The Digital First project is opening a new chapter in the way informatics is taught across Europe through the creation of Dialogue Clubs. These clubs are designed as collaborative spaces where educators, experts, and stakeholders exchange ideas, co-create innovative strategies, and explore how to adapt teaching to the needs of today’s digital learners.
A distinctive strength of Dialogue Clubs lies in their ability to foster cross-institutional collaboration at both national and European levels. By bringing together participants from diverse backgrounds, they establish multi-stakeholder learning communities that provide fresh perspectives and practical solutions. They also create a motivating environment where the role of teachers, their competences, and their readiness to adopt digital-first pedagogies can be critically examined and developed.
Grounded in research and wide consultation with stakeholders, the clubs address the pressing need for empirical evidence to guide policy decisions and funding for large-scale implementations. Through this process, they contribute to raising awareness, enhancing skills in emerging technologies, and aligning teaching practices with the communicative needs of digital natives.
The first seven Dialogue Clubs have explored innovative pedagogical approaches inspired by Halliday’s theory of language, adapting its functions to the digital environment. This framework recognises that communication is not only about content but also about interpersonal dynamics and modes of expression. Applied to informatics education, it encourages teachers to look beyond traditional methods and to integrate tools that support creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking.
By May 2025, 901 participants from ten countries—ranging from Bulgaria and Croatia to Portugal and Finland—had joined these national-level clubs. They experimented with new methods, from using avatars and games to interdisciplinary projects, all to reshape the way students learn and express themselves in a technology-driven world.
The insights from these sessions are clear: when used thoughtfully, digital tools can empower children to express emotions, share information, collaborate with peers, and develop problem-solving strategies. At the same time, the clubs highlight the importance of teaching digital literacy, emotional awareness, and responsible online behaviour to ensure that digital life complements rather than replaces face-to-face relationships.
In this way, Dialogue Clubs are not only pioneering a new narrative for informatics education but are also helping to build a foundation for future-ready, evidence-based, and inclusive digital learning communities.
Discover more insights from the seven Dialogue Clubs held across ten countries in our latest newsletter — read now!
