International education
The Scottish Government's international education agenda has two main areas of activity:
- International education policy in Scottish school education
- Benchmarking Scottish education against other high performing systems
International Education Policy
International education is very broad and can involve a wide range of activities including:
- learning about different cultures, traditions and languages from your own classroom
- communicating with students in another country through joint projects - from writing letters to video conferencing
- visiting other countries or hosting international visitors
The experience gained through such international education opportunities helps young people acquire the knowledge, values, attitudes and skills necessary to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world.
The Government work with a number of organisations and networks with a great deal of experience and expertise in these areas. They can help you bring a global dimension into your classroom by advising you on anything from using simple classroom resources, exploiting new technologies or arranging a visit to another country.
However, there may be exciting work already happening in your local authority area so a useful first stop for questions about international education is your local authority International Co-ordinator. This is a network of people working within every local authority who has responsibility for promoting and supporting international education. You can contact them through your local council Children's Services Department.
A network of local international education 'masterclassers' has been established. These are education practitioners who have participated in the International Education Masterclass run by Learning and Teaching Scotland. They have agreed to work within their school and authority to help support others who want to bring an international dimension to their classroom and school.
Benchmarking Scottish education
Further information about international benchmarking.