Two Scottish primary schools have reached the finals of the eTwinning European Prize Awards to be held in Prague later this month.
Bowhouse Primary school in Falkirk and Cauldeen Primary school in Inverness have made it through to the finals of the eTwinning European Prize Awards for their projects exploring new and exciting ways of introducing mathematics to pupils.
Both schools are hopeful that they can progress further and win the award which will include a visit to an eTwinning Camp for teachers and pupils in an attractive European destination at the end of April 2009.
Under the theme of the traditional children's counting nursery rhyme‘1, 2, Buckle My Shoe’ staff and pupils worked together to create and solve mathematical problems using digital games and puzzles.
Working with partner schools in Romania, Iceland, Poland and Ireland they managed to bring a renewed sense of understanding and excitement to a subject that children often find difficult to understand.
Teacher Dorothy Ostachinni, from Bowhouse Primary, explained what she gained from being involved in the project: ‘Benefits include the range of ICT tools which I have become familiar with and have been able to incorporate into the delivery of our curriculum including partnerships with our parents, families and eTwinning partners.’
George Glass, Head teacher at Cauldeen Primary, played a key role in the project development and said: ‘The motivating experiences and rapid skills development gained for both staff and pupils has been a testament to the unique way eTwinning provides a superb context for creative learning and teaching development.'
Already well-known for their involvement in international education, Cauldeen Primary used their successful eTwinning project as the basis for a Comenius School Partnership application in 2008. Their approval for a two-year project provides them with funding to visit their approved partner institutions and further recognition for their hard work.
eTwinning is a European school linking programme which enables schools to work collaboratively on cross-curricular projects through a common online portal. Each National Support System offers advice to schools and runs continuing professional development workshops throughout the year.
Schools can join online to start searching for partner schools and register their project.
For more information please email the team on etwinning@britishcouncil.org.
Comenius School Partnership is a European linking programme which offers institutions funding to work on cross-curricular collaborative projects for a two-year period.
The next annual deadline for School Partnership applications is 20th February 2009. Forms and guidance can be found on our web site.
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