Hundreds of children from the preparatory class attended “Colorful School”, as part of the “Digital Future” pilot project, which awarded its Digital Teacher of the Year

A pilot project to develop the digital skills of preparatory class teachers and create a dynamic learning classroom environment through the inclusion of digital learning resources carried out with the support of the Town Halls of the municipalities of Buzău, Oradea, and Reșita, revealed the benefits of modern, integrated educational approach for children at the beginning of their schooling. Entitled “Digital Future”, the project took place during the entire 2022-2023 school year in the schools of the three municipalities, providing 880 children from the preparatory class with sets of educational materials in printed and digital formats. More than 40 teachers and 4 mentors were involved in the project.

The project was implemented with the support of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Romania and with the help of the Romanian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK Romania) by the Art Klett Publishing House, which developed the educational set “Colorful School ” in partnership with National Geographic. Besides the printed components written by local Romanian authors and multimedia educational content from global educational multimedia providers such as National Geographic, Twig, and Lifeliqe, a comprehensive training for teachers of preparatory classes was provided.

“We are glad that this initiative has found support from local authorities, educational institutions, and teachers. We all believe in a digital, interactive and attractive education for children and are very pleased that the initiative has found favourable echoes at the local level and that today we can thank the mayors, school principals and teachers for their openness and vision. This approach contributes to the development of digital education in Romania, thus supporting the development of a society and a country adapted to the requirements of the future”, said H.E. Dr. Peer Gebauer, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Romania.

“AHK Romania has always been an active promoter of digitization and innovation. They represent the sine qua non for the healthy development of society and the well-being of cities and their citizens. With the pandemic, digitization has turned from a wish to an imperative, and the most effective means of implementing a concept on a large scale, to change mindsets, is definitely the school. We congratulate Art Klett for the initiative and the mayors of the municipalities involved in the project for their vision and sustainable decision to invest in the future of the community, in the children!” said Dr. Ilinca Pandele, member of the Executive Board.

According to Rok Kvaternik, director of Ernst Klett Publishers for Eastern Europe and the Baltic States, “the Viitorul Digital pilot project had a clear and ambitious goal, namely, to develop and set up a comprehensive model of digitization of education in various educational environments in Romania, to establish a general reference point for any future digitization initiatives throughout the country, ultimately benefiting all Romanian teachers and students”.

The pilot program also included five webinars – with demonstration lessons – one for each module, training for participants in the use of electronic devices in the classroom, respectively integrated teaching methods, two training sessions for mentors and three workshops organized by them.

The “Colourful School” concept offers all the resources needed to carry out the activity in the classroom, both in printed and digital versions, such as the activity books for class and after school, self-evaluation booklet, illustrated calendar, illustrative cards, motivational sticker materials, videos, games, songs, and digital exercises. The “Colourful School” ensures attractive and effective learning by integrating those printed and digital resources to keep students’ attention and interest.

And yet, learning materials are not enough. Instructors have an essential role – that is why, on Tuesday, the Digital Teacher of the Year plaque was awarded to Mrs. Mariana Brebenariu, teacher for primary education, from Reșita, who exceptionally contributed to the success of the project. The plaquette was presented by Dr. Ilinca Pandele, member of the Executive Board of AHK Romania

“Digital materials have helped us improve our teaching skills, making the whole learning process more interesting. These interactive materials naturally complement classroom study and encourage students to have a positive attitude towards learning”, explained Denisa Clinciu, primary education teacher, Buzău, mentor in the Viitorul digital program.

The “Digital Future” project will be in a pilot phase also during the school year starting just now, to allow for potential project upgrades and make it ready for extensions to other areas in the future.