Why international partnerships and collaboration are more important than

Why international partnerships and collaboration are more important than ever

By Hannah Starkey

Over the past 18 months, international collaborations have helped schools around the world to seek new ideas, digital solutions, and much-needed support to navigate through unknown territory. ‘Covid-19 has shown us that we have both the most and least connected generation of pupils in our schools, ever. Whilst technology provides the links, an over-reliance on it builds barriers of human contact.’ says Sue Hannam, Headteacher at Lichfield Cathedral School in England. Forging links with an international school has brought a vital perspective for schools and can introduce students to new cultures, traditions, lifestyles and global issues.

Sue added: ‘There is a paradox here, whereby our pupils are easily able to link and communicate with others across the globe but are not always in the habit of practising one-to-one personal skills faceto-face, in the way they may have done in the past. Part of our role as educators is to ensure the education we provide builds awareness about the wider world, about sustainability and about playing an active role in the global community.’

The Global School Alliance connects pioneers in educational reform and development, providing a platform for sharing of best practices, resources and opportunities to increase school improvement, teacher development and student transformation. The growing community represents over 5000 schools in 120 countries worldwide and unites educationalists through regular conferences, informative webinars, virtual partnerships, joint projects, council meetings and global discussions.

Whilst some schools prioritise international collaboration and embed it in the school ethos, others find it increasingly difficult to establish global connections. It takes time, effort and drive to build these relationships with schools in other countries, so why do leaders think it’s worth making that investment?

Sharing of best practice

Working collaboratively with another teacher has proved to be one of the most powerful tools for teacher development, helping to boost confidence and compare systems. From classroom observations to valuable pedagogy exchanges with educational leaders around the world, schools can benchmark their own teaching and learning practices and receive infinite inspiration. International school partnerships allow teachers and leaders access to expertise they may not otherwise have.

Teachers can also learn a variety of skills from their overseas partners such as language and communication, cultural awareness and tolerance and enhanced knowledge of their own subject. Robert Ford, Director of Heritage International School, said: ‘It is a real source of strength for me, and pride, that we can be authentic, open, honest and learn from each other as a group of very different international school leaders.’ Heritage International School were founding members of the Global School Alliance and have since described the global community as being ‘central to how we continue to develop our global learning’. Most recently Heritage International

Teachers can also learn a variety of skills from their overseas partners such as language and communication

School Moldova established a virtual partnership with a school in Tunisia and have celebrated the completion of their first joint project. They will continue to strengthen the partnership with online exchanges and projects.

Adding depth to the curriculum

Connecting students with like-minded peers around the world creates a much deeper understanding of how their counterparts live and surrounding global issues: an impact much greater than any lesson could achieve. The opportunity to see first-hand what daily life is like in a different international context brings learning to life by connecting the curriculum and the learning they’re experiencing in the real world. Students at Bina Bangsa International School in Indonesia recently partnered with a school in Poland for a virtual culture exchange project. Project leader Ronald Eturma Galagatan said: ‘Getting to know new friends from the other side of the world made this project very special. Sharing cultures was indeed very fruitful and an eye-opener.’ Similarly, a teacher at Delhi Public School Nashik in India which partnered with a school in the Philippines, described how the students have already benefited from their collaborations: ‘The project has allowed them to be better communicators, be respectful about the culture and values of their counterparts, become more sensitive about the others’ culture and, above all, develop global citizenship’. ◆

Hannah Starkey is Senior Marketing Executive for True Partnerships Group and pioneers the development of the Global School Alliance. The Global School Alliance is free to join for all schools to become members and teachers to become ambassadors. Join here: www.globalschoolalliance.com/join ✉ Hannah@truepartnerships.com