LICEI EINSTEIN DA VINCI Molfetta

The Istituto di Istruzione Secondaria Superiore Liceo Scientifico “A. Einstein”, Liceo Classico “L. Da Vinci” is an upper secondary school located in the city of Molfetta (Adriatic Coast) and it is attended by more than 700 students in 32 classrooms, employing more than 60 people among teachers and staff members. The institute gathers 2 secondary schools, which are the Liceo Classico "Leonardo da Vinci" and the Liceo Scientifico "Albert Einstein" and the schools have been running autonomously until 2000/01, when they became a unique institution. The institute is provided with a library room, temporarly used as auditorium, and an indoor gym equipped with a running track and outdoor pitch. In addition there are ICT, chemistry and physics labs, multimedia language classrooms and one planetarium. The courses are meant to provide students with a certain cultural background able to face the challenge of the job market from privileged position. The youngsters learn how to be citizens, become aware of the present and learn how to approach the other peers. They learn how to drive personal and real life changes. The aim of the school is to teach students: - the social political and ethic values of peace, equality , freedom, brotherhood, solidarity, social justice; - the values of democracy and legality - the acceptance, awareness of differences, social inclusion; - the respect of the environment and the cultural heritage; The school supports: - the development of the students' personality, providing an active role in the educational and learning process; - the learning interaction with family and with the wide community; - the development of positive social and relational attitudes; - the gradual achievement of sense of independent evaluation, choosing and taking responsibility; - the creation of stable synergies between school and local community. The school offers: - tools for understanding the reality offering a wide range of cultural suggestions; - opportunities to become aware of own ideas and get the responsibility of own actions; - coherent and clear standards of behaviour which allows students to put into practice common shared values. The courses are focused on the connection between science and humanistic knowledge, where both branches are integrated each other. Main subjects are: Italian language and literature, Latin and Greek language and culture, English language and culture, Maths, Physics, Geography, Biology, Drama. An important role is given to interactive activities (dialogic and group lessons, problem solving, cooperative learning, peer education …) and researches that aim at fostering emotional intelligence, critical sense, self committment, assumption of responsability in the school work. In addition we use the so called CLIL didactic (Content and Language Integrated Learning), teaching non-language subjects in a foreign language. This method is meant to meet the 5 general objectives focused in the White Book of the European Commission in 1995 regarding learning and training, which is "to promote the knowledge of 3 EU languages". In the last years the school hosted even training activities for teachers addressed to the new ICT methods and actually several happenings and events regarding scientific issues are open to the inhabitants. Those events are organized with the support of university professors, experts, professionals and former students. In the year 2013/14 the school promoted the creation of a network of all the secondary schools in the city, so called "Rete di Scuole Superiori di Molfetta”, which includes also the Municipality of Molfetta. The aim of the network is to implement initiatives sharing the same interest, cultural and educational activities and actions addressed to solidarity and social inclusion.