Around us stood a group of children aged six to ten. Overnight, forty centimetres of fresh snow had transformed the forest into a white wilderness. It was the last day before the winter break, and we were on our annual school hike. Our music teacher, who also happened to be a ski instructor, had set off ahead with part of the group on skis. Another teacher and I followed behind with the slower walkers, helping children who stopped every few minutes to marvel at the untouched snow.

Some of them had never experienced a snowy forest before.

The landscape was magical. No footprints. No tracks. No signs of human activity. Just silence, snow and wonder.

Then we reached a crossroads.

We could no longer see the rest of the group.

One very confident child assured us she had seen the others take a particular path. We trusted her. It turned out to be the wrong direction.

What followed was an additional sixty minutes of walking through deep snow with the children who needed the most support. They were tired. They were cold. They wanted to stop. But there were no roads, no caf茅s and no shortcuts. The only option was to continue.

Eventually, with a combination of instinct, teamwork, mobile phones and Google Maps, we found our way back.

Nobody complained.

Nobody gave up.

And everyone made it.

Years later, I rarely remember the worksheets my students completed. I do remember that snowy afternoon. More importantly, so do they.

Because what those children learned that day was not written into any curriculum document. They learned perseverance, collaboration, adaptability, leadership, trust and problem-solving. In other words, they learned many of the very competencies we claim to value in 21st-century education.

The irony is that these skills were not taught through a programme. They emerged naturally through a shared experience in the real world.

The Childhood We Are Creating

Children today are growing up in a world very different from the one many adults experienced.

Across many countries, children spend less time outdoors, move less, enjoy less independent exploration and engage with screens more than any previous generation. At the same time, educators and parents report increasing concerns about anxiety, reduced attention spans, loneliness and declining resilience.

Technology has brought extraordinary opportunities. Artificial intelligence, virtual reality and digital collaboration tools are reshaping education and society. Yet while we can bring the world into our classrooms through screens, an important question remains:

Should children’s primary experience of the world be mediated through technology? Or should it begin with direct experience?

A child who climbs a fallen tree, feels cold rain on their face, discovers a frog under a log, comforts a friend on a difficult hike or watches a favourite tree slowly die experiences something that cannot be replicated digitally.

Nature engages all senses simultaneously.

It offers beauty and challenge, freedom and responsibility, wonder and consequence.

Perhaps this is why Richard Louv (2005) argued that modern society risks creating a “nature-deficit disorder”, and why researchers across disciplines continue to explore the relationship between nature connection, wellbeing and learning.

Why Nature Matters

The evidence supporting outdoor learning has grown significantly during the past two decades.

Research synthesised by Rolf Jucker and colleagues suggests that outdoor learning can positively influence physical health, mental wellbeing, social competence, environmental attitudes and academic achievement. Studies by Louise Chawla highlight the relationship between meaningful childhood nature experiences and environmental stewardship later in life. Research by Ming Kuo demonstrates links between nature exposure, attention restoration and cognitive functioning.

Japanese research into forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku) has shown that time spent in natural environments can reduce stress and improve wellbeing. The World Health Organization continues to emphasise the importance of movement for children’s physical and mental health, while the OECD identifies collaboration, creativity, adaptability and agency as essential future competencies.

Perhaps most importantly, outdoor learning appears to support multiple dimensions of development simultaneously.

When children learn outdoors, they are not simply learning science, mathematics or literacy. They are developing relationships, confidence, physical competence, emotional regulation and a sense of connection to the living world.

The Six Dimensions of Outdoor Learning

1. Drawing on contemporary outdoor education research, six interconnected dimensions emerge repeatedly.
2. Physical Health
3. Children move more.
4. They walk, climb, balance, carry, build and explore.
5. Movement is no longer an interruption to learning. It becomes part of learning.
6. Mental Health

Natural environments have been linked to reduced stress and improved wellbeing. Many educators observe that children appear calmer, more engaged and more emotionally regulated outdoors.

Nature Connectedness

Children develop relationships with places.

They return to the same trees, notice seasonal changes and develop affection for the landscapes around them.

One parent at our school recently told us:

“My child wants to show me all the places in the forest every weekend and keeps asking to go back.”

Self-Competence

Outdoor learning invites challenge.

Children discover what they can do when conditions are difficult, uncertain or unfamiliar.

Social Competence

Shared experiences create friendships.

At our Wild Campus, we often see new friendships emerge, even among adolescents who have already entered the social complexities of puberty.

Subject Competence

Outdoor learning is not separate from academic learning. It enriches it.

Learning Wild at Berlin Cosmopolitan School

At Berlin Cosmopolitan School’s Nature Campus, outdoor learning is not an occasional event. It is embedded within the educational experience.

Every week, students participate in Forest Day.

Kindergarten to Grade 4 students travel by double-decker bus, singing together as they leave the city behind. At the Nature Campus, they investigate scientific phenomena, explore mathematics through natural patterns and engage in literacy and social science learning outdoors.

Grade 5 and 6 students attend our Wild Campus. There is no school building.

Only a shelter, a composting toilet, a forest and a lake.

Students learn to build fires, swim, hike, play capture the flag, write poetry beneath trees and read while perched on fallen logs.

Outdoor learning is integrated across subjects.

In mathematics, students investigate patterns, categories and Fibonacci sequences found in nature.

In literacy, they read novels together, write stories inspired by the landscape and develop language through authentic experiences.

In water sports programmes, students learn to windsurf and navigate changing environmental conditions.

Learning becomes active, embodied and meaningful.

The Girl Who Found Her Voice

One student particularly shaped my understanding of outdoor learning.

She was quiet, shy and often appeared lost in the traditional classroom environment. Speaking in front of others felt difficult. Participating felt risky.

Yet outdoors, something changed.

She loved singing while walking through the forest. She danced along woodland paths and gradually began to engage more confidently with her peers.

Over time, she found her voice. First socially.

Then academically.

She began participating in discussions, reading aloud and eventually writing with confidence. The forest did not “fix” her.

It simply provided a different environment in which her strengths could emerge.

This experience reflects what many educators observe: outdoor learning can profoundly change the conditions under which children succeed.

The Myths That Hold Schools Back

Despite growing evidence, outdoor learning remains the exception rather than the norm. Several barriers persist.

Teachers often lack confidence because teacher education programmes rarely prepare them to teach through movement and outdoor environments.

Concerns about weather, risk and safety can discourage schools from starting.

Curriculum pressures create fears that outdoor learning will reduce academic performance.

Parents sometimes worry that outdoor learning is less rigorous than traditional classroom instruction.

Yet one misconception frustrates me more than any other:

Outdoor learning is not simply taking an indoor lesson outside. Nor is it the opposite of academic rigour.

True outdoor learning changes the relationship between learner, teacher and environment. It creates opportunities for inquiry, collaboration and authentic problem-solving that are difficult to replicate indoors.

Green and Screen

Advocates of outdoor learning are sometimes portrayed as opponents of technology. I am not one of them.

The future will undoubtedly require digital competence and technological literacy. The question is not whether children should engage with technology.

The question is whether technology should replace direct experience. Children need both green and screen.

But perhaps they need green first.

A child who has watched tadpoles grow into frogs will understand a digital simulation differently.

