The purpose of the project is to explore the concept of pedagogy in an international school context, understanding how schools define and make pedagogical decisions, plan, and evaluate pedagogical implementation.

The research team will explore the following questions:

• How do international schools select, adopt, plan, implement and evaluate a pedagogy or pedagogies?
• How do international schools access evidence to make decisions about pedagogy?
• What factors lead international schools to change their pedagogy or pedagogies?
• What are the best available sources of evidence for international schools?
• How are digital tools integrated into this decision making?

A second objective is to understand how pedagogy is viewed by students, teachers, parents, and leadership and administration, through an evaluation instrument designed by the research team, to explore congruence of perspective. As a result of this learning, the project will lead to an open-source toolkit for international schools to support their leadership of pedagogy.

As a CIS member school we encourage you to participate in this research project. Complete this form to share more about your school and we will provide more information on how you can get involved.

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At its heart, international education is a diverse undertaking to serve a diverse community. While international schools each have a unique culture and context, they share a desire to provide students with the knowledge, skills and abilities to pursue their lives as global citizens. To achieve this goal, educational programs and offerings must be infused with international and intercultural perspective. We expect the outcomes of this research will help schools everywhere to strengthen their effectiveness as they prepare students to move forward with the attitudes and understanding they will need wherever their studies or work may take them.

What teachers do in the classroom and how they do it is vitally important. Their pedagogical beliefs, practices, and choices – explicit and implicit – have profound impact on their students’ learning experiences. We are thrilled, then, to partner with CIS in this Jacobs Foundation-funded research initiative designed to understand how International Schools make decisions regarding pedagogy. Equally important, our research aims to unearth how diverse communities of students, parents, teachers, and school leaders view pedagogy – and where these views and beliefs are resonant or dissonant. We are hopeful that this project and its findings will generate robust understandings and tools to support educators in learning, reflecting on, and intentionally implementing pedagogical practices in the classroom to the deeper benefit of all children.

In a rapidly changing world, schools everywhere must adapt and reflect on key strategic decisions that affect the learning experiences and outcomes of their students. Pedagogical choices are among the most consequential of these decisions. We are pleased to partner with CIS and the Klingenstein Center to better understand how international schools make key decisions around pedagogy. We expect that the lessons learned from this work will be relevant to schools from all our partners.

About the partner organisations

The Klingenstein Center at Teachers College, Columbia University is dedicated to building the capacity of educators so that they can better teach, lead, and make change for the kinds of schools all students deserve and need to flourish.

Founded in 1977 at Teachers College, Columbia University as the first university program of its kind, the Klingenstein Center offers master’s degree programs, fellowships programs, and professional learning opportunities designed to improve the quality of independent and international schools by developing and strengthening the leadership skills and practices of teachers and administrators.

The work of the Klingenstein Center is focused on the intersection of research and development, ensuring that practitioners have access to the best evidence to impact their practice.

The Jacobs Foundation invests in the future of young people so that they become socially responsible and productive members of society. In order to achieve this goal, children and youth must be given better opportunities for positive development and equitable access to education. Whatever their background, place of residence or family income, all children should have the chance to reach their full potential. To achieve the Foundation’s goals, work is structured in three areas: Learning minds, Learning schools, Learning societies. The collaboration with CIS falls into the Learning schools programme.

With our focus on Learning Schools, we support schools to succeed by generating and applying evidence, and by sharing best practices. Working with private and public schools and researchers, both globally and locally, we explore the frontiers of learning and rigorously test and further develop promising approaches. We codify best practices in teaching and school management, and systematically support schools, authorities, companies, and other education providers in applying these best practices.