From 13th to 24th January 2025, teachers across Europe are enthusiastically celebrating the 20th birthday of eTwinning in their schools. But what is eTwinning and why is it known in Europe's education community?
eTwinning is an EU initiative to enable teachers and pupils from all member states to work collaboratively and safely on national and international projects online. It was launched in January 2005 with around 10,000 members and 2,000 projects in its first year. The immediate positive response from participants and successful partnerships between European teachers boosted eTwinning’s popularity, and the enrollment of teachers, schools, and pupils grew more and more every year.
The Central Support Organisation is based in Brussels, and each eTwinning member country has its own National Support Organisation as well as its own ambassadors, teachers who are more experienced with the platform and help disseminate the project and assist other eTwinners. Only public and private school teachers whose employment has been vetted by their home country's National Support Organisation may use eTwinning. No one can enter without a password, which keeps sensitive data, information, and photos of pupils safe.
eTwinning also provides a platform for professional development, as teachers are able to use it to participate in online courses on pedagogy and other subjects, access research, network, and learn digital tools. When schools had to switch to online learning during the pandemic, educators who were involved in eTwinning were more prepared, as they were already collaborating with their European colleagues online.
By participating in an eTwinning project, pupils get to know and collaborate with their peers from other countries, learn about the similarities and differences between cultures, experience a multicultural atmosphere, and at the same time practise foreign languages and acquire digital skills that will follow them into adulthood.
Today, more than one million European teachers are registered in eTwinning, and the number keeps growing. If you want to learn more about eTwinning, please read this article or watch this video from the European Commission.
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