Stars and STEM Stories
GLOBE Italy and Croatia: Countries Collaborate Through GLOBE Observations and Protocols
The Italian school Istituto Comprensivo Statale E. De Amicis – Marcallo con Casone and the Croatian school Dubovac Primary School, Karlovac, both members of the GLOBE Program, have decided to start a cooperative relationship during the 2024–25 school year.
This international project was made official by the principals of both schools—Mrs. Dr.ssa Alessandra Moscatiello (Italy) and Mrs. Irmelina Sablić (Croatia).
Istituto
Comprensivo Statale E. De Amicis in Marcallo con Casone started to
practice GLOBE protocols in 2017 and has been focusing on the
Atmosphere and Biosphere Protocols since 2023. Dubovac Primary School
Karlovac is an experienced and very active GLOBE school, active in the
program for nearly 20 years.
The project runs from September 2024 to June 2025 with a focus on GLOBE protocols and campaigns. It is enabling the students involved (mainly 13–14 years old) to present the cultural and historical sights of their city as well as their respective customs.
The partnership was borne out of the request of Sabrina Pelizzari, an Italian GLOBE educator who was looking for partners for a GLOBE “twinning” project. With help from country collaborators, and in the span of a single day, the two participating schools were signed on. School collaboration started during the European Phenological Campaign and from there was extended to sharing work experiences in all areas of the GLOBE Program. The shared vision of both schools was to start a steady collaboration and partnership around the scientific areas of the GLOBE Program and to give the students the opportunity to experience a cultural exchange during the school year.
Additional project goals include:
- Improvement of language skills, especially English language
- Improvement of scientific knowledge and competences
- Improvement of personal and social competences, essential for social inclusion and active citizenship
- Development of digital competences using information and communication technologies (ICT)
The following activities have been planned for students:
- Dedicated lessons to learn the main elements of the culture, arts, geography, and history of the partner country; these lessons will be prepared by the participating teachers, fostering innovative teaching strategies and content and language integrated learning [CLIL] methodology to improve students’ communication skills through the English language)
- STE(A)M learning activities related to GLOBE and project-based learning
- CLIL learning activities regarding scientific language and terms, to make students able to communicate fluently with their peers; these activities will be prepared by their teachers
- Regular sharing of materials on Padlet
- Collaboration between students within the GLOBE Program campaigns (European Autumn and Spring Phenology Campaign and others), making use of GLOBE Protocols (Biosphere and Atmosphere).
By the end of 2024, three online meetings were convened. During the first online meeting, students had the chance to introduce themselves and share details about their schools. At the second meeting, they showcased their involvement in the GLOBE Program, highlighting their activities and projects.
The third meeting took a creative turn, as students shared the rich
histories of their cities through images and short presentations.
Students also shared the Christmas traditions of their countries.
Croatian students recorded a short video showcasing the most
significant Croatian Christmas customs from the Advent season onwards.
They showcased Karlovac's holiday decorations, the celebration of
Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, traditional Christmas cakes, and
the festive dishes. Italian students responded with a special song
performed by their school band to wish their Croatian friends a Merry
Christmas.
Even the principals of both schools joined the
meeting, exchanging kind words and reinforcing the growing bond
between the two institutions.
This project continues to strengthen the ties between the two schools, fostering not only scientific collaboration through the GLOBE Program but also deep cultural exchange and understanding.
With Italian students set to visit Karlovac in February and Croatian students traveling to Italy in May, this partnership is not just an educational endeavor but is also building a bridge of friendship, learning, and shared experiences that will inspire both schools for years to come.
Visit the Padlet of the project to learn more about the activities of the project.
Participating teachers from Italy are Mrs. Santucci Chiara, Mrs. Pelizzari Sabrina, and Mrs. Colombo Laura. Those participating from Croatia are Mrs. Snježana Marković-Zoraja, Kristina Fratrović, and Maja Lukić-Puškarić.
Learn more about GLOBE Italy and GLOBE Croatia.
News contributed by Snježana Marković-Zoraja and Maja Lukić Puškarić.