Dr. Joseph Renzulli had the opportunity to meet Lara Milan in his travels to Italy where she told him of her goal to bring the SEM to her country. SEM Outreach Coordinator, Nicole Waicunas, reached across the many miles to meet online with her, educators, and their students as they took part in their very first enrichment clusters. Lara traveled back to Connecticut to continue her research, attending Confratute, and receiving her 3 Summers Degree. Through determination, and despite many set-backs that were beyond her control, Lara has been able to open the very first SEM school in Varese, Italy. We are so excited for her, and all of the teachers, children, families, and communities who will now focus on interests, learning styles, and preferred modes of expression, thereby offering an opportunity to create and share what they discover about themselves, one another, and the world. The following excerpt from La Stampa and written by Elisa Forte provides more details on this stunning accomplishment.
LA STAMPA
Wednesday, January 13th, 2021
A Changing Italy
Elisa Forte
Providing a personalized curriculum
Lara Milan is the only Specialist in Gifted and Talented Education in Italy since 2015. She studied at the University of Connecticut. She is the ambassador of the SEM Model: the pedagogical bible adopted in many American schools in the past 40 years, created by Joseph Renzulli, winner of the McGraw Prize, and Sally Reis. This SEM meets the educational needs of super bright students and those who struggle, in the same classroom.
What does a Specialist in Gifted and Talented Education do?
The role of the Specialist is to train and inspire teachers, who become talent scouts in their own classrooms. In addition to teaching their subject matter, they build creative learning experiences that are self-selected by students to enhance their unique talents.
Are there already SEM classes in Italy?
Yes, there is a middle school class in Vicenza. The first SEM school in Italy has already been opened in Varese: the Salesian A.T. Maroni Middle School.
Is this the school of the future?
Yes, this is the school that I dreamed of as it applies the teaching strategies of differentiation to personalize the curriculum.
How does the SEM change students’ school life?
Teachers transform their classroom into a place for talent development and view students as creative producers rather than consumers of knowledge. All teaching materials are open source andi n English. They will be published soon in Italian in a practical guide.
For more information, contact: Nicole Waicunas at nicole.waicunas@uconn.edu