The Future of Education
eTwinning and the Project Based Learning Approach
Emanuela Leto, I C Laura Lanza Baronessa di Carini (Italy)
Abstract
eTwinning is the European platform created in 2005 by the European Union Commission to promote international virtual partnerships and good practices exchanges among European schools. Since 2005 onward, the platform has gone through several changes and nowadays it is considered a basic instrument of innovation in learning and teaching strategies with particular reference to cross disciplinary and disciplines integration. Working in eTwinning for years I discovered the potentialities of this instrument in teaching foreign languages in particular using a PBL approach based on digital tools. This approach is moreover powerfully inclusive as the variety of tools and strategies the whole platform can provide is helpful in coping with learning difficulties, which are a tough challenge for traditional teaching approaches. At the same time, it fosters and stimulates deepening activities in stronger students empowering basic skills. In this way the collaborative approach the PBL based on eTwinning platform allows is really adapt to involve the whole classroom not leaving anyone behind.
In this article, a few examples of eTwinning projects extracts, which have been carried on in the Comprehensive Institute located in Sicily where I have been teaching so far, will provide demonstration of the theory exposed above.
Keywords: Innovative Teaching and Learning Methodologies, Education and New Technologies, Studies on Second Language Acquisition.
References:
[1] Markham, T. Project Based Learning, Teacher Librarian, 2011,39, 38-42.
[2] www.eTwinning.net
[3] www.eTwinning.indire.it
[4] www.erasmusplus.it
[5] https://twinspace.etwinning.net/14866/home
[6] http://new-twinspace.etwinning.net/web/p98781
[7] Leto E.Bringing together digital learning and language learning, Open Education Europa Newsletter, www.openeducationeuropa.eu/en/news/bringing-together-digital-learning-and-language-learning, 2013
[8] Finocchiaro G. Autonomia e innovazione, quaderni Laura Lanza,I, 2009, ora ed. Carlo Saladino, Palermo ,2014,78-83,119-120
