In October 2025, the eTwinning project “A Song for Our Souls in an English-Speaking World” brought together 110 participants - students and teachers from Romania, Turkey, and Poland -in a truly collaborative European experience. One of the most inspiring activities was the creation of a shared Padlet, a safe space where the participants introduced themselves in English, expressed their hopes for the project, and recommended classroom-appropriate songs in English, explaining their emotional and linguistic significance.
This activity offered multiple pedagogical benefits. First, it fostered student engagement and motivation by connecting learning to music, an authentic and emotionally resonant medium. By selecting songs and reflecting on their meaning, the participants actively practised critical thinking and self-expression, while strengthening intercultural understanding by exploring their peers’ musical and cultural preferences across countries. The teachers also benefited from observing how the students negotiate meaning and collaborate in a digital space, gaining insights into strategies for integrating creativity and technology in their classrooms.
From a linguistic perspective, the Padlet activity provided rich opportunities for authentic English practice. The Romanian, Turkish and Polish participants wrote short introductions, described songs, and explained their relevance, which encouraged vocabulary expansion, accurate grammar usage, and expressive language skills. Peer interaction allowed the students to read and respond to diverse language models, fostering pragmatic competence and enhancing confidence in written English. Additionally, the use of digital tools promoted digital literacy alongside language learning, preparing the participants for effective communication in blended and online environments.
Overall, the collaborative Padlet activity combined music, language, and intercultural exchange into a meaningful learning experience. It demonstrated how eTwinning projects can enhance linguistic competence, digital skills, and emotional engagement, providing a model for creative, student-centred, and cross-cultural education in the 21st century.
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The Padlet created during the eTwinning project “A Song for Our Souls in an English-Speaking World” can be an effective teaching resource for developing both language and intercultural skills. By compiling short introductions and reflections on songs written in English, it provides authentic, student-generated language material that can be used to practise vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure. The teachers can encourage their students to analyze the language used by their peers, identify descriptive adjectives or emotional expressions, and apply these forms in their own writing, thereby reinforcing linguistic competence in a meaningful context.
Beyond language practice, the Padlet supports listening, speaking, and comprehension activities. The teachers can play the recommended songs in class, inviting their students to compare their interpretations with those described by their peers, fostering discussion and debate in English. The reflections on the emotional and linguistic relevance of each song provide a natural springboard for speaking exercises, such as short presentations or group discussions, while also encouraging students to engage critically with content, express personal opinions, and articulate emotional responses in a foreign language.
The collaborative Padlet as a digital resource also promotes intercultural awareness and digital literacy. By exploring songs and reflections from students across Romania, Turkey, and Poland, learners of English can gain insights into different cultural perspectives and musical traditions, broadening their understanding of European diversity. Simultaneously, working with a collaborative digital platform teaches students how to navigate online tools responsibly, contribute content thoughtfully, and interact in an international virtual environment. In this way, the Padlet serves not only as a language learning resource, but also as a platform for creativity, reflection, and meaningful cross-cultural engagement.
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