„Strengthening literacy with eTwinning“ Next upcoming session: 31.03.2025 – 16.04.2025

https://school-education.ec.europa.eu/en/learn/courses/strengthening-literacy-etwinning

In today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape, students need strong literacy skills to tackle future challenges. Literacy goes beyond reading and writing— it encompasses the ability to critically engage with diverse texts, communicate effectively across different modes, and navigate an increasingly digital world.

Join course 

Description

This course provides educators with practical strategies to integrate reading, writing, speaking, and digital literacy into eTwinning projects.

You will examine the concept of literacy from multiple perspectives and explore how eTwinning projects can be a powerful tool to develop students’ literacy skills.

Additionally, you will gain strategies for integrating digital tools to support literacy development, while engaging in project-based learning that enhances student engagement, collaboration, and critical thinking.

Through hands-on activities, real eTwinning examples, and interactive tools, you will learn how to create collaborative international projects on literacy that foster meaningful learning experiences. 

Learning objectives

In this course, you will: 

  • Understand the role of eTwinning in developing literacy skills and practices by analysing real-life eTwinning literacy projects and their impact on students.
  • Reflect on the evolving concept of literacy in today’s world by analysing different literacy dimensions, discussing their impact on education, and examining real-life classroom examples through case studies and interactive discussions. 
  • Learn practical strategies for fostering literacy through collaborative eTwinning activities by integrating discussion techniques and collaborative tasks. 
  • Design an engaging and collaborative eTwinning literacy project inspired by the course content, integrating digital tools to enhance literacy instruction. 
Methodology & assessment

The course is offered as an asynchronous course with flexibility in regard to when and where participants follow the course content and join the course activities. However, there is a final deadline in place for the submission of a course product.

Participants are required to actively contribute to the course activities by sharing their work and submitting a course product. This product is submitted and assessed by peers or the course instructor in the final module of the course. 

Certification details

Upon successful completion of the course, a digital course certificate is awarded. The certificate shows the name of the learner and key course details such as the estimated learning hours, the learning objectives, and a link to the course homepage. 

Additional information
  • Language:English
  • Target audience ISCED: Primary education (ISCED 1) Lower secondary education (ISCED 2) Upper secondary education (ISCED 3)
  • Target audience type: Teacher Head Teacher / Principal Teacher Educator
  • Learning time: 5-10 hours
Upcoming sessions
  • Starting on 31.03.2025 – Ending on 16.04.2025

Call for applications for teachers and experts contribution – ESEP –

https://school-education.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-11/esep-cpd-framework2023.pdf

📣 La Piattaforma Europea per l’Istruzione Scolastica (ESEP) è alla ricerca di esperti per contribuire ai suoi contenuti editoriali e alla formazione degli insegnanti.

🫵 Puoi partecipare in diversi modi:

✒️ Progettare un corso online
🌐 Gestire una comunità di apprendimento
👩‍🏫 Tenere un workshop
🎥 Registrare una video-presentazione o partecipare a un’intervista
📝 Scrivere un breve articolo in stile blog
🔴 Condividere la tua esperienza su un tema specifico con una presentazione in diretta

Candidati subito! 👉 https://bit.ly/3OTtP44

https://school-education.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-11/esep-cpd-framework2023.pdf?

Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF): from March 31st to April 3rd, 2025

Bologna is home to a unique three-in-one event: the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF), the world’s leading trade fair for the children’s publishing industry; BolognaBookPlus (BBPlus), the extension dedicated to general trade publishing; and the Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids (BLTF/Kids), the BCBF licensing event for subsidiary rights of brands and properties for children, teens and young adults.

From March 31st to April 3rd, 2025, these three dynamic events will run concurrently, transforming Bologna into a leading global hub for copyright exchange across publishing, multimedia, licensing, illustration, and animation.

The 2025 Guest of Honour will be Estonia, bringing a dedicated programme of exhibitions and workshops both at the fair and around the city.

The Bologna Book Fair is proudly organised with the support and collaboration of the Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

L‘immagine è stata scelta dallo Stand B61 „Il Leone Verde Piccoli“, Padiglione 26

Winning the Battle for Student Attention / The 10 Most Significant Education Studies of 2024 – @Edutopia

George Lucas Educational Foundation

A 2024 study demonstrated that the social cues which hold classroom norms together can quickly fray, and inattention can spread from desk to desk.

Every teacher knows how difficult it can be to capture student attention and engage everyone in a classroom throughout every lesson, but a 2024 study on how inattention can originate and spread across a room explored the challenge more closely—and found that distractedness can be as contagious as a virus.

