ORIGINS

    The school was originally founded in 1942 as a technical institute for girls called the “Istituto Tecnico Femminile”.  It remained thus until 1980, when experimental courses were introduced, first in languages and biology and a few years later in maths and information science. The courses were opened to boys as well as girls, which naturally began to change the school’s physiognomy. At this stage the school was known as “I.T.F. con Maxi-Sperimentazione Globale” but towards the end of the 80s the name changed again to “I.T.F. ‘Giordano Bruno’”.  In 1993, a second fundamental turnabout occurred  when it was decided to adhere to the “Progetto Brocca”, an experimental project for the reform of secondary education in Italy (Sig. Brocca was the head of the commission that elaborated the project).  In 1998 the school  finally lost every vestige of its old identity  when it officially became the “Istituto Tecnico per Attività Sociali ‘Giordano Bruno’”.  Two technical “girls’” courses  have nevertheless continued to exist, one in fashion and design and another in dietetics.

BROCCA PROJECT

    The main aim of the Brocca Project is to overcome the limitations of the traditional separation of secondary institutes in Italy into schools for vocational training, technical schools, lyceums, grammar schools and so on, a division considered out of touch with the needs of modern society.  The idea is to fuse the critical and humanistic formation ideally provided by lyceums and grammar schools with the technical and creative skills promoted by technical and vocational institutes.  It is hoped in this way that students will acquire the ability not only to understand, but also to cope on a practical level with the rapid processes of change typical of our times. In our school, the three experimental courses (in languages, biology and science and technology, as it was now called) were maintained, but to comply  with Brocca requirements, the number of hours allotted to each subject was altered, sometimes radically, and new subjects, mostly of a scientific nature, were introduced. The Brocca Project stresses  the central role of the student in the learning process and the importance of a relaxed, positive environment.  Our school actively pursues these goals, considering them prerequisites for successful learning, and also encourages student autonomy and close student-teacher collaboration.

OBJECTIVES

    In particular, the formative objectives of the Brocca courses are:

·        the acquisition of linguistic competence

·        the acquisition of research skills

·        an awareness of evolutionary processes and of the relativity of viewpoints

·        the development of the aesthetic, creative and projectual dimensions

PRESENT SITUATION

    The school has grown constantly in the last few years and at present has 1,146 students, about 5% of whom are foreigners, and 147 teachers.  There are 11 secretarial staff members and 20 janitors.

ORGANIZATION

    On enrolment, students choose one of the five courses:

·        Languages

·        Biology

·        Science and technology

·        Fashion and design

·        Dietetics

     The courses have a duration of five years and conclude with a state exam which gives   access to all the University faculties.  The five years are divided into two phases, the first two years and the last three.  In the first two years, two thirds of the subjects are common to all the Brocca courses, which enables students to change direction fairly easily if they discover they made the wrong choice initially.  In the non-Brocca courses, the subjects are identical in the first two years.  On average, students must study 12 subjects each year and have 34 hours of lessons a week.  The school week goes from Monday to Saturday, starting at 8.20 and finishing at 1.25.

DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSES

    In the language course, students learn English and French in the first two years and a third language, German or Spanish, in the last three. Latin is studied all five years.  There is a weekly conversation lesson with a mother tongue teacher for each foreign language.  Despite the name of the course, a considerable number of hours are dedicated to scientific as well as humanistic subjects, allowing students to follow  tertiary studies in any field.   The course’s continuing popularity is probably due in part to its well-established programme of cultural exchanges with other countries, although in recent years the other courses have also organized  exchanges with some regularity.

    In the science and technology course, the emphasis, as the name suggests, is on the interaction of science and technology, and hands-on laboratory work has a major role.  At the same time, the course strives to promote an understanding of the effects of modern scientific developments, together with a sense of ethical responsibility, through the study of subjects such as Italian, history, philosophy, law and English.

    The same humanistic studies are present in the biology course, which  obviously privileges subjects like biology, chemistry, anatomy, microbiology and molecular biology.  The aim of the course, besides enhancing students’ critical and decisional capacities and providing a solid cultural background, is to develop laboratory skills relevant to the safeguard of health and ecosystems.  An integral part of the 4^th year curriculum is in fact a week’s field work.

    As regards the non-Brocca courses, special importance is given to the acquisition of practical skills and in both courses the primary intention is to enable students to pass directly into the work force at the end of their school careers.  Students typically attend conferences outside the school and visit exhibitions, factories and canteens to study production and organizational techniques. However the structure of these courses is currently under review and it is likely that they will soon be assimilated as Brocca courses.

PROJECTS

    Student and teacher involvement in project work is becoming increasingly frequent as stronger links are forged with external authorities and institutions, and with schools in other countries.  Project work often starts in the 2^nd year and is  compulsory component of the 4^th and 5^th year curriculum of Brocca courses.   In this latter case, two classes generally work together in order to encourage socialization and cooperation.  The topic of the two-year project is chosen jointly by student and staff members and the research activities guided by a “tutor”.  About 10% of the total number of hours is dedicated specifically to the project, though many teachers try to include references to the topic in their regular lessons.  While the work tends to create logistical problems and is sometimes held to constitute an unwarranted interruption to the rhythm of normal school activities, it is appreciated for the way it illustrates the principle of the convergence of knowledge and favours the surfacing of otherwise unsuspected qualities and talents. The students themselves seem to enjoy the more informal approach that is generally adopted and to find the work meaningful and rewarding.