Strengthening literacy with eTwinning
Course details
In today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape, students need strong literacy skills to tackle future challenges. Literacy goes beyond reading and writing— it encompasses the ability to critically engage with diverse texts, communicate effectively across different modes, and navigate an increasingly digital world.
This course provides educators with practical strategies to integrate reading, writing, speaking, and digital literacy into eTwinning projects. You will examine the concept of literacy from multiple perspectives and explore how eTwinning projects can be a powerful tool to develop students’ literacy skills. Additionally, you will gain strategies for integrating digital tools to support literacy development, while engaging in project-based learning that enhances student engagement, collaboration, and critical thinking. Through hands-on activities, real eTwinning examples, and interactive tools, you will learn how to create collaborative international projects on literacy that foster meaningful learning experiences.
The course is offered by the European School Education Platform. Visit our website for more information.
Duration and workload
Start and end date: open-ended, you can take this course (or any section) at your own pace
Duration: self-paced
Workload: 8-10 hours
This course is based on a version that ran from Monday, 31 March 2025 to Wednesday, 16 April 2025. The original course provided participants with opportunities to interact during a specific active timeframe of 2.5 weeks, exchange ideas and engage in a peer assessment. However, we recognise that not everyone was able to attend during the scheduled timeline.
To make the course accessible to a wider audience, we’ve developed this self-paced format. This version allows you to explore the content and complete the activities at your own pace, whenever it suits you best.
What the self-study format means:
- Flexible schedule: You decide when and how to engage with the course materials. There are no deadlines, live sessions, or required meeting times.
- Independent learning: While the original course included discussions and peer reviews taking place in certain days and weeks, this format empowers you to work independently, using the same materials and guidance provided during the initial version. Please note that discussions in the forums and contributions on Padlets will not be moderated, allowing for a fully self-directed learning experience.
- Self-assessment: To replicate some of the reflective benefits of peer feedback, you will be encouraged to evaluate your own work using the provided assessment criteria.
Course competences
The recipient of this certificate has demonstrated proficiency of the following competences according to the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators and the SELFIE for TEACHERs tool:
- Professional Engagement: Professional collaboration at B2 level
- Digital Resources: Searching and selecting at B2 level
- Teaching and Learning: Teaching at B2 level
- Empowering Learners: Accessibility and inclusion at B2 level
For more information about the competences and the proficiency levels see the SELFIE for TEACHERs toolkit.
Target audience
This course is designed for primary and secondary school teachers across Europe interested in developing literacy skills through eTwinning projects. Other educators, school leaders, and policymakers may also find it valuable.
Learning objectives
- Understand the role of eTwinning in developing literacy skills and practices by analysing real-life eTwinning literacy projects and their impact on students.
- Reflect on the evolving concept of literacy in today’s world by analysing different literacy dimensions, discussing their impact on education, and examining real-life classroom examples through case studies and interactive discussions.
- Learn practical strategies for fostering literacy through collaborative eTwinning activities by integrating discussion techniques, and collaborative tasks.
- Design an engaging and collaborative eTwinning literacy project inspired by the course content, integrating digital tools to enhance literacy instruction.
Offered by
This content is offered by the European Commission. The European Commission is the European Union's politically independent executive arm. It is alone responsible for drawing up proposals for new European legislation, and it implements the decisions of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.
Schedule
- Disclaimer: course tailored to eTwinners
- How this self-paced course works
- Module 1: Understanding literacy in the 21st century
- Module 2: Strategies for enhancing literacy through eTwinning
- Module 3: Digital tools for literacy and collaboration
- Module 4: Final activity — Designing your own eTwinning literacy project
- Certificate of completion