In the study, the researchers observed a lecture hall of 180 students. A small group of those students had been given special instructions—to take their assigned seats and show overt signs of inattention, such as slouching, looking bored, and failing to take notes. What researchers discovered was that students within close proximity to the assigned slackers struggled to pay attention themselves—and one after another, students across the room began to check out. Formerly attentive students wrote half as many pages of notes and scored an average of 9 points lower on a follow-up quiz. 

These findings add to a widening base of evidence showing the upheaval that can result from more conspicuous distractions like fidget toys (2023), laptops (2020), and cell phones (2024).

But not every lesson can be a slam dunk—there will be moments of boredom. Experienced teacherssay the best way to get student attention—and ensure they stay tuned in—starts with thoughtful preparation: Make students accountable by co-creating classroom norms, set up clear classroom rules for transitions, audit lesson instructions for clarity, design (and save!) engaging classroom materials, and consider strategic placement of chatty or absent-minded kids to keep everyone on-task.

To dig more deeply into the research cited in the video, read Noah D. Forrin, Nour Kudsi, Emily N. Cyr, Faria Sana, Ido Davidesco, and Joseph A. Kim’s research paper about how inattention can spread among students in a lecture hall(2024).  

To learn more about 2024’s most compelling research findings for educators, visit “The 10 Most Significant Education Studies of 2024.”

The 10 Most Significant Education Studies of 2024

A 2024 study demonstrated that the social cues which hold classroom norms together can quickly fray, and inattention can spread from desk to desk.

March 20, 2025

It’s that time again—our yearly review of the research you should read, from the sneaky ways that inattention can spread in your classroom to the promises and perils of AI.

By Youki Terada, Stephen Merrill

https://www.edutopia.org/article/the-10-most-significant-education-studies-of-2024/

Meet the winners of the 2025 eTwinning European prizes

https://school-education.ec.europa.eu/en/discover/news/meet-winners-2025-etwinning-european-prizes

A huge congratulations to the winning teachers and pupils for their outstanding work in eTwinning. 

Authors:

Editorial team

We’re thrilled to share the winners in the five categories, selected from 1,191 submitted projects. The eTwinning European prizes reward outstanding projects and celebrate and promote innovative practices.  

Congratulations to all our winners and runners-up! 

Age category under 6 years  

In this winning project, pupils participated in creative play-based activities promoting wellbeing and environmental awareness. Teachers showed strong teamwork, used ICT tools efficiently and engaged both the school community and parents to help achieve their goals. 

This project combined science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) and storytelling to help pupils understand natural disasters. Pupils engaged in a range of activities and a fundraising campaign to support schools affected by floods. 

Age category 7–11 years  

This winning project used podcasts as a tool to develop English language skills. Pupils worked in international teams to write scripts and share their hobbies and interests. This enabled them to improve their fluency and oral communication while strengthening their ICT skills. 

This project sparked pupils’ curiosity and cultural awareness as they followed the adventures of a professor, solving puzzles, riddles and escape rooms in international teams. Teachers ensured effective collaboration with strong support and coordination and boosted the project’s visibility across various channels and activities. 

Age category 12–15 years 

In this winning project, pupils worked in international teams to create an action plan to transform an abandoned community space into a green oasis. Pupils explored citizenship and sustainability and created digital products such as 3D immersive maps and a digital compass campaign on e-safety, netiquette and artificial intelligence. 

This project explored anniversaries in different areas, like the Olympic Games and the lives of notable women. Pupils collaborated to research the events, and showcased their creativity and acquired knowledge in final outputs such as videos, comics, presentations, posters and world maps. 

Age category 16–19 years 

This winning project aimed to deepen the understanding of historical and social issues, particularly related to the Holocaust and citizenship. Pupils participated in a variety of collaborative multidisciplinary activities, such as online discussions, video conferences and action research. 

This project focused on raising pupils’ sustainability awareness and developing their life skills, in the context of a holiday trip. Through a collaborative, bilingual approach, pupils made use of ICT tools such as mobile apps, websites and online platforms to promote sustainable travel practices. 

Initial vocational education and training (IVET) 

This winning project focused on developing entrepreneurship skills and explored topics such as information technology, business administration and finance. The project made use of blended mobility and incorporated eTwinning to prepare pupils for face-to-face collaboration with international teams. 

Get to know the award-winning projects by accessing their TwinSpaces – stay tuned for the prize ceremony in October. 

2025 european prize

Additional information

  • Education type:Early Childhood Education and Care School Education Vocational Education and Training
  • Target audience:Teacher Student Teacher Head Teacher / Principal Teacher Educator
  • Target audience ISCED:Early childhood education (ISCED 0) Primary education (ISCED 1) Lower secondary education (ISCED 2) Upper secondary education (ISCED 3)

About the authors

Editorial team

The European School Education Platform editorial team is made up of writers with wide-ranging experience in school education, communication and online media. The team works closely with the European Commission to publish editorial content on current issues in European school education and news from the eTwinning community.