eTwinning and Erasmus+ Together: Strengthening Our International Partnership in Poland_Gonca SOLMAZ / Gaziemir Science And Art Center

 

Gonca SOLMAZ / Gaziemir Science And Art Center

eTwinning and Erasmus+ Together: Strengthening Our International Partnership in Poland

Between 24 and 27 March 2026, teachers from Gaziemir Science and Art Center (Türkiye) participated in a Job Shadowing mobility at Szkoła Podstawowa im. Szarych Szeregów w Górkach in Poland as part of our Erasmus+ Accreditation Project.

This mobility was especially meaningful because Szkoła Podstawowa im. Szarych Szeregów w Górkach is also one of the partners in our eTwinning project, "Connecting Cultures: Friendship Across Oceans and Seas." Erasmus+ gave us the opportunity to transform our online collaboration into a face-to-face learning experience, strengthening our partnership and creating new ideas for future joint activities.

Throughout the mobility, we exchanged innovative teaching practices, explored STEM-based learning approaches, and collaborated on environmental education activities that support sustainability and active citizenship.

One of our collaborative workshops focused on building ecosystem models representing forests, deserts, polar regions, and oceans. Working in international teams, participants explored biodiversity, habitats, food chains, and the importance of protecting ecosystems while improving their creativity, teamwork, and engineering skills.

Another exciting activity was the design of a rainwater harvesting model using recycled materials such as plastic bottles and straws. Participants learned how rainwater can be collected, filtered, stored, and reused, promoting awareness of sustainable water management and responsible environmental practices.

As part of our scientific activities, we also measured the pH of rainwater brought from Türkiye. This experiment encouraged participants to compare environmental conditions, discuss water quality, and experience scientific inquiry through hands-on investigation.

One of the highlights of the mobility was presenting "Egehan," the eco-friendly educational computer game developed by our students. The game raises awareness about environmental protection and climate change through interactive challenges. Our partners had the opportunity to experience the game and exchange valuable feedback on how digital technologies can support environmental education.

Beyond these activities, the mobility enabled us to observe innovative classroom practices, share educational experiences, and strengthen the friendship and cooperation established through our eTwinning project.

This experience clearly demonstrated how eTwinning and Erasmus+ complement each other. While eTwinning enables continuous online collaboration throughout the school year, Erasmus+ provides the opportunity to meet in person, share best practices, and build even stronger international partnerships.

We are proud to continue our journey with our Polish partners through both eTwinning and Erasmus+, believing that collaboration, cultural exchange, and sustainability are the keys to educating responsible global citizens.