A child who has measured the circumference of a tree, climbed a hill or navigated through a forest will approach digital representations with richer understanding.

Technology should deepen experience, not replace it.

Reimagining School

Imagine a school in 2040.

Every child spends meaningful time learning outdoors each day. Inquiry-based learning replaces passive instruction.

Children move regularly.

Relationships matter as much as results.

Technology is integrated thoughtfully, not constantly. Class sizes allow genuine connection.

Assessment focuses on individual growth as well as achievement.

Students develop not only academic knowledge but also confidence, resilience, creativity and environmental responsibility.

Most importantly, children enjoy learning.

When I recently asked students what could improve our programme, one child answered:

“The only thing that could be better is if we never had to go inside. We should always have lessons outside.”

Perhaps we should listen more carefully.

Conclusion

The future of education will undoubtedly involve artificial intelligence, digital tools and technologies we cannot yet imagine.

But childhood remains fundamentally human.

Children still learn through movement, relationships, curiosity, exploration and play. Nature provides opportunities for all of these.

If we truly want to develop collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, resilience, wellbeing and environmental responsibility, we may need to spend less time asking how to prepare children for the future and more time considering where learning happens best.

Nature may not be the only classroom of the 21st century. But it may be the most underused one.

About the author

Katharina Ehrenfried is an educator, school leader, outdoor learning advocate and Erasmus+ Project Manager based in Berlin, Germany. She serves as Head of Primary at Berlin Cosmopolitan School, CEO of Berlin Cosmopolitan Nature School gGmbH, and Chair of the 91精品 Embodied & Outdoor Learning Special Interest Group.

With nearly three decades of experience in outdoor education, Katharina is passionate about creating learning environments where children develop academic knowledge, wellbeing, resilience and 21st-century competences through movement, inquiry and authentic real-world experiences. Her work focuses on outdoor learning, inclusion, multilingual education, sustainability and learner agency, with a particular interest in how nature-based education can support both neurotypical and neurodivergent learners.

Katharina’s journey into outdoor learning began at a Waldorf school for children with disabilities, where weekly forest walks revealed the transformative power of learning in and with nature. Since then, she has worked to bring outdoor learning from the margins of education into everyday school practice. Her professional training includes Draussenschule, WWF Outdoor Teaching, Kneipp Pedagogy and Harvard Medical School’s Mindfulness and Psychotherapy in Nature programme.

Through her leadership of the Berlin Cosmopolitan School Nature Campus and international collaborations across Europe, Katharina advocates for an educational model that balances green and screen, reconnects children with the natural world and prepares young people to become capable, compassionate and responsible citizens of one planet.

About the 91精品 Embodied & Outdoor Learning SIG

The 91精品 Embodied & Outdoor Learning SIG connects educators, researchers and practitioners interested in how movement, nature and authentic real-world experiences support collaboration, creativity, resilience, wellbeing and environmental responsibility. The group provides a platform for sharing research, practical approaches and innovative models for outdoor and experiential learning across international schools. Learn more here

Bibliography

Chawla, L. (2020). Childhood nature connection and constructive hope: A review of research on connecting with nature and coping with environmental loss. People and Nature, 2(3), 619鈥�642.

Gray, P. (2013). Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. Basic Books.

Jucker, R., & von Au, J. (Eds.). (2022). High-Quality Outdoor Learning: Evidence-Based Education Outside the Classroom for Children, Teachers and Society. Springer Nature.

Juul, J. (2012). The Competent Child: Toward New Basic Values for the Family. Familylab.

Kuo, M. (2015). How might contact with nature promote human health? Promising mechanisms and a possible central pathway. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1093.

Louv, R. (2005). Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Algonquin Books.

Maller, C., Townsend, M., Pryor, A., Brown, P., & St Leger, L. (2006). Healthy nature, healthy people: 鈥淐ontact with nature鈥� as an upstream health promotion intervention for populations. Health Promotion International, 21(1), 45鈥�54.

Miyazaki, Y. (2018). Shinrin-Yoku: The Japanese Art of Forest Bathing. Timber Press.

OECD (2018). The Future of Education and Skills: Education 2030. OECD Publishing.

Pikler, E. (2011). Peaceful Babies 鈥� Contented Mothers. Rudolf Steiner Press.

Siegel, D. J., & Bryson, T. P. (2012). The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child鈥檚 Developing Mind. Bantam Books.

UNESCO (2020). Education for Sustainable Development: A Roadmap. UNESCO.

World Health Organization (2020). WHO Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour. WHO.

World Health Organization (2021). Mental Health and Well-Being in Children and Adolescents. WHO.

von Au, J., & Jucker, R. (2018). Outdoor Learning and Sustainability Education: From Theory to Practice. Sustainability, 10(12).

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In Part 1, we met four voices from the same school community, each isolated by the absence of shared language. Maria, the teacher, couldn’t find words that worked across professional boundaries and parental anxieties. David, the head of school, saw his investments in training and support undermined by linguistic chaos. A student struggled with “experiences” he couldn’t name, trapped between stigma and silence. A parent navigated Google searches and trial and error, desperate for frameworks that didn’t exist.

These aren’t isolated failures. They’re symptoms of a systemic infrastructure gap. The good news? The infrastructure exists. Schools can build mental health literacy that works across stakeholder groups. The challenge is understanding what that actually means and where to start.

Mental Health Literacy as System Infrastructure

Mental health literacy is often treated as individual knowledge: send teachers to a workshop, share resources with parents, deliver a lesson to students. But this approach misses the point. Individual knowledge becomes system infrastructure only when it converges on shared frameworks that allow different stakeholders to communicate effectively.

Think of it this way: if your school teaches three different maths curricula across three different year groups with no alignment between them, you haven’t built mathematical literacy. You’ve created confusion. The same principle applies to mental health. Literacy requires coordination, not just information distribution.

In a survey of 1,500 schools across 10 European countries, only 47% reported that mental health provision was a high priority, and more than half had no mental health school policy in place. (Patalay et al., 2016)

Support was overwhelmingly reactive: 78% of schools provided support for learning disabilities and 66% for existing mental health problems 鈥� but only 55% had prevention programmes and just 50% actively promoted wellbeing. (Patalay et al., 2016)

A 2025 European study found little consistency in how mental health is defined by decision-makers across schools, creating confusion and risk of inefficient or harmful implementation. (Nightline Europe, 2025)

Research consistently shows that educators feel ill-equipped to handle the growing responsibility of student mental health, citing insufficient training and lack of shared frameworks as primary barriers. (Springer, 2024; Skrzypek et al., 2024)

True mental health literacy means that everyone in your school community can: understand, access, and evaluate reliable information about mental health; recognise when behaviours or experiences warrant attention; differentiate between developmental, situational, and clinical challenges; reduce stigma through normalised, accurate language; make informed decisions about next steps; and promote psychological wellbeing proactively. Notice that none of these capabilities require clinical training. They require shared frameworks and agreed vocabulary.

The Three Spheres Framework

Effective mental health literacy operates across three interconnected spheres, each requiring its own foundation whilst aligning with the others.

Sphere One: The Home Environment

Parents need accessible frameworks for understanding adolescent development and mental health that don’t require clinical training but provide more structure than fragmented online searches. They need to differentiate between normal developmental challenges and signs that warrant professional support. They need vocabulary that allows them to communicate observations to schools without feeling they’re either overreacting or minimising genuine concerns.

