Reviews and Testimonials on the SMartS Project

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International Recognitions of an Innovative Art Education Project

SMartS has received several recognitions as an innovative art education project that combines scientific research, creativity and interdisciplinary learning. 

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The following testimonials and excerpts from articles published in international media and academic contexts reflect the educational value and international dimension of the SMartS project.

 

Testimonials from Schools and Educational Institutions

"Seeing our students participate in a project based in Italy is a powerful reminder that education today is truly global. Nowadays, international collaboration is not a luxury, it is essential. Our students are learning to connect across cultures, think globally, and lead with a broader perspective. This is 21st-century learning".

Eric Crespo, Superintendent of Weehawken TSD

(excerpt from the article “Students from Roosevelt School Weehawken NJ on SMartS journal with Molfetta”, il Newyorkese, New York)

 

"Our students gained valuable experience in interdisciplinary research, intercultural communication, and scientific writing. This project demonstrated that educational boundaries can be transcended, creating shared and meaningful learning experiences that combine scientific rigour and artistic creativity".
Francesca Amato, Deputy Superintendent of the Weehawken Township School District
(excerpt from the article “Students from Roosevelt School Weehawken NJ on SMartS journal with Molfetta”, il Newyorkese, New York)

 

Media and International Press Coverage

“Pupils from both schools collaborated via video conferences in English, formulating hypotheses and creating a wide range of geometric shapes, both regular and irregular. An experimental survey was then conducted, involving teachers, pupils and parents from both communities. The results were analysed and discussed during follow-up video calls, which led to the joint drafting of a scientific article published in the journal SMartS in English and Italian.

This research workshop exemplified the journal’s mission to encourage dialogue, critical thinking and active learning across borders. The participation of the Roosevelt School highlights a growing global network of educational institutions contributing to the SMartS journal, including schools in Turkey, Poland and Brazil, as well as esteemed professors from Italian and Brazilian universities”.

(excerpt from the article “Students from Roosevelt School Weehawken NJ on SMartS journal with Molfetta”, il Newyorkese, New York)

 

"The main objective of SMartS journal is to promote a new, dynamic and experimental method of teaching art in schools. But SMartS is not just a journal. It is also a creative collective open to investigation, research and dialogue".

Birsen Uçar

(excerpt from the article "Adana's pride in international education", Günaydın, Turkey)

 

SMartS "was born from the desire to offer a new, engaging and interdisciplinary way of studying art, inspired by the scientific method and based on observation, hypothesis formulation and experimental verification. SMartS is not just a collection of artistic experiences, but a collective creative platform where students and teachers from all over the world can propose, discuss and collaborate on innovative ideas. Its goal is clear: to seek out the new, generate discussion, stimulate critical thinking and share the beauty of active learning."

(excerpt from the article “The school from Komprachcice is co-creating an international eTwinning project”, Tygodnik, Polony)

 

"It is called ‘SMartS’. The aim is to disseminate the experimental approach to the study of aesthetics and art, which would be difficult to find in a lower and upper secondary school [...] ‘SMartS’ is intended to be the first space for the socialisation of experimental laboratory experiences and discussion of the subject among students, teachers and experts, not only in Italy".
Matteo Diamante

(from the article "Molfetta, the students of the Poli School found a scientific journal. An experimental approach to the study of art", La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, Italy)

 

"The students documented their research with scientific articles in English published in the SMartS journal. The dance project was awarded the eTwinning National Quality Label, while the tessellation project received the European Quality Certificate. The experience demonstrates how art, combined with science and technology, can develop creativity, critical thinking and global citizenship, providing students with concrete tools to face the challenges of an increasingly interconnected world".
(Excerpt from the article “The Manzoni-Poli SMartS project conquers Europe”, L’Edicola, Italy)

 

Academic Perspectives on the SMartS Project

"[...] initiative as particularly valuable, not just (or not only) because he has introduced young scholars to the psychology of art, but because of the research approach he promotes. This approach begins with a skeptical question, which, to be properly explored and potentially resolved, requires not only empirical evidence but also a solid critical framework".

Roberto Galeotti, Professor of Psychology of Art, Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Milan
(excerpt from “INTERVIEWS”, SMartS no. 2, Italy)

 

"SMartS marks an important moment in the history of arts education in Italy [...] In particular, for me, in Brazil, and for the entire research group I belong to and coordinate, as it addresses the most sensitive issues we have been working on. What we read here is that art is not something that can be standardised by some higher authority or institution outside of subjective experiences, nor is it simply a scientific object to be analysed and taught objectively: art is a formative aesthetic experience, created by subjects positioned in an axiological manner; it is a dimension of life capable of making us ‘see life‘ from a unique and irreplaceable place, which is the place of the singular subject in culture".
Marisol Barenco de Mello, Full Professor, Fluminense Federal University, Brazil

 

"students acquired meta-cognitive and meta-linguistic skills and the ability to reflect critically on complex systems and their interactions (Cope; Kalantzis, 1995). [...] the activities related to the project also promoted what we have defined as ‘education in authorship in the university environment‘, because it involved expanding the cultural and scientific repertoire of the students, in order to consolidate a condition of autonomy and preparation for immersion in the academic world. From this point of view, the involvement of students in scientific research activities and the journal in which their articles are published are important tools for disseminating innovative research and sharing new ideas. In fact, by proposing collaboration with other students and teachers not only from Italy but from all over the world, this important project also promotes the development of students' skills in different subject areas. It is, therefore, a project in which human agency and cultural dynamism are at the centre of the process of constructing meaning, valuing ‘pluralism and the flourishing of interrelated, multifaceted and complementary worlds of life‘ (Cope et al., 1996). This project, in fact, fuels the possible dream and necessary utopia for a new logic of life, as Paulo Freire said".
Maria Luiza Rosa Barbosa, Professor, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil

 

Excerpts from the reports of the National and European eTwinning Awards Committees

“You have been awarded the European Quality Label. This means that your work, the work of your students and the collaboration with your partners met the Quality Label Framework criteria and received a high score. The Quality Certificate is awarded in recognition of the work carried out, which has had a significant impact on students in terms of improving both their digital and language skills”.

 

“You have been awarded the eTwinning National Quality Label. This is a project aimed at secondary school pupils, carried out within the STEAM disciplines, which employs an innovative pedagogical approach that primarily combines subjects such as mathematics, art and digital technologies, promoting active learning, a spirit of initiative and a significant improvement in language and digital skills”.