Being Able to Actively Particpate In Society – For Prisoners (Italy)

This course, lasting 40 hours, involves three areas i.e. Literacy, Numeracy and ICT and is divided into three Learning Units lasting 12 hours each: 

• Communication skills (12 hours), 
• Civil responsibility (12 hours) 
• and Service Orientation (12 hours) 

At the end of the course there is a final test to have a feedback about the personal work done by each student (4 hours). 

The testing involves the constant coexistence of two trainers and the occasional intervention of witnesses. 

Among used methodologies we highlight the following: the lexical approach of Lewis, learning by doing, the valorization of skills acquired in informal and non-formal contexts, peer to peer oriented approaches, the enhancement of differences and the promotion of equal opportunities for all, interactive and inductive teaching methodologies, ongoing and final evaluation. 

INNOVATION

Particular attention has been given to the strengthening and development of communication skills, the inadequacy of which is often the cause of the obvious difficulties that have favored a deviant path, focusing in particular on conflict mediation and the development of assertive behavior. 

Particular emphasis has been given as well to the recognition of formal and informal previous learning, action recognizing and giving value to the different elements that make up the person and to his or her role in civil society beyond the crime committed and the state of deprivation of liberty. 

The choice of environmental sustainability as topic of one of the Learning Units has allowed to face as well with the issue of civil liability already practicable within the penitentiary institution. 

The combination of two trainers has allowed a continuous reinforcement action, support and motivation during the transmission of theoretical elements through frontal lesson and practical elements during the various sessions. 

The basic idea that it is possible to get out of the group is essential to bring in experienced and credible witnesses, allowed to widen the horizons otherwise restricted to the single classroom dimension. 

TARGET GROUP

The class group, i.e. students from a garden course (600 hours in total), is composed of 14 men in detention by the penitentiary of the city of Turin and consists of people of different ages and geographical origin. They are approximately aged from 20 to 40 years, 1 of them comes from Morocco, 8 from Africa and 5 from Italy. 

Participants of African origin have obvious linguistic difficulties, even important ones, but all play in the different activities with commitment and a constant presence. 

Migrant participants have serious linguistic difficulties, while the linguistic skills of those who have Italian as mother tongue are good. 

CONTACTING & MOTIVATING

This class group has been identified on the indication of one of the trainers already engaged in the course besides the presence of a large number of people whose mother tongue and culture of origin are different from the Italian one, for which therefore a total immersion in a different context from the penitentiary one becomes fundamental for the development of communication skills in Italian, spendable both inside and, in the future, outside the institute. During a first interview, an initial chat allowed to enhance the participants' skills to define targeted objectives on which to focus the next steps in terms of active participation. 

Motivation is supported by the constant support of teachers who, at the beginning of each new session, discuss with the class group which objectives have been achieved and which are planned for future meetings. Particular attention is also paid to enable everyone to feel appropriate about the path taken, in particular as for the group work and the peer-to-peer methodology that promotes support among companions over that of faculty of the school. 

THE LEARNING & TEACHING

The staff consists of three trainers specialized in adult education in a continuous learning perspective; two out of three have been working for years within the Institute involved in the project. 

Each session begins with the introduction of the new learning objectives and with the revision of the previous topics treated in turn to inform/train the absent and allow the whole class group to follow the same path. 

The sessions aim to develop skills and competences that can be used from the current prison context.