When parents operate from the same foundational concepts the school uses, collaboration becomes possible. The parent from Part 1, searching “girl+14 years+no motivation+lazy+illness,” needs better starting points. She needs frameworks that help her observe patterns, communicate concerns effectively, and partner with school rather than operate in parallel.

Sphere Two: The Student Level

Young people need language that helps them understand their own experiences without pathologising normal emotions or, conversely, dismissing genuine distress. They need to know where reliable information lives. They need frameworks for distinguishing between temporary stress and persistent difficulties. And critically, they need this literacy delivered in ways that reduce stigma rather than reinforce it 鈥� normalising help-seeking rather than positioning it as an admission of weakness.

Half of all lifetime mental health conditions begin by age 15. Yet the majority of young people who need support never receive it 鈥� with stigma and limited mental health knowledge identified as the two dominant barriers.
(Radez et al., 2021; Gulliver et al., 2010; Rickwood et al., 2005)

The student from Part 1 calls them “experiences” because he has no better vocabulary. He knows his “heart was pounding” and his “throat was dry” but doesn’t recognise these as anxiety symptoms with a name, a pattern, and available support. He’s trapped not just by his father’s “boys don’t cry” mentality but by his own lack of framework for what he’s experiencing. Student mental health literacy isn’t about self-diagnosis. It’s about self-awareness and navigation.

Sphere Three: School Staff and Leadership

Within schools, shared vocabulary needs to work across roles. Teachers need to describe observations without diagnosing. Pastoral coordinators need to triage concerns without creating bottlenecks. Counsellors need to guide interventions without operating in isolation. Leaders need to build systems that everyone can navigate confidently.

This requires more than training. It requires explicit agreements about foundational concepts and terminology that everyone uses consistently. When Maria’s colleague says “anxiety,” the counsellor says “emotional dysregulation,” and the deputy head says “resilience challenges,” they’re not describing different things. They’re using different dialects to describe the same student behaviours. The solution isn’t deciding who’s “right.” It’s establishing shared observational language that works across all three roles.

For leaders like David, this means auditing the linguistic landscape of your institution. What terms do different departments use for the same phenomena? Where do definitions diverge? What assumptions are you making about shared understanding that might not exist?

It Starts With You

Here’s the encouraging part: building mental health literacy doesn’t require waiting for whole-school transformation or district-wide initiatives. It starts with individual stakeholders taking responsibility for their own foundation.

If you’re an educator: Invest in your own understanding of adolescent mental health 鈥� not to become a clinician but to become literate in the landscape. Learn the frameworks your school’s counselling team uses so you can describe concerns in ways that connect to existing support systems. When you observe concerning behaviours, can you describe what you’re seeing in concrete, observable terms that avoid both clinical jargon and vague generalisations?

If you’re a school leader: Audit the linguistic landscape of your institution. Convene your counselling team, pastoral staff, and a cross-section of teachers. Ask them to describe the same hypothetical student scenario and compare the language they use. Where do terms diverge? Then build explicit agreements about observational vocabulary and ensure these are communicated to all staff, integrated into parent communications, and reflected in student-facing programming.

If you’re a parent: Seek out reliable sources and frameworks rather than assembling understanding from fragmented online searches. Engage with what your child’s school teaches about mental health and wellbeing. Build your own vocabulary so you can communicate concerns clearly and receive information without defensive reactions. Ask your school what frameworks they use and how you can learn them.

If you’re a student: Your role in building shared language is crucial. You can identify where adult frameworks fail to match teenage reality. You can name the stigma that keeps your peers silent. You can advocate for mental health literacy initiatives that actually resonate rather than feel performative. You can also take responsibility for your own literacy: learn to recognise your own patterns, understand when you’re struggling versus experiencing normal stress, and know where to access reliable information.

A Different Conversation

Let’s return to our four voices from Part 1, but now imagine them equipped with shared mental health literacy.

Maria 鈥� with shared literacy: Maria can describe Liam’s withdrawal using observational language that parents recognise as supportive rather than diagnostic. When she meets with Liam’s parents, she says: “I’ve noticed Liam seems less engaged over the past two weeks. He’s withdrawn from group work and seems preoccupied. These changes are worth paying attention to. What are you noticing at home?” The parents don’t become defensive because Maria’s language invites collaboration rather than implies diagnosis.

David 鈥� with shared literacy: David can implement support systems knowing that staff, parents, and students operate from aligned understanding. When he calls about the Grade 10 student, he doesn’t have to choose between competing framings. He uses the shared vocabulary the entire community understands: “Your daughter experienced acute distress in class today. Our nurse supported her through it and she’s doing better now, but this level of distress suggests we should talk about what support might help.”

The Student 鈥� with shared literacy: He now has language for his experience. He knows the difference between temporary stress and persistent anxiety. He can say: “I think I’m dealing with anxiety around performance and it’s affecting my ability to function.” He knows his school has a counsellor who specialises in exactly this. The stigma hasn’t disappeared entirely 鈥� but it no longer forms an impenetrable barrier because the entire school community talks about mental health using normalised, accurate language.

The Parent 鈥� with shared literacy: She can differentiate between typical teenage moodiness and signs of depression. She knows how to have conversations that invite openness. When she connects with school, she can say: “I’m noticing some changes that concern me 鈥� she’s more irritable than usual, sleeping more, and avoiding activities she used to enjoy. Can we talk about what you’re seeing at school?” The school recognises this language because it matches their own frameworks, and coordination follows naturally.

This is what shared mental health literacy makes possible. Not perfect systems or eliminated challenges, but coordinated support built on common understanding.

Starting Tomorrow

You don’t need to transform your entire school overnight. You need to take the first step toward shared language.

School-based mental health literacy programmes implemented across Canada, Cambodia, Wales, Vietnam and Nicaragua have demonstrated significant improvements in student knowledge, attitudes, and help-seeking 鈥� and have also enhanced teacher mental health literacy.

(Nature Scientific Reports, 2025 鈥� international evidence review)

The infrastructure exists. The frameworks are available. The evidence base is strong. The question is whether your school will build the foundation that makes everything else work.

Because Maria shouldn’t have to translate between stakeholders. David shouldn’t be choosing between competing dialects. Students shouldn’t be trapped by vocabulary they don’t have. Parents shouldn’t be assembling understanding from Google searches.

They should all be having the same conversation, using the same language, working from the same foundation.

That’s what mental health literacy makes possible. And it starts with you.

The work of building shared mental health literacy in schools is challenging, but it is also essential. If your school community is ready to begin this work, we support educators, leaders, and parents in developing the frameworks and language that make coordinated wellbeing support possible. Learn more at .

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Jacqueline Klemke
Jacqueline M. Klemke is a听Mental Health & Wellbeing Consultant, Mental Health First Aid Trainer, Systemic Coach, and co-founder of听. Driven by a lifelong and deep passion for children’s mental health, she has dedicated her career to empowering young people, families, and educators with the emotional tools they need to truly thrive.

