As many as 166 teachers from 79 education institutions of Moldova became involved in the European Commission’s education program eTwinning Plus during a year. There were implemented 36 education projects though there were planned only 15. The results of the first year of activity were presented in a news conference at IPN.
Program coordinator Mihai Calalb said that during a year, 35 teachers from the country took part in training events in the EU and workshops in Romania, Poland, and France. Sixty teachers were involved in summer and autumn schools on the use of online educational platforms within the eTwinning projects. Another 44 teachers from Chisinau, Ungheni, Balti and Cahul, who were trained by American boards in Moldova, completed intensive English language courses.
According to Mihai Calalb, the fact that the teachers don’t know English is the most serious challenge within the program. A solution is to implement a parallel training program. Also, many teachers perceive the program as an additional task, not as an interactive learning and continuous development method. “The program offers the possibility of applying the gained knowledge and of interacting with other teachers from abroad. It does not aim to burden them,” stated the program coordinator.
Tatiana Popa, teacher of English at the Chisinau Theoretical Lyceum “Gheorghe Asachi”, who was the first teacher involved in the eTwinning Plus program, said the program enables the students to develop communication skills in a foreign language and facilitates global communication with students from different countries. The advantages for teachers include possibilities of continuous professional formation and of learning teaching skills used in Europe.
Anastasia Berejanschi, teacher of math and physics at the Chisinau Vocational School No. 1, said that through eTwinning the students were encouraged to develop digital literacy skills by correlating the education curriculum with those from other states. The program allows the students to become involved in a large virtual class without borders. The lessons are taught online and the students can apply the knowledge gained together with mates from other states. The program motivates the students to learn ant put the knowledge into practice.
eTwinning Plus in implemented in Ukraine, Georgia Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Moldova. It aims to provide a safe, online environment for schools to engage with other schools, for teachers to work on projects and communicate with like-minded education professionals in the existing eTwinning network. eTwinning Plus promotes school collaboration through the use of information and communication technologies by providing support, tools and services for schools that are involved in the program.
