The Results of the Creative Writing Competition within the Educational Project “Dor de Eminescu/Missing Our National Poet” held on 16/05/2025

 

From Tradition to Innovation: Rethinking Teaching and Assessment with Erasmus+ (a dissemination activity for the teachers of English on the Buzău Valley) 28/05/2025

 

As part of the pedagogical meeting of the teachers of English on the Buzău Valley hosted at Liceul Teoretic "Nicolae Iorga" in Nehoiu town,  Mrs. Claudia Emilia Frînculeasă  from Liceul Teoretic „Radu Vlădescu” carried out a dissemination and valorization session of the results of the Erasmus+ project 2024-1-RO01-KA121-SCH-000206543, funded by the European Union. 

The presentation, entitled “From Tradition to Innovation: Rethinking Teaching and Assessment with Erasmus+”, contributed to promoting the exchange of experience and good educational practices, supporting the continuous professional development of the teachers of English, and facilitating access to quality education for all during the 2024–2025 school year.

https://view.genially.com/6823ff327188db5827b344ba/guide-from-tradition-to-innovation-rethinking-teaching-and-assessment-with-erasmus

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the National Agency and Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein”. /„Conţinutul prezentului material reprezintă responsabilitatea exclusivă a autorilor, iar Agenţia Naţională şi Comisia Europeană nu sunt responsabile pentru modul în care va fi folosit conţinutul informaţiei. 

The Pedagogical Meeting of the Teachers of English on the Buzău Valley 28/05/2025

On 28 May 2025, the English teachers from the Buzău Valley, under the coordination of Mrs. Daniela Gianina Cociodar, Inspector for Foreign Languages, participated in the pedagogical activity entitled “Exploring the Universe of Poetry in English: Creative Workshops,” organized by Mrs. Maria Pană and hosted at Liceul Teoretic „Nicolae Iorga” in Nehoiu town, an eTwinning School 2024–2025.

The pedagogical meeting brought several valuable benefits to the participants, including professional development, the exchange of good practices, creative teaching strategies, networking opportunities, cultural and linguistic enrichment, and support for educational innovation.

First of all, the activity offered a set of innovative, hands-on workshops that enhanced participants' skills in teaching poetry, encouraging creativity and a deeper appreciation of language. It also provided a platform for teachers to share methods, strategies, and classroom experiences, fostering peer learning and collaboration.

Secondly, the participants explored new approaches to teaching poetry, helping them make literature more engaging and accessible for Romanian students. Furthermore, teachers from various schools in the Buzău Valley area connected with one another, encouraging future collaboration and joint initiatives.

Last but not least, the event reinforced the importance of continuous learning and adapting teaching practices in line with modern educational trends. Overall, the meeting made a meaningful contribution to improving the teaching–learning–assessment process through inspiration, collaboration, and knowledge sharing.

We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the wonderful community of Liceul Teoretic „Nicolae Iorga” - teachers, students, and parents - and to congratulate all the students and teachers who made the pedagogical activity “Exploring the Universe of Poetry in English: Creative Workshops” not only possible but also a successful and memorable teaching and learning event.

Special thanks go to Mrs. Daniela Gianina Cociodar, Inspector for Foreign Languages, for her dedicated coordination, to the Headmaster of Liceul Teoretic „Nicolae Iorga”, Mrs. Petronela Natalia Perțea, and to the English teachers Mrs. Maria Pană and Mrs. Cristina Florentina Tănăsescu, for their thoughtful organization and warm hospitality.

Our final collaborative poster within the eTwinning project "All Together for a Global Celebration" (May 2025)

In May 2025, each class participating in the eTwinning project "All Together for a Global Celebration" contributed a relevant photograph and selected two core values to promote in our communities and beyond. From Romania, class 7B highlighted collaboration and solidarity, while class 1A focused on tolerance and empathy. The Greek pupils echoed these sentiments, with class D1 promoting respect and equality, class ST1 embracing friendship and kindness, and class E standing for unity and support.

What makes eTwinning truly impactful is how it bridges classrooms across borders, encouraging young learners to reflect on what values are essential for a better world. Through shared projects like this, based on communication, cooperation and creativity, our pupils learn not only about cultural differences, but also with each other, cultivating positive values and attitudes.

This final poster captures more than a visual culmination of a collaborative project - it embodies the spirit of global citizenship that the eTwinning programme strives to facilitate. As the project participants have shown, promoting values together helps build a stronger, kinder, and more inclusive future.

 

The eTwinning project ''All Together for a Global Celebration'' - the results of the final evaluation forms (class 7B - Romania)

The eTwinning project "All Together for a Global Celebration" brought together primary and lower-secondary pupils from Romania and Greece to explore international observances and promote proactive citizenship through collaborative, creative activities on the European School Education Platform. 

In May 2025, the twenty-four Romanian pupils enrolled in class 7B at Liceul Teoretic "Radu Vlădescu" in Pătârlagele filled in the final evaluation survey, providing feedback and valuable insights into the impact of the project activities on their learning and personal development.

The eTwinning initiative focused on three global observances: the International Day of Acceptance (20 January 2025), Random Acts of Kindness Day (17 February 2025) and the International Day of Forests (21 March 2025), and, in order to deepen their understanding of these themes and foster values such as empathy, solidarity, and environmental responsibility, the project participants engaged in various activities, including multimedia presentations, digital storytelling, cross-curricular lessons, and collaborative work.

The final evaluation revealed that the following project objectives were achieved by the participants:

• building strong value systems based on friendship, peace, acceptance, kindness, empathy, solidarity, respect, environmental protection etc. - 23 participants (95,8%);
• gaining a deeper understanding of the cultural, social, environmental and civic significance of three global celebrations - 17 participants (70,8%);
• developing multilingual, digital, civic and personal competences and 21st century skills (creativity, critical thinking, teamwork etc.) - 16 participants (66,7%);
• practising international collaboration, intercultural dialogue and an authentic exchange of good practices - 16 participants (66,7%).