Her path to co-founding Let’s Be Real began as a parent, one who recognised the urgent need for better mental health and social wellbeing support within schools. That conviction led her to pursue specialised training as a听Systemic Couples and Family Coach and Life & Business Coach, equipping her to work at the intersection of personal development, emotional literacy, and family dynamics.
听

Nick Praulins
Nick Praulins is a communication and learning consultant, certified Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Instructor, and co-founder of听. With over 20 years of experience in education and leadership, including time as a school leader, Nick brings deep expertise in helping individuals, teams, and organisations navigate change with clarity, confidence, and compassion.

His work spans classrooms and cross-cultural teams across Europe, where he specialises in turning complex strategies into communication and learning experiences that people genuinely understand and embrace. Recognising the urgent need for practical mental health support in schools, Nick co-founded Let’s Be Real to equip educators, parents, and young people with the shared language and tools to build psychologically safe, resilient communities.
听

听is a Frankfurt-based mental health education organisation dedicated to听changing the conversation around mental health in schools. Founded by Jacqueline Klemke and Nick Praulins, Let’s Be Real delivers English-language wellbeing workshops and certified Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training听for international schools, families, and educators across Germany and Europe, both in-person and online.

At the heart of their mission is a simple but powerful belief: that young people deserve the tools to face the challenges of modern childhood, and that the adults in their lives deserve to be equipped to support them. Let’s Be Real addresses some of the most pressing issues facing today’s youth – social media pressure, identity struggles, stress, and disconnection – through evidence-based, practical, and deeply human programmes.

Their services include:

Certified MHFA training for school educators and parents

Wellbeing & resilience workshopsfor students, parents, and teachers

Parent education sessions focused on mental health awareness

Tailored school programsbuilt around each community’s unique needs

Proud members of听91精品 (European Council of International Schools), Let’s Be Real is trusted by leading international schools across Europe as a go-to partner for building stronger, more connected school communities.

鈥淪tronger, more connected communities through practical mental health education.鈥�
听

听| Based in Frankfurt am Main, Germany

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This was one of those moments.

I was eating alone in a restaurant in a small town in Korea. It was a Tuesday evening, after work, nothing remarkable 鈥� a table by the window, a menu I could not fully read, and the pleasure of a meal with no agenda.

Then I noticed the faces.

Four students pressed against the glass, peering in at me with what I can only describe as concerned curiosity. Before I had worked out what was happening, they were inside, standing at my table, asking with great politeness and what I now understand was genuine anxiety, whether I would like some company.

I was fine, I told them. Just having dinner.

They looked at each other in a way that suggested they did not entirely believe me.

Here is what I did not know then and have since come to understand. In Korea, eating alone is not a preference. It is not independence or a taste for quiet. It is a signal that something is wrong, that you have been excluded, that nobody wanted to sit with you. The instinct runs deep. Korean society is rooted in collectivism, in the communal table, in the understanding that to eat together is to care for each other. And these four students had looked through a restaurant window, seen their teacher eating by himself on a Tuesday evening, and done what any decent person in their culture would instinctively do.

They came in.

No cultural briefing prepared me for that window. No translation app, no AI-generated summary of Korean social norms told me what it meant when four teenagers gave up their evening because they could not walk past their teacher eating alone without doing something about it.

I thought about that restaurant window last April when I used it as an example while standing at the front of a room in Lisbon, co-presenting a session on Culturally Responsive Leadership to a group of international school leaders at the 91精品 Leadership Conference.

With my co-presenter we shared, listened and discussed for ninety minutes to an engaged room about what changes when you lead across cultures and what remains constant. We relayed experiences from Zambia, Indonesia, Korea, Belgium, Jordan and the UK. The parent who is highly direct and socially close to leadership in Zambia. The parent who raises concerns collectively and never individually in Indonesia. The staff meeting where the room goes completely silent and you cannot tell whether it is respect or disengagement. The message sent with the best intentions on a Sunday 鈥� received as dedication in Jordan and as a boundary violation in Belgium.

At the end we could agree on a common language and constants.

What changes across cultures: communication styles, expectations of hierarchy, what engagement looks like, how trust is built. What remains constant: the need for psychological safety, for belonging, for clarity, for the sense that you are seen and that your contribution matters.

And yet, leaving that room, I kept coming back to the same thought.

We have never been more connected. And I am not sure we have ever understood each other less.

Think about what technology has given us.

I can video call a parent in Dubai, a teacher in Nairobi, and a board member in Singapore in the same afternoon without leaving my desk. I can translate a message into Arabic, Mandarin or Slovak in seconds. I can access a cultural briefing on any country in the world before I land at the airport. AI can summarise communication styles, map cultural dimensions, and generate advice on how to lead across contexts.

And none of it would have told me about the restaurant window.

When I was in Zambia, sometimes the electricity went off for up to sixteen hours a day. Loadshedding 鈥� the scheduled power cuts which meant that on any given afternoon, the internet was gone, the laptop was dead, and whatever problem was sitting on your desk had to be solved by walking across a courtyard and talking to a person.

It turned out that was often the better approach anyway.

Not because technology is useless. But because the things that most needed solving, such as the parent who felt unheard, the teacher whose silence in a meeting meant something nobody had yet asked about, the colleague whose apparent agreement concealed a reservation they did not know how to voice. None of those were problems the internet was going to fix regardless of whether the power was on.

And it would not have told me about the restaurant window either.

Technology will not tell me whether the parent sitting across from me is being polite or evasive. Whether the teacher who nods enthusiastically in every staff meeting is being resistant or respectful. Whether the colleague who never disagrees with me in public is someone I can trust or someone I should be worried about. Whether silence in a staff meeting means deference or disengagement.

Those are not translation problems. They are not information problems. No app solves them. No AI bridges them.

They are understanding problems. And genuine cross-cultural understanding 鈥� not awareness, not sensitivity training, not a cultural briefing 鈥� is not something you download. It is something you develop through direct, sustained, difficult encounters with ways of thinking genuinely different from your own.

This is where the question becomes educational rather than just professional.

If the capacity we most need in a world of frictionless connection and genuine cultural complexity cannot be delivered by technology, the question is: where does it come from? How do you develop a person who can read a room across cultural difference, who can inhabit a perspective not their own, who understands not just what someone believes but why their way of thinking produces that belief?

You do not develop that person through a module. You do not develop them through a cultural awareness workshop or an AI competency framework. You develop them by doing something very specific 鈥� by placing them, repeatedly and over years, inside perspectives genuinely different from their own, and requiring them to engage seriously rather than observe politely.

You develop them through debate, through working with others with views and ways of thinking different from their own. Through the discipline of arguing a position they have not chosen. Through presentations and standing in front of classmates and peers, alone or in a group and defending a claim, and being challenged by someone who thinks differently.

You develop them, in other words, through exactly the kind of education that has always crossed borders, that places different ways of thinking in genuine dialogue, that requires students to argue from inside perspectives not their own, and that treats the encounter with genuine difference as the point rather than an inconvenience.

They have learned that understanding someone requires more than information about them. It requires genuine encounter. It requires presence. It requires the willingness to sit down at the table with people different from them, just like my students in Korea.

This applies as much to whom we hire as to what we teach. The most culturally intelligent schools I have worked in or visited were not those with the most diverse staff on paper. They were those where the culture of the staff room itself required people to encounter difference daily 鈥� in how meetings were run, in how disagreement was expressed, in whose voice was genuinely heard. That does not happen by accident. It is built deliberately, through the same principle that applies in the classroom: genuine encounter, not managed exposure.

