From 11 to 13 October we hosted in Bologna the first Training Event of KA2-funded project ECO TOUR – Enhancing teachers’ COmpetences on sustainable TOURism.
What is ECO TOUR?
The main objective of ECOTOUR is to introduce the theme sustainability in class, with particular reference to the tourism industry. Thanks to this project we expect to:
- update teachers’ competences in technical subjects pertaining to the tourism sector;
- integrate environmental sustainability in VET curricula;
- enhance the internationalisation strategies of VET providers.
In order to reach these objectives, three thematic seminars are foreseen by the project: innovative teaching approaches applied to the tourism sector; environmental sustainability at school and internationalisation of education. The event in Bologna represented the first of these meetings.
How was the event organized?
The event was organized in two parts: the morning sessions were dedicated to the exchange of good practices and expert lecturers, with the possibility to participate remotely. The afternoons, in turn, featured more active sessions like group workshops and study visits, though for delegates in presence.
The first day
The first day of the Training Event opened with a welcome and introduction of the training provided by Uniser: both the program and the logistics of the training were presented to all participants.
After a moment of ice-breaking, there was an external lecture about sustainable tourism and then the schools presentations started. All partner schools presented the institution and provided insights about the tourism curricula that each of them offers.
After lunch, all participants took part in the working activity “Spot the differences!” in the form of a World café about elements of interest in the different contexts, which was followed by a study visit in Bologna, designed to discover the city like a local!
The second day
After a short introduction, there were two rounds of presentations. The topics were participants practices and case studies linked to the tourism curriculum, with focuses on collaboration with local companies, VET competition, international opportunities for students and staff, laboratories and simulation of working situations, and work-based learning. During the afternoon we took part in another working activity conducted in café mode “What was impacting me the most?”, where we discussed elements of interest in the different contexts.
In the afternoon we visited Fondazione Golinelli in Bologna, an institution that works in the fields of education, training, research and technology transfer, venture capital in synergy with business incubation and acceleration, and the fostering of the arts and sciences
The third day
During the last day, in the morning we discussed the topic of innovative teaching methodologies and practices, taking into account elements such as the use of new technologies and softwares, online learning, cross sectoriality, and experiential learning. After this, we had a brief moment of feedback and echange on the event: “What do I bring home?”
Finally, during the afternoon we organized the study visit: Experiencing sustainable tourism initiatives/paths in Bologna and surroundings and we visited places such as the cultural association Succede solo a Bologna, which is responsible for enhancing and promoting the culture and artistic and monumental heritage of Bologna and its province.
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