The project involved the students of a first class of  our upper secondary technical agrarian school,  with a challenged student. The Module 1 foresaw the detecting in open field and the previous  studying  in the classroom of a determined territory. Such a study is interdisciplinary: Earth Sciences, Topography, Physical Education.

The project is divided into three phases:

1. preparation: The following tasks are undertaken in the classroom in school and extraschool time:

• survey of the selected territory through photographic maps, photos, biblio searching; hydrogeological and environmental surveys with sciences and informatics lab activities; geo maps analysis and geo map production;  horse care and riding classes;
• itinerary planning also through software;
• first horse riding basics.

2. implementation: 2 days staying in the selected territory in the countryside, overnighting in tents, in order to carry out the activities prepared in Phase 1: horse excursion (Physical Education), survey of the bioindicator organisms living in the stream (Earth Sciences)  and topographical surveys (Topography).

3. data processing and production of a CD

The stream analysis has to be done not in the dry season and the living organisms sample has to be analysed at once on site. Some microorganisms live under stones in the water. In the preparatory phase 2 students are divided into three groups and all students will alternatively carry out each activity within the frame of the subjects of Biology, PE and Topography. In phase 3 students are three for each group and they process, analyse and tabulate data and process the final output. 

Why is this a good practice?

• Making an experience, cooperate in the operational phases, living, overnighting, cooking and having meals together is certainly a strong motive of cohesion of the group.
• The use of both the natural environment and the school labs allows to further deepen the ecological issues of the school Sciences curriculum and to make students acquire consciousness of the appropriate behaviour to adopt in accordance with the natural environment and in the perspective of the scientific education to Climate Change
• Within the excursions and the cooperative learning there is the chance to make emerge and strenghten relational and technical skills otherwise hard to be developed.
• The horse riding is a strong motivational push

 Results

From a social point of view the project had results beyond expectations. Life in a natural environment without cell phones and technological equipments and group organization and work allowed to strenghten the class group and favour the involvement of some disabled students who showed improvements also in their school grades.

All students acquired fundamental knowledges and skills which allowed to deepen the issues of the study of a territory; they also acquired the appropriate attitudes in order to safeguard the natural environment.

Mrs Ornella Vacca: orniv@libero.it