At the end of the Lisbon session, we closed with a line that resonated with me.

鈥淐ulturally responsive leadership is not about knowing every culture. It is about knowing what to hold onto and what to let go of.鈥�

I think that is exactly right. And I think the education that best equips people to make that judgement 鈥� in a leadership role, in a negotiation, in a classroom, in a parent meeting, is not the one that teaches them to use the tools that connect us.

It is the one that teaches them to understand the people those tools connect them to.

We are more connected than we have ever been. Schools that understand what that demands of their students and build their curriculum around it are the ones that will produce the leaders the world genuinely needs.

I still think about those four students and the restaurant window.

They did not consult a cultural briefing before they walked in. They did not run a translation app or generate an AI summary of what it means to eat alone in Korea. They had been formed by their culture, their families, and their community to understand instinctively what another person needed.

That is not something you download. It is something you build.

The question is whether we are building schools that do it.

About the author

Wayne Johnson is Director/CEO of Cambridge International School Bratislava and a former Head of School at the International School of Belgium. He has led international schools across Europe, Asia, and Africa for over 20 years. He is a NEASC Lead Accreditor, former 91精品 SIG Committee Member, co-presenter at the 91精品 Leadership Conference, Lisbon 2026, and a former media executive.

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I want to talk to the teacher who is tired.

Not the tired you can fix with your next break. The kind that lives in your shoulders every day, even on weekends. Tired of carrying alone the weight of endless lesson preparations for at least five classes, meaning sixty or more students, plus assessments, grading, reports, meetings, duties, and extracurricular activities. On top of all that, the expectation to differentiate for students with different language levels, different learning needs, different cultural backgrounds, and different emotional realities. All of it aligned with the school鈥檚 frameworks, certification guidelines, and the embedding of mission, vision, and core values into every interaction and every resource. And while you try to do all of this, the cost of your exhaustion is the one thing you need most: the time to actually know the human beings sitting in front of you, each one watching to see if today is the day someone finally made something just for them.

When we see a child put his head on the desk, we are tempted to think it is because he is disengaged, because he does not care, because he is tired, because he is disrespectful. And we may even feel that our own exhaustion is a professional deficiency, easily covered with compliance. We teach. We deliver. We modify. And still that child may end up on the leadership agenda as needing more support. Not different support. Not better support. Just more.

All of this exhaustion quenches the fire and the reason why we became educators in the first place. We wanted to make a difference in someone鈥檚 life. And now, we feel trapped by the paperwork, without realizing that the paperwork is not the thing that will make that difference.

Because here is what every teacher knows in her bones, even when the system has forgotten it.

Without a common language, it is impossible to communicate with a person. Without communication, there is no knowing. Without knowing, there is no meaningful relationship. Without relationship, there is no trust. Without trust, there is no patience. And without patience, even respect can be lost.

And what we call differentiation? That is the common language. Not a checklist. Not a framework. Not a rubric. It is the vocabulary through which a teacher tells a student, in a way that no words alone could ever say, I see you. I know what you need. You are worth my effort.

The language of belonging.

Language teachers know that a language is not only words. The meaning of the words is carried by the register, the tone, the intention behind them. And when a teacher speaks the language of belonging fluently, the same rule applies. It matters how we hand a child a differentiated material. It matters the tone of voice. The look. The care behind the gesture. The child sees all of it, and responds accordingly.

When a child feels cared for, seen, and safe, something opens. Not just the willingness to learn, but the willingness to try. And even when he fails, he knows he is still accepted. And so he keeps trying. The research on school belonging is clear: students who experience strong relationships with their teachers show measurably better academic, motivational, and social-emotional outcomes (Korpershoek et al., 2020; Roorda et al., 2011).

I have come to think of differentiation strategies as the grammar of this language. And anyone who has ever learned a new language knows that grammar is the hardest part. It takes years to master. It requires expertise, repetition, and patience.

Every educator I know has sat through professional development on differentiation. We have read the books. We have studied the frameworks. We understand the theory. But theory alone does not make a speaker. A language only becomes yours through practice, through daily use, through the thousand small corrections that turn a rule on a page into a sentence that flows. And practice is exactly what no teacher has time for. Not with sixty students, five classes, and a Sunday evening spent staring at a unit planner.

So we end up in a painful place. We know the grammar exists. We know it matters. We have been trained in it. But we cannot speak it fluently, because fluency requires time we simply do not have.

As a foreign language teacher, differentiation is our daily bread. Scaffolding, visuals, organizers, word banks, sentence frames, repetition, listening, reading, writing. The strategies that schools invest substantial resources in training teachers to implement are already woven into the fabric of our daily instruction. It is simply what we do.

But when I stepped into the role of EAL coordinator, I saw the other side of the building. And I understood something I had been sheltered from for years inside my own classroom. For subject teachers, differentiation does not arrive as a natural extension of the work. It arrives as one more expectation layered on top of a pile that is already impossible. And the teachers I walked beside were not resistant. They were not indifferent. They would have done all of it, willingly, if they had been given the time and the energy the expectation required.

They had neither.

The exhaustion I had been watching from the outside became my own. Navigating frameworks, trying to match the right strategies to the right students, trying to help children learn a subject in a language they did not yet know.

I needed extraordinary help. Not just to produce adequate differentiation. To survive the role itself.

What I want every teacher reading this article to know is simpler than another training, another framework, another thing to master. AI is not here to replace you. It is not here to do the irreplaceable work only you can do. It is here to carry what was never yours to carry alone, so that the hours you used to pour into logistics can go back to where they always belonged. The student.

Three small shifts in how you approach AI can give you back hours without requiring you to become an expert in the tool. I offer them here not as a method, but as an invitation. Try them once and see what happens.

First, start with the student. Before you type a single word about objectives or standards, tell AI who is sitting in your room. Tell it about the one who has gone quiet this semester. Tell it about the one who performs beautifully on paper but has no friends. Tell it about the one whose body language changed three weeks ago and you have not had time to figure out why. Give AI the context that lives in your teacher鈥檚 heart, the things you notice that no spreadsheet tracks. You do not have to share full names or private information. A first name or a nickname is enough, and it is good practice to protect your students鈥� privacy even when working with a tool. The more AI knows about the human being in front of you, the better it can serve that human being. That is not a technology principle. That is a teaching principle. You already know it. Now apply it to the tool.

Second, share your idea. Give AI your lesson idea, or upload the lesson plan you have already drafted, and ask it to improve the plan based on the students鈥� profile. If you have examples of activities, rubrics, or past lessons that worked well, upload those too. You are not asking AI to invent the lesson from nothing. You are asking it to sharpen the lesson you already have, through the lens of the children you already know. And here is a small but powerful move. Ask AI to tell you what else it needs to know in order to do this well. You will be surprised how quickly a few honest answers turn a generic response into something actually useful for your students.

Third, ask for the materials. Once the lesson plan is where you want it, ask AI to produce the materials needed to deliver it. The worksheet. The slides to project. The handout. The sentence frames for the student who needs them. The extension task for the student who is ready to go further.

From blank page to ready-to-teach, this should take no more than ten minutes.

Ten minutes. The same ten minutes you would have spent staring at a unit planner, wondering where to begin.

