation, Erica Volta (Andrea Bocelli Foundation Digital Atelierista) then shared the results of the ABF Lab impact assessment, the theoretical framework and the study perspectives. Lastly, Michele Capurso (Researcher in Developmental and Educational Psychology at the University of Perugia; Chief Editor of ‘Continuity in Education’) concluded, illustrating the process that leads from planning to assessment, focusing attention on six key factors for hospital schools.

The concluding words were passed to ABF President Laura Biancalani, who opened up new perspectives of implementation and support for Hospital Schools with the presentation of the new ‘H-Lab’ Pilot Project that will see the creation of new workshop spaces in the Hospital School at the Meyer Children’s Hospital in Florence also, enriched by the presence of new atelieristas specialized in the expressive languages of art and music.

Thursday, November 18, 2021 – 10:00 am

at the San Firenze Complex
Piazza di San Firenze, 5 – Florence

10:00 – 10:30 am
Reception

10:30 – 11:15 am
Welcome speech by our Founder Andrea Bocelli. Round table on the issue of “What Opportunities, What Policies, What Resources for Hospital Schools” – Moderator: Alberto Zanobini – AOPI President

11:15 am – 12:30 pm
Start of workshop: innovative methodological approach and implementation prospects for new educational technologies in the hospital setting

12:30 – 2:00 pm
Break

2:00 – 3:30 pm
Experiences from the projects: the Pilot Project at the “G. Gaslini” Pediatric Institute with the “Sturla” School in Genoa and the first experimentation at the “Salesi” Hospital with the “Novelli Natalucci” School in Ancona

3:30 – 4:30 pm
Focus on monitoring and evaluation processes in the educational space

4:30 – 4:50 pm
Prospects for new project development. The ABF H-Lab ABF Pilot Project at the Meyer University-Hospital in Florence

4:50 pm
Q&A session and concluding remarks