The survey results also highlighted significant developments of their key-competences: 

• Personal, Social, and Learning to Learn Competence: 23 participants - 95,8%;
• Multilingual Competence (English): 18 participants - 75%;
• Digital Competence: 18 participants - 75%;
• Cultural Awareness and Expression: 17 participants - 70,8%;
• Citizenship Competence: 15 participants - 62,5%.

In terms of 21st-century skills development, here are the results: Learning Skills (critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication): 20 participants (83,3%), Life Skills (flexibility, leadership, social skills): 17 participants (70,8%), Literacy Skills (information, media, technology): 14 participants (58,3%).

The participants expressed their preferences regarding the collaborative project outcomes, such as the collaborative Christmas Padlet - 23 participants (95,8%), the digital book "All Together for a Global Celebration" created with Book Creator - 21 participants (87,5%),  the Easter cards exchange - 21 participants (87,5%), the Acts of Kindness Calendar - February 2025 - 19 participants (79,2%), 

the collaborative video "In the Woods" dedicated to the International Day of the Forests 2025 - 13 participants (54,2%), the acrostic poem entitled "Acceptance" dedicated to the International Day of Acceptance 2025 - 12 participants (50%), the final collaborative poster promoting our share values - 12 participants (50%).

All the participants expressed their awareness of the importance of online safety and also considered the project "All Together for a Global Celebration" a positive learning experience.

As a result, it can be concluded that the Greek-Romanian partnership was a successful one, fostering intercultural understanding, digital literacy, and active citizenship among participants from different backgrounds. Last but not least, by engaging with global themes through creative collaboration, they developed essential competences and skills, and improved attitudes and behaviours.

An exchange of experience based on inclusion, sustainable development, respect, collaboration, environmental responsibility, mutual support and assertive communication

On 7 May 2025, a group of 5th graders from Școala Gimnazială Sat Cândești coordinated by the teacher of English, Mr. Neculai Florian, visited Liceul Teoretic "Radu Vlădescu" in Pătârlagele town. During the educational exchange of experience, pupils and teachers from both schools came together to share practices rooted in inclusion, sustainable development, mutual respect, support and collaboration. 

The activities fostered the interaction between diverse groups of pupils, encouraging open dialogue and assertive communication as essential tools for understanding and teamwork. Through workshops, digital and interactive activities, the participants explored topics such as sustainable habits, environmental responsibility, recycling, and green innovation, emphasizing how everyday choices impact the planet. 

Inclusive education practices were highlighted, ensuring that every voice was heard and valued, regardless of background or ability. The exchange promoted empathy, cultural awareness, and a shared sense of purpose, allowing the students to experience firsthand the power of mutual support in achieving common goals. 

By working together across communities, the exchange created lasting connections and empowered young people to become active, informed citizens committed to building a fairer, greener, and more compassionate world. According to the participants, it was a meaningful step toward an education model that empowers, transforms and unites.

The local project "Nature-The Soul of the Earth" 2025

Inspiring Young Voices through Creative Writing

As part of Romania’s Săptămâna Verde (Green Week) National Programme, held between May 5th and 9th, 2025, the local project “Natura - Sufletul Pământului/Nature - The Soul of the Earth” brought nature to life through the eyes and words of third-grade pupils. The project facilitated two engaging creative writing workshops - Plant a Story (individual) and The Future in Our Eyes (collaborative) - designed to help children explore environmental themes through storytelling.

Taking into consideration the fact that one of the project aims was to cultivate environmental awareness through creativity among the primary and lower-secondary pupils enrolled at Liceul Teoretic "Radu Vlădescu", at the heart of the project was a simple, but powerful idea: storytelling can connect children with nature in a deeply personal way. 

The creative writing workshop Plant a Story invited each pupil to craft an individual tale inspired by the natural world. Through metaphor, imagination, and emotion, the learners "planted" their stories like seeds - weaving tales of trees that talk, animals who protect their habitats, and imaginary worlds where humans live in harmony with the earth.

Meanwhile, The Future in Our Eyes encouraged pairwork, empathy, and a shared vision. In this collaborative workshop, the pupils worked together to share a story imagining what the world might look like in 50 years if we choose to care for the environment and/or if we don't. The result was a hopeful, but realistic reflection on environmental responsibility, expressed in the sincere, unfiltered voices of young children.

The activities had both an educational and an emotional impact and the benefits of these workshops were far-reaching:

- they enhanced environmental literacy (the children learned about ecosystems, pollution, and sustainability in a context that felt personal and meaningful);

- they improved literacy and communication skills; by writing and presenting their stories in front of their peers, the pupils developed narrative skills, their English vocabulary, and public speaking confidence;

- they strengthened the young learners' emotional intelligence: the workshops gave our pupils the space to express their feelings about nature, pollution, climate change, and their hopes for the future;

- they fostered pairwork and collaboration; during the second workshop, The Future in Our Eyes, the pupils learned to listen, to compromise and to collaborate in order to build something greater together.

The local initiative "Nature - The Soul of the Earth" proved that even the youngest voices can speak with power when given the right platform. By blending environmental education with artistic expression, this project left a lasting impression, not only in the words written, but in the minds and hearts of those who wrote them.

As the entire school community reflects on the success of this year's Green Week, this local project stands as a good example of how creativity and care for the planet can grow hand in hand. Since all the project participants expressed a renewed commitment to protecting the environment, the project coordinators believe that creative writing can spark real-world awareness and change.