Once you begin to experience that small return of time, something else starts to shift. The energy you thought was gone comes back in small pockets. The joy of teaching, the satisfaction of seeing a student actually grow, the capacity to observe and notice what was invisible to you last week. You become rested enough to deliver with care. To provide what each student in front of you actually needs, which is not a better worksheet. It is the satisfying of a hunger older than any curriculum. The hunger for a meaningful relationship with an adult who refuses to give up on him. A relationship that encourages each child to become whoever he was meant to be, with his own gifts and his own purpose, a unique part of a larger whole that only works when each part is present.

When that relationship is in place, the classroom opens. Not just to academic instruction, but to formation. The teacher is no longer only delivering content. She is offering holistic care. And the student, finally, is free to receive it.

At the end of one school year, a twelfth grader in my final class of the term asked me to give him the best advice I could offer for adulthood.

He did not ask because I had taught him Spanish well. He asked because somewhere along the way, he had learned that I was someone worth asking.

That is what the language of belonging produces. Students who leave your classroom with more than the content of the curriculum. They leave with values that will carry them the rest of their lives. Love. Respect. Patience. Kindness. Compassion.

That is the harvest of fluency.

And it is waiting for every teacher who is willing to lay down the weight that was never hers to carry alone, and pick up the tools that were built to carry it for her, so that she can finally do the irreplaceable work that only she was made to do.

Rest. Breathe. Come back.

Your students are waiting.

Bibliography

Korpershoek, H., Canrinus, E. T., Fokkens-Bruinsma, M., & de Boer, H. (2020). The relationships between school belonging and students鈥� motivational, social-emotional, behavioural, and academic outcomes in secondary education: A meta-analytic review. Research Papers in Education, 35(6), 641鈥�680.

Marmolejo Jim茅nez, L. (2026). The differentiation trap: From framework to belonging. Independently published.

Roorda, D. L., Koomen, H. M. Y., Spilt, J. L., & Oort, F. J. (2011). The influence of affective teacher鈥搒tudent relationships on students鈥� school engagement and achievement: A meta-analytic approach. Review of Educational Research, 81(4), 493鈥�529.

Tomlinson, C. A. (2014). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners (2nd ed.). ASCD.

About the Author

Luc铆a Marmolejo Jim茅nez, M.Ed. is an IB educator and EAL Coordinator at an international school in Istanbul, where she has taught for nearly two decades. She is the author of The Differentiation Trap: From Framework to Belonging and the Founder of Educator Companion.

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Every August, the ritual begins. Credentials get dusted off, Wi-Fi passwords get reset, and someone discovers that the system update scheduled for July somehow didn’t happen. Familiar, but manageable chaos.

This year though, there’s a new item on the list. And it’s a bit harder to fix with a quick restart.

AI is no longer optional

Whether your school has an AI strategy or not, the tools you’re already using are quietly getting AI features baked in. New toggles appear in dashboards. Features get announced in product update emails that nobody reads until something goes wrong. The question is no longer whether AI will be part of the school day. It was already decided for you.

From “what should we try?” to “wait, what did we agree to?”

For years, edtech decisions were driven by enthusiasm more than evidence. New platform, new pilot, new promise. Schools were encouraged to experiment, move fast, and figure out the details later. A lot of details got left behind.

Now, school leaders across Europe are asking harder questions about the tools they’ve accumulated: what’s actually working, what’s collecting more than it should, and what exactly did we sign when we clicked “accept updated terms.”

That’s a genuinely good development. It’s also a bit overdue.

What to actually do before the school year starts

Start with a platform audit. Which tools has your school been using, and which of them have quietly introduced AI features in the past year? The answer is probably more than you’d expect. The follow-up question is whether those features came with updated data processing agreements, because under GDPR, schools bear legal responsibility for what happens to student data once it leaves their hands.

This isn’t overcaution. It’s just good governance. European schools are actually well equipped for this moment. GDPR gives schools real say when it comes to demanding clarity from vendors, and the EU AI Act is adding another layer of requirements around transparency and accountability for AI systems, used in sensitive contexts like education. The frameworks exist. The trick is treating them as tools rather than paperwork, and asking vendors the right questions before the contract is signed, rather than after something goes wrong.

The tools you don’t know about

Here’s the part schools rarely want to talk about: the AI use that’s already happening, just not through officially approved channels.

Teachers paste lesson plans into ChatGPT. Students use AI writing assistants that the school has never heard of. A well-meaning administrator runs student performance data through a free AI tool to save time on a report. None of this shows up in your platform audit, because none of it was sanctioned in the first place.

This is shadow use, and it’s widespread. It’s also not primarily a discipline problem. It’s a gap problem. When schools don’t provide tools that help, people find their own. When the official platforms feel clunky or slow or disconnected from what teachers actually need to do, workarounds happen. The response to shadow use isn’t a stricter policy. It’s asking honestly why people felt they needed to go elsewhere, and whether the answer to that question is something you can fix.

That means getting ahead of it before the school year starts. A clear, realistic AI use policy matters, one that acknowledges AI exists and gives staff and students a sensible framework, rather than pretending a ban will hold. More importantly, it means making sure the approved tools are good enough that people want to use them.

Talking to your teachers before talking to your tools

Many teachers are genuinely excited about what AI can do for their workload. Many are also exhausted by the pace of change and quietly relieved when someone asks how they actually feel about it. Back to school is the right moment for that conversation.

It’s also a good moment to point them toward AI built with teachers as the starting point, not the afterthought. The question worth asking is whether an AI tool is designed around the tasks that actually steal teaching time; planning, structuring activities, preparing materials, adapting content for students who need a different approach, or whether it’s been bolted on as a feature. Differentiation is one of those things every teacher knows matters and almost nobody has enough hours to do properly. This is exactly where well-designed AI should be pulling its weight. And critically, schools should be asking where their student data actually lives and who controls it. Not AI that replaces teacher judgment, but one that clears enough space for teachers to actually use it. The kind of tool that, ideally, means they don’t need to go looking elsewhere.

And yes, also: check that your integrations work, your access permissions are up to date, and any shiny new features get the training and onboarding they deserve. The boring stuff still matters.

The real question

Underneath all the practical preparation is one question worth sitting with: whose interests does your school’s technology actually serve?

The platforms with the biggest market share were mostly built by companies whose business model has very little to do with education. That doesn’t automatically make them bad choices, but it does mean schools shouldn’t assume alignment where none was designed. When the product is free, or heavily discounted, or bundled into something else, it’s worth asking what’s being exchanged.

It’s also worth asking where your data actually lives. Vendors hosting data outside the EU operate under very different rules, rules that can require them to hand over data to third parties in ways that would simply not be permitted here. It’s a question that belongs in every procurement conversation.

And there’s a meaningful difference between platforms built in Europe for European schools, and platforms built for a global market that have since been adapted to meet European requirements. One starts from the same regulatory reality you operate in every day. The other is catching up.

Students deserve platforms built around learning. Not platforms that treat learning as a data source with a login screen in front of it.

At , our approach to AI starts with a simple principle: it should serve teachers, not the other way around. That means AI that’s built into the learning platform rather than layered on top, with student data kept firmly within the environment schools already trust. Later this year, we’re launching the AI Teacher Toolkit; features designed specifically around the work that eats into teaching time, from planning and structuring activities to differentiating content for students who need a different approach. The right tools don’t just save time, they change how learning happens. So what could you do with a few hours back each week?

