From October 22nd to 25th, 2024, educators from four European countries gathered in Reggio Emilia, Italy, for the International Training Days of the Widespread School Erasmus+ project. This event brought together around 30 teachers and educators from Italy, Spain, Finland, and Croatia to engage in a series of collaborative workshops aimed at testing and refining a draft version of the Toolbox.
The goal of the Widespread School project is to foster the development of cross-curricular school programs that integrate the EOC approach, with a focus on the involvement of non-teaching professionals. WP3, in particular, aims to support teachers and educators in defining and applying these programs in a way that is both innovative and contextually relevant to their schools. The Toolbox being developed is a key tool to facilitate this, offering a structured guide for creating EOC-based activities that can be adapted to different educational settings.
During the four-day event, participants had the opportunity to experience firsthand some of the innovative educational approaches that embody the EOC philosophy. One of the most impactful experiences was the visit to Agricola Villa Canali, where teachers observed students engaging in outdoor learning activities. This visit provided a tangible example of what a Widespread School experience looks like in practice, and allowed educators to reflect on how the Toolbox could be used to design similar activities in their own classrooms.
In addition to the visit to Agricola Villa Canali, participants explored other EOC initiatives in Reggio Emilia, including two examples of Scuola Diffusa—a progressive educational model that emphasizes learning beyond traditional classroom settings. These included visits to the Palazzo da Mosto and Chiostri di San Pietro, where teachers observed a range of activities that integrate the local environment and community into the learning process. These visits were particularly valuable for teachers as they provided concrete examples of how EOC principles can be applied in different contexts, offering inspiration for their own pilot activities.
Throughout the event, a series of workshops allowed teachers to delve into the contents of the Toolbox, exploring its structure and how it can support the co-design of widespread school activities. These workshops were an essential space for discussion, enabling teachers to share their insights and suggestions for improvement. The input gathered from these sessions will help shape the final version of the Toolbox, ensuring it is both practical and user-friendly for teachers across Europe.
Alongside the teachers, the project partners also met to discuss the progress of the project and set future directions for the development of the Toolbox. This meeting allowed for the exchange of feedback from educators and facilitated important discussions about the next steps in the project. The Toolbox will be further refined and implemented in the pilot activities that will take place in each participating country between January and April 2025, with the final implementation phase scheduled for April to November 2025.
The direct involvement of teachers in testing and refining the Toolbox ensures it addresses the real needs of schools, fostering a bottom-up approach that adapts to each country’s educational context. This collaborative process will result in a versatile Toolbox, helping educators across Europe design engaging, cross-curricular EOC activities. By co-designing and implementing these activities, teachers will enhance learning and strengthen connections between students, their communities, and the environment. This ongoing collaboration between teachers, schools, and non-teaching professionals is key to the project’s success and will contribute to a more holistic and inclusive educational model that reflects a shared European vision for the future of education.
