Twinning

NETWORK TWINNING

 Introduction

                              In today’s global world, increasing organizational learning as well as generating new knowledge is crucial to maintain and enhance competitiveness. As a consequence, development of organizational learning seems to promise the challenges created by increased international competition and the growing importance of innovation in the knowledge society. Therefore, the question of institutional development becomes a key element for assessing and strengthening the overall development of an organization’s effectiveness. In relation to this, the idea of ‘twinning strategy’ has become a vehicle for sustainable organizational learning means, for building and strengthening institutional capacity. In another way, it can be said that it is prerequisite for sustaining organizational competitiveness and enhancing research performance.

                                                     

Network Twinning

                             According to the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (SIDA), 'twinning' is the distinctive method for promoting institutional capacity building and improving knowledge transfer between research institutions  that will embrace open innovation and development co-operation. On the other hand, World Bank, defines twinning as a “process that pairs an organizational entity in a developing country with a similar but more mature entity in another country,” and recognizes the method as one of its four primary technical assistance delivery modes, along with long-term advisors, short-term advisors, and training. In simple terms we can refer Twinning as a practice whereby two (sometimes more) schools in different regions or in different countries help each other with the help of information technology. Students may spend time in the twin school to gain experience they would not get in their home school. Faculty may be exchanged, resources are also shared.

Professional and institutional growth

                            The Network Twinning or e - Twinning action is an initiative of the European Commission that aims to encourage European schools to collaborate using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by providing the necessary infrastructure (online tools, services, support). Therefore, teachers registered in the Network Twinning action are enabled to form partnerships and develop collaborative, pedagogical school projects in any subject area with the sole requirements to employ ICT to develop their project and collaborate with teachers from other  countries. The primary workspace for the network Twinning action, is the e -Twinning Portal (www.etwinning.net) and it is available in twenty-five languages. Teachers registered in the e-Twinning action, also called e-Twinners, find each other, communicate, share resources and collaborate through the e-Twinning platform. E twinning is regarded as the educational communities in Europe. Teachers from all participating countries can register on the portal and use the e Twinning online tools to fund each other , meet virtually, exchange ideas and practice examples, team up in e-Twinning groups, learn together in learning events and engage in online based projects.

                                  The main concept behind Twinning is that schools are paired with another school elsewhere and they collaboratively develop a project which is known as twinning project. The two schools then communicate using the internet via email or video conferencing to collaborate share and learn from each other. e twinning encourages and develops ICT skills as the main activities inherently use information technology. Being twinned with a foreign school also encourages cross-cultural exchange of knowledge, fosters student’s intellectual awareness and improves their communication skills. E-Twinning projects may last for any length of time ranging from only a week, or a month or it can become a permanent relationship between schools.  As Network Twinning promotes school collaboration and school networking through the use of ICT, it provides advice, ideas and tools to make it easy for schools to set up partnerships and start collaborative projects in any subject area. Twinning helps teachers to share their resources, discuss about it and thereby enhance knowledge level. In today’s globalised society, connecting, collaborating and working together with people in other countries is an increasing part of everyday reality. Bringing an international dimension to Children’s education has become more important as we have to make students competitive enough to meet the requirements of the 21^st century. Network Twinning brings out the following benefits

•        Increased motivation for learner to learn across curriculum
•        Improved ICT, communication and language skills among students
•        Increased intercultural awareness through contact with peers in other countries.

•      Sharing and exchanging expertise with education professionals in another other country 
•          Understanding and comparing teaching and/or management approaches, making improvements to own practices of teachers

•        Facilitating teaching of curriculum subjects by adding an international dimension

                           Teachers participating in e Twinning activities can give positive status within their own work environment and also outside. The e Twinning platform has gone through major changes. Over the period and new social networking features have been added to platform to allow new ways of interaction. Similarly, support for training of young professionals is the most effective investment in research. This can be done through network twinning. Building a research institution is a long term process and therefore it is often viable to share the resources of existing facilities in other institutions. Thus twinning proves to be an effective method in strengthening institutional research capacity. Twinning can be done among institutions within the country or with developed institutions in the developed countries. Twinning can therefore be viewed as an reciprocation of technical training, exchange of researches, exchange of scientific knowledge, research collaboration, organizing scientific conference, sharing of facilities etc..

Conclusion

                       Network Twinning offers a platform for teachers working in a school to get involved, communicate, collaborate, research and be part of exciting learning communities. It promotes better cultural as well as informational and educational collaboration among different countries. Twinning can foster research activities and thereby provide better professional growth for teachers and it also promotes the educational standard of students where by institutional growth can also be achieved