To find out more about itslearning, visit

Author 鈥� Stina Boge, Head of Marketing & Communication at itslearning

About the Author – Stina Boge is Head of Marketing & Communication at itslearning, where she works at the intersection of technology, communication, and public affairs. With over 17 years of marcom experience across multiple industries, she joined itslearning in 2022 鈥� initially focusing on product communication before expanding into broader marketing and strategic work. She takes a particular interest in the policy and strategic questions shaping digital technology in schools, and what those choices mean for educators, students, and the platforms built to serve them.

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Educational training, or any professional development, is always an exciting opportunity for teachers to learn new ideas, and make changes to their teaching programmes and practices. Often these CPDs address one aspect of learning, curriculum area, or a specific teaching practice. Do this, trainers will say, and it will work. This is a typical motto.

However, teachers are often left with a scenario of having to fit multiple different strategies, approaches and curriculum changes into their already busy schedule, leading to creating yet another layer on top of all of these already very important areas of teaching and learning. This is especially the case when ideas are presented from a monolingual teaching perspective. Highly effective teaching practices that are developed in a monolingual context, e.g., an 鈥楨nglish only鈥� school setting in an English-speaking country, like the UK, USA, Australia etc. may produce a completely different learning outcome when the context changes to a more linguistically diverse setting.

In this kind of learning scenario, teachers need to make critical decisions about what stays, what goes, what should continue in their teaching practice, and where new ideas can be added to their curriculum. Later on, they might also find out that after replacing one practice with another, what was previously reduced or abandoned was actually also important going forward.

When we started writing our book 鈥楾eaching Conceptual Understanding in Multilingual Classrooms鈥�, the driving force was to find a way to show educators that it was important to develop a strong, intellectually challenging curriculum. We wanted to showcase teaching practices that could enable language learners to reach a depth of understanding that matched their intellectual abilities, not just their linguistic abilities. Our book intertwines both curriculum and dynamic teaching practices through providing a thorough understanding of the theory and the related practical implications of inquiry and language teaching in order to provide the intellectual challenges that language learners deserve.

However, that is not an easy task and so our book combines educational theories, related practices and explores the hurdles that arise with weaving these new ideas into teaching. The complexity of this process must not be underestimated, which is why we approach learning from multiple directions:

1. How the brain works leading to effective learning strategies

2. Inquiry curriculum structure and rigour

3. Unpacking specific language learning theories and supporting linguistic teaching practices

4. Creating powerful links and connections within these different disciplines

Working with the underpinning models of conceptual learning from Lanning and Erikson (2014; 2017), we explore the inquiry phases of Marschall and French (2018) creating a rich resource bank of explicit English scaffolding and home language connections teachers can easily use. These flexible scaffolds are meant to strengthen multilingual students鈥� conceptual understanding, while removing any language barriers that may be preventing access to the inquiry process.

Additionally, we examine numerous ways of enriching EAL student production of academic English language through specific skill building. This takes place in areas like the research and note taking process, concept formation, generalizing, as well as through the many layered comparisons that can be made between students鈥� English and Home Language systems.

Examined through the lenses of translanguaging and additional language theories, we provide a combined inquiry-based, linguistic pathway for multilingual students to use in order to develop both their conceptual understanding and linguistic skills to higher levels. Formative assessment tools, AI use, student work and video examples of teaching strategies in action are also highlighted in this very practically-oriented book. Our core aim is to strengthen the deep thinking of multilingual students through the development and usage of their whole linguistic repertoire. Depth of thinking is also reached with the regular use of structured, skill-based language teaching.

We also share our personal multilingual, change journeys and maximise these as a springboard into thinking about bringing powerful, educational change into other settings. Here we want to equip educators with the knowledge, tools and mindset to bring about educational change in manageable steps, suitable to different contexts from the leadership level on down. We encourage educators to think about problems of practice that may arise in concept-based instruction, both individually in the classroom and wider, on a school-based implementation journey. We share what we have learned going through similar struggles ourselves, providing useful suggestions and ideas to trial along the way.

Our lived expertise, alive in those pages, comes from having had the great privilege to work with and among some real changemakers in international education. Being in schools where we could innovate and trial new, merged approaches has made all the difference to our current teaching perspectives and practices today. We witnessed the progress that multilingual students can achieve first-hand.

By promoting teaching that enables translanguaging to happen, encourages bilingual reading and writing, or the use of multilingual displays and multicultural books, we invite educators to join us on the same educational, change journey. The suggested adaptations we share are both easy to implement and can have a big impact on multilingual students鈥� outcomes. It is our position that everyone should have the opportunity to be successful in achieving their full learning potential. We hope that by making strong curriculum design choices and providing students with sound linguistic practices that are adaptable to any context, everyone will find a way forward with thousands of other dedicated educators around the globe.

Most importantly, we hope to inspire a passion and determination within educators to become a changemaker in the field of education. We encourage all educators to challenge themselves, and their colleagues, to unlock every student鈥檚 full potential, regardless of the language they speak or their past experiences. All students can think conceptually!

AUTHORS

Juliette van Eerdewijk – Consultant and trainer at Visionary Educational Training and Consultancy
Mindy McCracken – Primary EAL Leader and educator, TESMC Trainer, Former 91精品 MLIE committee member

Teaching Conceptual Understanding in Multilingual Classrooms publishing date is 12 May 2026, via the publishing company

REFERENCES

Erickson, H., Lanning, L. (2014) Transitioning to Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Erickson, H., Lanning, L., and French, R. (2017) Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Marschall, C., and French, R. (2018) Concept-Based Inquiry in Action. Strategies to Promote Transferable Understanding. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

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The Scale of the Challenge: Global Evidence

• 1 in 7 adolescents aged 10鈥�19 globally experiences a mental health condition 鈥� accounting for 15% of the global burden of disease in this age group. (WHO, 2025)
• Half of all lifetime mental health conditions begin by age 14. Three-quarters emerge before age 18 鈥� making the school years the single most critical window for intervention. (WHO/UNICEF, 2024)
• Between 2016 and 2023, diagnosed mental or behavioural health conditions among adolescents rose 35% globally. Diagnosed anxiety increased by 61% over the same period. (US National Survey of Children’s Health, 2024)
• Yet more than 70% of people with a mental health condition receive no treatment at all 鈥� with lack of knowledge cited as a primary barrier. (Evans-Lacko & Thornicroft, 2013)

International schools invest heavily in student wellbeing. We hire counsellors, train staff, update policies, and convene wellbeing committees. Yet despite these efforts, many schools struggle to translate good intentions into effective support. The missing piece isn’t more resources or better programmes. It’s something more fundamental: a shared language that allows everyone in the school community to have the same conversation about mental health.Without this common vocabulary, each stakeholder operates in isolation. Teachers observe concerning behaviours but hesitate to name them. Leaders implement support systems that staff can’t confidently use. Students experience distress they can’t articulate.

