Two European Conferences Show CL’s Progress

Yael Sharan, yaelshar@zahav.net.il

1. Report on a conference in Bardolino, Italy

For three days in the beginning of September, 2006, while tourists were strolling along      Lake Garda, eating gelato and enjoying the view, 400 Italian educators met at a    conference in Bardolino, on the eastern shore of the lake, to discuss cooperative learning         in a multicultural society.  The conference was jointly convened by the city of Bardolino and the Department of Intercultural Studies at the University of Verona, chaired by Prof. Agostino Portera .

The major promoter of CL in this part of Italy is Prof. Mario Comoglio of the Salesian University in Rome. He has helped a generation of teachers and researchers who are well versed in CL, and has joined forces with Prof. Portera to examine the effects of CL on various aspects of the intercultural classroom. The main thrust of the conference was the   impact CL has on students' social skills and on conflict management in the classroom, at all levels.

Each of the three days of the conference was organized in an intriguing way. The first session was a plenary, with lectures on theory, projects and methods. During the second session, all the participants spread out in several Jigsaw teams, which focused on various aspects of cooperative social skills. After lunch there were reports on projects, followed by workshops on implementation of CL in a variety of content areas. On the final day, several schools exhibited their projects.

At the final session, Prof. Portera reiterated the advantages of CL in the intercultural classroom. Prof. Comoglio emphasized the need to "transpose our enthusiasm for CL into precise implementation . . . meaningful and deep." He reminded teachers that CL required a “long haul" and that they need to help students build their CL skills gradually. Both speakers look towards CL as a way to build a cohesive community of learners in classrooms and in schools. Throughout the conference, several speakers referred to CL as a   philosophy of life, and to the CL classroom as a "symphony."

This was the first of a planned series of annual conferences on the connection between CL and the intercultural classroom. Prof. Comoglio and Prof. Portera will keep us informed of developments. Several participants in the conference promised to write up their school experiences for the IASCE newsletter.

2. Report on a conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, to mark the end of a three-year nationwide School Improvement Project (SIP).

For two days in September the Lithuanian Ministry of Education hosted a conference that brought together all the regional and foreign consultants involved in this remarkable project. Since the country's independence 15 years ago, Lithuania has valued education as a primary tool for forging its identity and sees CL as an integral part of this effort. They are struggling with the effects of globalization and membership in the EU, and are looking for the best way to balance foreign influences on their educational system with local needs.

The components of the project included formulation of educational policy and assessment, advised by Prof. Noel McGinn and Dr. Haiyan Hua of Harvard; school improvement, advised by Dr. Linda E. Lee of Manitoba, Canada; and CL, advised by Dr Pasi Sahlberg and myself. At the first session, speakers focused on how the project laid the foundation for promising future developments in Lithuanian education and the ensuing challenges. The foreign consultants opened the second session with short presentations about "How schools should prepare for the 21^st century," after which the audience took part in a discussion on the topic. All agreed that CL would continue to play an integral part in future developments.

On the second day, the consultants were divided into pairs. Prof. McGinn and I went to the Vilnius Pedagogical University to address the faculty and later met with teacher candidates to discuss educational policy and CL.

Everyone involved in the project was impressed by how enthused, committed and dedicated the Lithuanian educators were to its success. For more information please contact Egle Pranckuniene at egle@osf.lt.

Hopefully, we will hear more details about projects and challenges from the Italians, the Lithuanians and others, at our next international conference.