European Seminars - Locally Organised

A Learning Experience

eTwinning is, of course, all about collaboration, peer to peer learning, and professional development. Most of the action takes place online of course, on eTwinning Live and the TwinSpace. However, every NSS takes it up to themselves to organize at least one Multilateral Seminar - that is, a gathering of same minded educators, working together towards a common aim (usually registering a new European Project) and learning together along the way as well.

Our size and resources actually prohibits us from organising large scale PDWs (Professional Development Workshops) however we can and do organise seminars for up to 60 educators from all over Europe. Since arriving in 2009, I was involved in the organisation of not less than seminars, including: Secondary Schools Seminar for Mediterranean Countries (2010), eTwinning/EkoSkola joint seminar (2010), eTwinning Early Years Seminar (2011), eTwinning Seminar for Secondary Educators - The Arts and Humanities (2012), eTwinning Seminar for Kindergarten and Early Years - Sharing Good Practice (2013), eTwinning Seminar for eTwinning Ambassadors (2014), eTwinning Seminar for Primary and Middle Schools (2015) eTwinning Training Seminar for Ambassadors (2015) and the most recent, eTwinning Seminar for Secondary Schools and eTwinning Plus Countries (2016.

Quite a lot of hosting for such a small country and NSS !

Organising each seminar was a learning curve. Things that I take for granted nowadays - simple things such as securing a strong Internet connection or to go easy on the food orders - took years to get right. Asking for help is also something that I learned I needed to do. In the beginning it was all about appearing as self sufficient as an NSS as possible - the epitome of teachers' mentality in Malta. I quickly realised though, that help was readily and abundantly available, courtesy of the other participating NSS - and that I didn't even need to ask. It just came.

And nothing was a problem. Nothing at all....

Weather mishaps were treated with warm smiles by the Northerners. Sure, at least it's warm and not snowing - what's a bit of rain ? Food was happily devoured and enjoyed by all - a simple ftira with tuna became a gourmet dish. Internet not working - no problem ! Let us just sit on the floor and have a discussion about how we can better involve and empower our students. Election coinciding with  an eTwinning Seminar ? (Did really happen in 2013!). Not a problem! Can we join the party ??

It was the sheer enthusiasm of my fellow NSS and our wonderful Maltese Ambassadors' Team, the teachers' joie du vivre, the whole European laid-back-attitude that so inspired me to better myself and the seminars I was so proud to be a part of. I ceased to worry about what could go wrong during the seminar, I dared organise bigger and more interesting seminars. I learned the most important lesson of my eTwinning life - it is not the journey, it is the destination. The journey will happen nevertheless, but you can be sure you will never ever be alone. Who knows - Malta might even be organising the European-wide eTwinning Conference (500+ participants) in the near future ! Watch this space :-)