Cork schools’ innovation in teaching and learning through European exchange programmes celebrated

Two secondary schools from county Cork were amongst the national award winners honoured at this year’s Léargas eTwinning Conference when close to 100 teachers from across the country gathered on Saturday at the Gibson Hotel in Dublin and online for the hybrid eTwinning conference.

Teachers and students across the country whose use of European exchange programmes in the classroom resulted in outstanding teaching practice and innovation in learning were celebrated at this year’s conference.

Connecting more than one million teachers across Europe, eTwinning is a free online platform, funded by the European Commission. It supports primary and post-primary schools to find partners across Europe and work on joint projects across the curriculum.

Amongst the 10 recipients of the National Quality Label (NQL), were Midleton CBS, with their project titled ‘Whispers of the Oak Tree’; the tree is used as a metaphor for society in miniature, where the same idea can take many turns. Also, Davis College, Mallow were announced as an NQL recipient, with their project, ‘Students for PIE (Peace in Europe)’. Students focused on the Ukraine conflict and on how a conflict can arise, carrying out some activities for peace in Europe and talking about European citizenship and what it may look like.

Léargas is the national agency that manages exchange programmes and projects across Ireland and

Europe in education, youth and community work, vocational education and training, and sport. It helps groups and individuals to create partnerships, develop projects and collaborate with counterparts from other European countries to build their knowledge and appreciation of European culture and values.

DIGITAL INNOVATION

The hybrid eTwinning conference this year explored the theme of ‘Enhancing learning through digital innovation’. The conference gave teachers using the eTwinning resource the opportunity to come together, share experiences, to listen to engaging speakers, and to take part in workshops. One such workshop looked at the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the classroom, and how it could be used to design bespoke lessons customised to students’ needs and interests.

The 10 recipients of the National Quality Label (NQL) and the three recipients of the European Innovative Teaching Award (EITA) were also celebrated at the conference. The two county Cork schools were the only winners from the Munster and the national award winners will now represent Ireland at European level.