As eTwinning enters a new phase, it is time to revisit the basic concept of what exactly a National Quality Label is for and how it is awarded.

eTwinning has been acknowledging the work of teachers in projects from the very beginning  with the award of labels for quality and of course the European Prizes. However over the years some misconceptions have arisen, particularly in relation to the National Quality Label, with some teachers regarding it as a reward to be gained for every project they do.

The National Quality Label is, just as the title suggests, is awarded for the quality of the work done by an individual teacher in a project. The project work of a teacher is evaluated by what they write in the application form for the Quality Label to justify why they should be awarded. For this reason it must be clear from the very start of work in a project just how you, as one teacher among many, have contributed to the overall working team of the project. Sometimes in applications we see that one common application is created which is then copied and pasted by all the participating teachers applying for the label. However, from this kind of application, it can be very difficult for evaluators to differentiate between the work of individuals and this often leads to one teacher being awarded and another not.

Quality in a project is evaluated on five criteria:

·         Collaboration between partner schools

·         The use of ICT

·         Pedagogical innovation

·         Curricular integration

·         Results and dissemination

In your application you must be able to demonstrate how your involvement with the activities of the project has contributed in these areas.

Some teachers in the past years have done many projects in the course of a year and have applied for National Quality Labels for each of them. However, this practice can call into question the whole idea of what quality actually is a well thought out project idea, researched and planned according to the five criteria, with a clear role for each teacher involved.

To emphasise the role of quality in a project, the application process has changed and in the 2021/2022 school year, only four projects per teacher will be evaluated. So, although a teacher may do many projects, only four will be considered, so the advice is that you choose wisely, before you apply and pick what you consider the projects that best demonstrate the quality of your work under the five criteria.