Inizio

^{The Liceo Scientifico Statale "A. Volta"}

^{Name of School}

^{The school, generally referred to as the Liceo "Volta", is named after the distinguished Italian physicist, Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), inventor of the electric battery, discoverer of methane gas and commemorated in the universally recognized unit of electrical tension, the volt. A liceo scientifico is a senior high school in the public sector, clearly situated within a broad humanist tradition, although with a certain bias towards mathermatics and science subjects. Its closest relatives in Italian secondary education are the similarly state-controlled liceo classico and the newer independent liceo linguistico. The latter schools, as their names suggest, have a corresponding bias towards classical and modern languages, respectively.}

^{Development of the School}

^{The Liceo "Volta" began its existence as an independent unit in 1953, having previously been a section of the Liceo Leonardo da Vinci.. Its current premises date from 1936, when they were completed as a military instititution called the Casa del Soldato. After a series of renovations and extensions, the school can now accomodate 40 classes, i.e. eight parallel five-year courses. The total number of students enrolled for the academic year, 2002-03, was nine hundred and eighty-one..}

^Curriculum

^{The following subjects are compulsory in the school curriculum (as in that of any liceo scientifico): Italian language and Literature; Latin language and Literature; 1 or 2 foreign languages (depending on the degree of specialization) chosen from English, French and German; History; Geography; Philosophy; Natural Sciences; Physics; Mathematics; Art; Physical Education. Optional subjects include Religious Education, a further language and Music.}

^{Course Profiles (see also detailed course plans below)}

^{The eight five-year programmes of the Liceo "Volta" are organized as follows:}

• ^{three traditional five-year programmes with the standard liceo scientifico programme.}
• ^{two experimental courses with special emphasis on physics and Information Technology (with special reference to the National Plan for Information Technology)}
• ^{three experimental courses with teaching in two foreign languages (English and French; English and German)}

^{Staff and Facilities}

^{The school presently has a staff of 78 teachers, of whom 74 are tenured. The auxiliary staff consists of 13 persons, including four laboratory technicians, a photo-copyist and eight clerical personnel.}

^{The school possesses two physics laboratories, a chemistry laboratory, a biology classroom, two computer rooms and a language laboratory. There is also a school library in five sections. The main section (ca. 8,000 volumes) includes a sub-section with institutional documents and work produced by the school’s own teachers and students. The other three sections are devoted to Physics, the Sciences and Art History, respectively.}

^{In 1998, the Liceo Volta was awarded the European Quality Certificate (150 9001) in all categoties, one of the first among Italian schools.}

^{Collaboration with Other Institutions}

^{In order to enrich its educational offering, the Liceo Volta collaborates with various outside institutions. These include the "U.Hoepli" Civic Planatarium, the Department of Economics at the University of Pavia and Milan’s Biblioteca Ambrosiana. For some years the school has also worked with all the the institutions of higher education in Milan in an orientational context for the benefit of its graduating students. From 2002, it has also worked more specifically with a group of teachers from the University of Milan.}

^{Exchange Visits}

^{The Liceo "Volta" is particularly keen on developing exchange programmes (bilateral class visits with pupils and accompanying staff) with secondary schools in other countries. It has already implemented successful exchanges with Germany, Finland, Portugal, Hungary and Sweden and is open to other possible partnerships in Europe and beyond.}

^{General Educational Goals}

^{The school makes a significant distinction between younger pupils in the first two years of the teaching programme (Biennio) and older pupils in the remaining three years (Triennio). The aims of the Biennio include such elements as correct scholarly behaviour, capacity for interaction and collaboration, and close observance of school regulations.}

^{The Triennio, without neglecting these features, places additional emphasis on the ability to participate actively and constructively in school work, loyalty and openness towards teachers and fellow pupils, individual responsibility and awareness of one’s own potential.}

^{Specific Aims of the liceo scientifico}

^{The Liceo Volta pursues an educational programe that encourages a critico-analytical approach. In addition to providing concrete scientific knowledge, however, it also maintains that the relation between the sciences and the humanities should be one of complementarity rather than of conflict. The school furthermore recognizes the central mediating role of language (or languages) between the arts and the sciences. It strongly supports multidisciplinarity and aims ultimately at producing culturally autonomous individuals who are at home in various fields of cultural activity.}

^{Traditional course (by subject, year and number of lessons per week)}

^{Course swith experimental programme (incl. 2nd language)}