B.+Mission+statement

MySchoolsNetwork was founded in 2008 by a group of teacher educators and student teachers to meet the demand for an authentic learning environment for secondary school students. Teachers in the Netherlands and Vietnam had indicated that their young students lacked an opportunity to practice their language skills by communicating with real pupils in other parts of the world. As these teachers put it “Can you give my pupils a window on the world?”

Over the past couple of years MySchoolsNetwork has developed into an innovative framework platform where pupils, students and teachers all over the world can communicate with each other by means of words (in English) and images (pictures, photographs and videos). In this way they learn about other countries and cultures and practice their language skills in an authentic setting.

Besides, pupils and students can participate in monthly “events” around interesting cultural themes.

MySchoolsNetwork is intended to make internationalization accessible to all pupils and students of all levels all over the world. It is meant to provide (trainee) teachers all over the world with a platform where they can experiment with new forms of education and share experiences with colleagues all over the world.

MySchoolsNetwork functions as - and will be further developed into - a Worldwide learning lab that facilitates an open exchange of knowledge, information and experience. Mutual intercultural respect and interest are key!

Roelien Bos-Wierda Ron Barendsen Teacher educators NHL Hogeschool