When designing a curriculum, teachers and leaders have a lot to consider: is it accessible? Does it support and stretch students? Is it inclusive?
Fethy Letaief, a senior English and ICT teacher at Pioneer Prep School in Tunisia, also asks another question: how global is it? Any curriculum, he says, needs to ensure that learners are truly “citizens of the world”.
A survey published in 2018 by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development suggests students agree. The vast majority of students who responded (98 per cent) said they thought a strong understanding of world history and events was critical to developing solutions to global problems.
The same research found that students who learn about global issues are more than twice as likely to see the importance of personally taking social action, with global learning encouraging awareness and critical thinking about issues such as poverty, climate change, religious and cultural differences, world trade and politics.
The power of international school partnerships
We know that bringing another culture into the classroom is a great way to help students think more globally when it comes to big issues and important topics. But what’s the best way to go about this in practice?
Letaief, who is also a British Council international education ambassador, says that international partnerships can be enormously powerful.
Connecting with other classrooms around the world ensures that students learn about global awareness, conventions and diversity, he says, and gain a deeper understanding of different cultures, traditions, lifestyles and global issues. It also helps pupils to better understand the world they live in, he says, and breaks down any preconceptions.
Collaboration and culture
Mark Herbert, head of schools programmes at the British Council, agrees.
“Having a partner school, whether in Lebanon, Kenya or Nepal, gives you an insight into a completely different country and culture,” he says.
“You might not be learning that language, but by working with the teachers and pupils there, you can understand how they’re dealing with some of the same issues we have, such as the climate.”
The more work schools put into these partnerships, the more opportunities for collaboration will come, Letaief adds.
“Thanks to international partnerships and collaborative global projects, my school and I gained recognition and have been invited to participate in other exciting projects,” he says.
“Each opportunity was the result of previous success, and each success was the outcome of being fully aware of the key pillars and values of international education and collaboration.
“This includes being professional and keeping promises, being empathetic and valuing partners’ efforts, having integrity and working according to deadlines, and, most of all, the ability to share good practices and spread this culture of diversity and openness.”
Letaief says that it’s not just students who benefit from this sort of collaboration: connecting with global peers can support teachers’ professional development, too.
“There has been a great desire to learn and develop professionally, whether via CPD or with personal readings and research on global awareness, digital education, coaching in education and other key topics related to 21st-century skills,” he adds.
And he proposes that schools should be open-minded about other global projects to truly engage learners with international education. He suggests establishing a calendar of international events related to global topics, such as International Women’s Day.
Lessons around languages
Herbert also stresses the importance of modern foreign languages.
“On one hand technology and trade make our world increasingly connected and interdependent, yet on the other there is a risk that people don’t experience and understand each other’s countries and cultures, allowing distrust to grow,” he says. “Therefore, our view at the British Council is that a truly rounded and balanced education has to include elements of international learning to prepare young people for this globalised world that they will all be living in.
“This could be through learning a modern foreign language or through taking part in an international school partnership online, both of which help students to gain insights into other countries and cultures.’ ”
Both Letaief and Herbert recognise that forming international partnerships to support this work won’t always be easy.
However, Herbert highlights that the British Council has a number of initiatives to help schools both in the UK and around the globe to collaborate with their international peers.
Its Schools Connect programme, for example, helps teachers to bring an international perspective to the curriculum through providing an international partner-finding database, free resources to help schools collaborate on global topics and practical guidance on how to set up and manage an international partnership.
The International School Award also recognises schools that have shown a commitment to embedding international awareness and understanding within their class or school.
So, while the idea of an international partnership may be daunting, school leaders can rest assured that there is a helping hand out there. And, as Letaief has found, if you can get your partnership right, the possibilities for staff and students can be limitless.
To find out how you can get started with an international partnership, visit the British Council’s Schools Connect site, and explore accreditation for your school and a pathway to embedding international work across the curriculum
