How eTwinning impacts early childhood education and care teachers

eTwinning in Türkiye and Spain

For Gamze Eren Akin, a teacher from Antalya, Türkiye, eTwinning is all about collaboration, teamwork and sharing ideas. Working on topics outside the regular school curriculum, meeting students from other countries and learning from each other makes the experience fun.

‘When I told my students that they would be meeting and participating in activities with students from different cities in our country, they were excited. However, their curiosity and excitement reached a whole new level when they heard about different countries.’

Hazime Çevik, a teacher from Antalya, Türkiye, found eTwinning when she was trying to bring innovation into her classroom. Her journey was not easy – she  faced challenges such as a language barrier and familiarity with digital tools – but she didn’t give up. After a year, she was able to involve nearly 35 teachers in her first project, had improved her language skills and built up her self-confidence.

‘Even though my students are at kindergarten level, they learned to greet and have short conversations in English with their friends from different countries during the online meetings of the mixed-country school team.’

Hüsniye Kuzu, Antalya eTwinning ambassador, discovered a whole new world with eTwinning. It broadened the horizons of her students, and they developed skills in communication, teamwork and technology. This led her to become a district eTwinning coordinator and provincial coordinator in Antalya, to spread eTwinning even further.

‘eTwinning has profoundly impacted my professional growth and my students’ educational experiences. It has fostered a culture of collaboration, creativity and global awareness in our school.’

Leticia Gil, eTwinning ambassador from Spain, first got involved with eTwinning in 2013 through an in-person training course in Greece, where she met fellow teachers interested in developing collaborative projects. As an eTwinning ambassador, she now helps train other teachers.

She highlights several advantages of eTwinning projects for her students.

• Meaningful learning: students connect what they learn in the classroom with their everyday experiences.
• Respect for cultural diversity: collaborating with peers from other regions and countries helps students develop social skills such as communication and teamwork.
• Motivation and engagement: the interactive and collaborative nature of the projects captures children’s interest.