This document discusses the demands of 21st century education according to Anne Gilleran, the pedagogical manager of eTwinning. It outlines how societal, communication, and curricular demands are shifting education away from traditional models towards more collaborative, inquiry-based, and technology-enabled approaches. Key capabilities for 21st century learners include collaboration, creativity, and digital literacy. eTwinning provides opportunities for teachers, students, and schools to develop these capabilities through international project-based learning and professional cooperation supported online.

1. eTwinning:
towards a 21st Century Pedagogy
Anne Gilleran – pedagogical manager
eTwinning Central Support Service

2. Anne who?
I come from Dublin, Ireland
worked in Brussels for the
European Schoolnet since
2001
Pedagogical
manager for
eTwinning since
2005
Career:
university lecturer
school counsellor
head teacher
researcher
expert in ICT for education
I have been involved in many
projects involving schools,
teachers and school leaders

3. Topics of this presentation
Reflections on the educational demands
of the 21 century
– Societal demands
– Communication demands
– Curricular demand
– Teaching demands

4. Demands of a new social order

5. The changing world of
work
Where the only certainty is
the certainty of
constant and continuing
change

6. Demands of Mass Communication
The Knowledge
Society
More global
than schools
can prevision
for

7. The explosion of
technology and the
internet that potentially
puts the access to this
information at
everybody’s fingertips

9. Demands of Changing Curriculum
Schools are changing – more
autonomy & more accountability
Curricula are changing
less formal
More enquiry based learning
Less rote learning
More focus on collaborative
learning – higher order thinking
skills

10. Demand of Shifting Educational Worlds
Formal
Formal
Informal
Informal
Closed
Open
Top down
Bottom up
Teaching
Learning
Consumption
Creation
Curriculum driven
Life as curriculum

11. Changes in perceived
roles
Changes in practices
Changes in Societal
Expectations

12. Demands of Modern Youth Culture
Consumers
Collaborators
Creators
Leaders of tomorrow
What capabilities do they require as learners?

13. Key Capabilities for learners
Key capabilities
20th century learners
Conformity, compliance
working alone, silence,
teacher rules
Collaboration,community,
team work
Creativity, ingenuity
Interaction, noise, teacher
as facilitator
Key capabilities 21st
century
learners

14. The teaching context summarised
The children we teach are changing
The core values of education are going through a radical
change as the knowledge society impacts on institutions and
ways of instruction that date mainly to the 19th Century.
We (as teachers) are mostly still seen as conservative in our
methods and our views about learning.

15. What is necessary now in educational
thinking?
A new literacy set underpinned by competencies

19. European key
competencies

21. Why eTwinning?

22. What’s in eTwinning for the Teachers?
A different way to deliver the curriculum
An easy way into transnational
collaboration
Natural way to use ICT in the classroom
Provides opportunity for professional
cooperation with other teachers
Teachers are free
to choose subject
and method to
carry out the project

23. What’s in eTwinning for the Pupils?
The possibility of more authentic learning
Develops a better understanding of cultures,
habits, religions
Using ICT and developing digital literacy / abilities.
Richer curriculum experience; geography, MFL,
mother tongue, other history viewpoints, different
takes on science..
The non-ICT aspects: co-operation, planning, taking
responsibility, making choices…
The play ethic: because
projects are usually
stimulating, motivating
and fun for the pupils
& teachers

24. What’s in eTwinning for the School?
Easy-entry to the world of international projects
The opportunity to become part of a collaborative
learning community
A level of built-in quality in the project because of
the quality labels
Opportunity for personal professional development
of teachers & school leaders
Greater visibility for the school- Parents are
impressed

25. 2 examples of projects

26. Recap

29. Thank you for your attention!
eTwinning portal:
www.etwinning.net
Contacts:
Anne.Gilleran@eun.org