European Commission webinar on promoting wellbeing for improved learning outcomes

Mario leads the work on the PISA assessments of transversal, 21st century skills. He is the lead author of the frameworks for the PISA 2018 assessment of Global Competence and for the PISA 2021 assessment of Creative Thinking. He also authored several PISA analytical reports, including the first report on the wellbeing of students. Mario joined the OECD in 2009 as a Young Professional. Before moving to the PISA team in April 2015, he worked for the Public Governance Directorate and the Statistics Directorate of the OECD, the University of Geneva and the World Bank. Mario has contributed to several large OECD and inter-agency projects on gender and wellbeing, and led the definition and development of international indicators on metropolitan areas, inequality, entrepreneurship and trade. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Geneva. Mario speaks Italian, English, French and is currently learning Spanish.

Ana Munivrana is the Executive Director at the Forum for Freedom in Education (FFE) in Zagreb. She holds a degree from the Faculty of Psychology, Zagreb, and has a diverse professional background, including roles such as Head of the Mediation Program at FFE, Recruiter and Human Resources Consultant at Electus DGS, and Clinical Psychologist and Research Coordinator at the Center for Child Protection in Zagreb. Ana has led numerous projects aimed at improving public education and promoting volunteerism, social end emotional learning and mental health. 

Ivana Ćosić, PhD, is an Education Officer at UNICEF Croatia. She works with national, regional and municipal governments, academia and the civil society sector in Croatia to improve conditions so that more children in Croatia can enjoy quality education.

Ankica Rakas-Drljan works as an associate pedagogue at the Gvozd Primary School. She participates in the training sessions of the Forum for Freedom of Education and is a member of the Crisis Intervention Team at the Ministry of Education. In her work, she focuses on working with students with special educational needs and their socio-emotional development. She has experience in counselling and advisory work with parents and teachers. 

Maja Turniški, holds a B.A. in clinical and counselling psychology, and Ph.D. in developmental psychology and trained in psychosocial support (PSS) in crisis situations, disasters, large scale events and catastrophes. She is the co-founder of Suncokret Centre for Community Development and KIDS EARTH FUND Croatia both in Vrginmost. She has many years of organisational and leadership experience in national, regional and local social inclusion projects. For the past 19 years she has created local experiential learning programs with participatory activities that otherwise not readily available in the local community.

Moderator of the featured group ‘Literacy, media literacy and critical thinking’

Carol Barriuso is an English teacher, teacher trainer, and EdTech educator passionate about fostering innovative and collaborative learning. As an eTwinning Ambassadress and Moderator, she helps like-minded teachers connect and engage in meaningful cross-border activities and projects.

With a MasterRes in eLearning and an MA in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, she has dedicated their career to advancing technology and language education. Currently pursuing a PhD in Cognitive Science and Language, her research focuses on language learning through the eTwinning platform, exploring how collaboration and technology can transform education.

With a European PhD in Educational Sciences and a decade of experience, Cosmin Nada is an expert in educational research, focusing on migration and education, diversity, and inclusion in education, among other topics. He is a member of NESET and the Editorial Board of the European Toolkit for Schools.