FOSTERING EUROPEAN TEACHERS: AN ETWINNING LAB FOR CITIZENSHIP, COMMUNICATION, COLLABORATION, AND DIGITAL COMPETENCE IN INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION

Abstract

This paper presents a reflective analysis of the International Teacher Education (ITE) eTwinning Lab 2025-26, a transnational collaborative project involving pre-service teachers at the University of Cagliari (Italy) in partnership with Aix-Marseille Université (France), the University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain), and the University of Tuzla (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Framed by the eTwinning annual theme “Citizenship education: celebrating what unites us”, the 12-hour laboratory engaged pre-service primary teachers (Pinter, 2017) in designing and simulating transnational, project-based learning experiences using English as a Lingua Franca. Grounded in the principles of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) (Coyle, Hood, & Marsh, 2010) and digital pedagogy, the lab aimed to develop participants’ soft skills and transversal competences: digital literacy, intercultural communication, collaborative project design, pedagogical innovation, and professional discourse community building (Swales, 1990). Employing a mixed-methods approach, data were analysed from post-project questionnaires (N=95 [Cagliari], N=10 [Tuzla], N=10 [Aix-Marseille], N=8 [Castilla-La Mancha]), ongoing formative assessments (through the usage of several tools as Mentimeter, AnswerGarden, and Padlet), and analysis of collaborative outputs (Canva projects). Findings reveal significant improvement in digital tool mastery, particularly with AI chatbots and collaborative platforms, and, most of all, enhanced intercultural awareness and learners’ self-confidence. It is argued here that this experience, with both its products and processes, can contribute to the growing literature on online teacher education and can provide a replicable model for integrating eTwinning into university-based training programs across Europe.

Keywords

• CLIL
• ETWINNING
• DIGITAL COMPETENCE
• INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION
• CIVICS AND CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION

Avrupalı Öğretmenleri Geliştirmek: Öğretmen Yetiştirme Sürecinde Vatandaşlık, İletişim, İş Birliği ve Dijital Yeterlilik için Bir eTwinning Laboratuvarı

Abstract

Bu makale, Uluslararası Öğretmen Eğitimi (UÖE) eTwinning Laboratuvarı 2025-26'nın yansıtıcı bir analizini sunmaktadır. Bu proje, Cagliari Üniversitesi'ndeki (İtalya) hizmet öncesi öğretmenleri kapsayan ve Aix-Marseille Üniversitesi (Fransa), Castilla-La Mancha Üniversitesi (İspanya) ve Tuzla Üniversitesi (Bosna-Hersek) ile ortaklaşa yürütülen ulusötesi bir iş birliği projesidir. eTwinning'in yıllık teması olan “Vatandaşlık eğitimi: bizi birleştiren şeyleri kutlamak” çerçevesinde şekillenen 12 saatlik laboratuvar, hizmet öncesi sınıf öğretmenlerini (Pinter, 2017), Ortak İletişim Dili Olarak İngilizceyi kullanarak ulusötesi, proje tabanlı öğrenme deneyimleri tasarlama ve simüle etme sürecine dahil etmiştir. İçerik ve Dil Entegre Öğrenimi (İDLE) (Coyle, Hood, & Marsh, 2010) ve dijital pedagoji ilkelerine dayanan laboratuvar, katılımcıların yumuşak becerilerini ve dijital okuryazarlık, kültürlerarası iletişim, iş birlikçi proje tasarımı, pedagojik yenilik ve mesleki söylem topluluğu oluşturma (Swales, 1990) gibi yatay becerilerini geliştirmeyi hedeflemiştir. Karma yöntem yaklaşımı kullanılarak, veriler proje sonrası anketlerden (Cagliari'den N=95, Tuzla'dan N=10, Aix-Marseille'den N=10, Castilla-La Mancha'dan N=8), devam eden biçimlendirici değerlendirmelerden (Mentimeter, AnswerGarden ve Padlet gibi çeşitli araçların kullanımı yoluyla) ve iş birlikçi ürünlerin (Canva projeleri) analizinden elde edilmiştir. Bulgular, özellikle yapay zekâ sohbet robotları ve iş birlikçi platformlarda olmak üzere dijital araçlara hâkimiyette önemli bir iyileşme ve her şeyden önce gelişmiş kültürlerarası farkındalık ile öğrencilerin öz güveninde artış olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Bu deneyimin, hem ürünleri hem de süreçleriyle, çevrimiçi öğretmen eğitimi üzerine büyüyen literatüre katkıda bulunabileceği ve eTwinning'in Avrupa genelindeki üniversite temelli eğitim programlarına entegre edilmesi için tekrarlanabilir bir model sunabileceği ileri sürülmektedir.

Keywords

• dijital yeterlilik
• vatandaşlık ve yurttaşlık eğitimi
• CLIL
• ETWINNING

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