This project aims to develop and test a teaching-learning strategy based on cultural production, multicultural exchange and on a meaningful, stimulating and interactive use of digital technology. The project team, led by the Institute G. Lucatelli, will support the development of collaborative work and the creation of cultural productions based on local history (shows, exhibitions, musicals, theatre plays etc.) by students in secondary education. These productions and related learning-teaching practices are meant to be shared between students during an international collaboration and award process. These experiences will lead to a review and an elaboration of a methodological set of tools to support the dissemination of the Perfect project model of action beyond the secondary school’s international network involved within the project.

Starting from the analysis and reconstruction of the life and works of local celebrities, or episodes connected to local history, secondary schools of different countries will collaborate in the development of parallel cultural products. Schools will learn from one another and be supported by families’ engagement and by some specialised partners that will respectively help develop the performing arts and the intercultural and democratic citizenship skills. Each of the chosen histories will be presented to each other school to allow the understanding of the history of other countries and adding a different perspective to the discovery of European cultural heritage. Such an approach has the potential to lead to a deeper understanding of each other’s heritage and history, thus supporting the achievement of what the EU Ministers of Education have called for in the 2015 Paris Declaration on Promoting citizenship and the common values of freedom, tolerance and non-discrimination through education.

The objectives of PERFECT are:

• To stimulate and support the development of autonomous learning and basic research skills, creative thinking and collaborative skills through the creation of cultural products based on local history.
• To organize digitally-enhanced international collaboration of partner schools by supporting the exchange of good practice and cultural products originated locally by groups of students.
• To develop a review of the experiences conducted and to produce a set of methodological instruments to support the replicability and dissemination of the PERFECT “open model” of action.
• To set up and promote a network of primary and secondary schools committed to participate in exchange of cultural products developed by their students and in a European Festival.

The project is developed through a transnational partnership in order to properly develop the following features:

• Cultural exchange: collaboration between schools of different countries allows pupils and teachers to share and learn about different experiences in diverse sectors. This leads to the identification of similarities, differences and new inputs and outputs.
• Didactical innovation: by sharing experiences, teachers and, more in general, schools, can get to know innovative ways of teaching/learning and can therefore put them into practice in their local realities.
• Openness to multiculturality: through cultural exchange, teachers and students have the opportunity to find out about other people’s traditions and cultures, and to develop cultural respect and understanding of other countries’ cultural heritage.

All these elements will contribute to the promotion of Global Citizenship Education principles, European history and cultural heritage and represent important assets to adhere to a vision of Europe and the world as interconnected systems with commonalities and differences worth being explored and understood.