A growing community

Abstract

This paper examines the case of a small rural community school between Turin and Vercelli (Italy): Monteu. The adoption of the Senza Zaino model [No Backpack Model] led to the following outcomes over a five-year period: didactic offer was improved, good practices were achieved by teachers, and enrollment numbers increased. The proposal of Marco Orsi, leader of the Senza Zaino movement, was adapted to suit the needs and affordances of local users, consistently with the educational context in which the school operates. Moreover, a community of learners was trained, so to welcome newly hired teachers, as well as families with an interest in experimenting with an alternative school model, in unison with children’s personality and stages of development.