Parents search for answers in a wilderness of conflicting information. The result is a system that works hard but doesn’t work together.This isn’t a failure of care or commitment. It’s an infrastructure problem. And like all infrastructure problems, it requires a systemic solution. That solution is mental health literacy, properly understood not as individual knowledge but as shared infrastructure.Mental health literacy, as originally defined by Jorm and colleagues (1997), refers to “knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which aid their recognition, management or prevention.” This framework has since been expanded to encompass: understanding how to obtain and maintain positive mental health; recognising mental health difficulties and their treatments; reducing stigma; and enhancing help-seeking efficacy (Kutcher et al., 2016). Critically, mental health literacy is not about turning educators or parents into clinicians. It is about establishing common foundations that allow different stakeholders to communicate effectively about what they observe, experience, or feel concerned about.

But before we explore what that looks like in practice, let’s hear from four voices navigating the same school community without this shared framework.

The vignettes that follow are fictitious, but they are grounded in the real experiences we have encountered within the international school communities we have worked in and with. The patterns they reveal are not hypothetical. They are happening in schools across Europe and beyond right now.

From the Teacher Perspective: Maria’s Story
I noticed that Liam had become increasingly withdrawn over the past fortnight. When I mentioned it to his parents at a routine meeting, his mother immediately became defensive: “He’s just tired, not depressed or anything.” I tried to clarify (I wasn’t diagnosing anything, just observing a change) but the conversation spiraled. His father interjected that their GP said everything was fine, and they didn’t want the school “pathologising normal teenage behaviour.” I left the meeting frustrated, knowing something was off but unsure how to communicate my concern without triggering their protective instincts.Back in the staffroom, I vented to a colleague who suggested Liam might be “showing signs of anxiety.” But when I raised this with the school counsellor, she told me that without proper training, teachers shouldn’t use clinical terms. She preferred “emotional dysregulation,” whilst the deputy head later referred to the same behaviours as “resilience challenges.” Three different framings for the same student, and none of them creating a pathway for meaningful intervention.

This is what I wish you knew: I don’t need diagnostic precision. I need a common vocabulary that allows me, the parents, and the support team to have the same conversation. Without it, I’m translating rather than collaborating, and Liam gets lost in the gaps between our different languages.

From the Leadership Perspective: David’s Story
The incident report sat on my desk: a Grade 10 student had been escorted out of class after what the teacher described as a “complete meltdown.” The pastoral coordinator had documented it as an “emotional crisis.” The school nurse, who’d sat with the student afterwards, wrote “panic attack” in her notes. I knew I needed to call the parents, but which framing should I use? Each term carried different implications 鈥� and different levels of alarm.

I’d seen this pattern repeat itself throughout the term. Staff wellness surveys showed teachers felt underprepared to discuss mental health, yet they were increasingly expected to identify and respond to student struggles. Some erred on the side of caution and over-referenced; others, worried about overstepping, said nothing at all. Meanwhile, parents complained about mixed messages: one teacher would reassure them their child was fine, whilst another would suggest immediate intervention. We’d invested in training, brought in specialists, and updated policies, but without a shared framework that everyone could use confidently, each stakeholder was essentially speaking a different dialect.

This is what I wish you knew: No amount of goodwill will bridge this gap. We need a common language that works across roles, not just within them. Until everyone in our community can describe what they’re seeing using the same foundational concepts, we’re building support systems on unstable ground.

From the Student Perspective: A Student’s Story
I had another one of these strange “experiences” this morning. I was supposed to leave for school, but I could not. My heart was pounding. My hands were sweaty. My throat was dry. I could hardly breathe. The thought of going to school and failing, again, left me motionless. This was not the first time. I have been having these “experiences” ever since the two matches I lost as captain of the football team.

I think I might need help. But if my friends ever find out I am seeing a therapist, I will be done.

This is what I wish you knew: I think too many boys grow up believing in outdated role models. It takes a toll on them. It takes a toll on me. I wish I could allow myself to be vulnerable every once in a while. I wish I knew what to do, or who to talk to. Where to find information. I want to get better, but I don’t know how.

96% of studies on adolescent help-seeking identified limited mental health knowledge as the primary barrier. 92% cited stigma and embarrassment.Radez et al., European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2021 鈥� systematic review of 53 studies

From the Parent Perspective: A Parent’s Story
The other day I completely lost it. My 14-year-old daughter has been intentionally late for school on most days, spending all her afternoons on the sofa scrolling TikTok, not going out with her friends like she used to. She’s bossy and snappy. And I don’t know why.

Not knowing what else to do, I google “girl+14 years+no motivation+lazy+illness.” I am intimidated by the number of hits and what I read. “Lazy teen sloth.” “Diagnosing motivation problems.” “Motivating a teenager with depression.” Depression. My thoughts start racing.

This is what I wish you knew: Parenting a teen in 2026 is hard. I try to have all the answers, but I feel like it’s all still pretty much trial and error. I wish there was someone who could explain this teenage thing to me. I wish I understood teenage mental health better.

The Pattern Beneath the Stories
These four voices reveal something crucial: the absence of shared language doesn’t just create communication problems. It creates isolation at every level of the system.The teacher can’t advocate effectively for her student because she lacks vocabulary that bridges professional observation and parental understanding. The leader can’t build coherent support systems when every stakeholder describes the same phenomena differently. The student can’t seek help because he has no framework for understanding what he’s experiencing or where to turn. The parent can’t support her daughter because she’s navigating a wilderness of online noise without a compass.

The Real Cost of the Language Gap
Adolescents with a diagnosed mental health condition are 3脳 more likely to be disengaged from school, 5脳 more likely to miss 11 or more school days annually, and 10脳 more likely to have significant difficulty making or keeping friends. (US National Survey of Children’s Health, 2024)鈥� Globally, 12 billion working days are lost every year due to depression and anxiety 鈥� at a cost of US$1 trillion in lost productivity. Today’s adolescents are tomorrow’s workforce. (WHO, cited in Nightline Europe, 2025)

Notice what’s not happening in these stories. No one lacks care. No one is refusing to help. Everyone is trying. But they’re building on different foundations, using different blueprints, speaking different languages. The result is a system that exhausts its participants whilst failing to deliver coordinated support to the young people who need it most.

This is what happens when mental health literacy is treated as individual knowledge rather than systemic infrastructure. We train counsellors. We send teachers to workshops. We share articles with parents. But if these efforts don’t converge on a shared framework, they simply add more voices to the cacophony.

Mental health literacy, properly understood, is not about turning everyone into amateur psychologists. It’s about establishing a common foundation that allows different stakeholders to communicate effectively about what they’re observing, experiencing, or concerned about. It means understanding how to access and evaluate reliable information. It means being able to recognise when something warrants attention and differentiate between different types of challenges. It means reducing the stigma that keeps students silent and parents defensive. And critically, it means being equipped to make informed decisions about next steps and to promote psychological wellbeing proactively, not just reactively.

“The question is: what would it look like if everyone in your school community could have the same conversation about mental health?”

Coming in Part 2: We explore the three spheres framework for building mental health literacy across your school community, with practical steps for teachers, leaders, parents, and students. We’ll return to our four voices and imagine how their experiences transform when everyone operates from shared understanding. Because the infrastructure exists. The question is whether your school will build it.

REFERENCES

Evans-Lacko, S., & Thornicroft, G. (2013). Mental illness stigma, help seeking, and public health programs. American Journal of Public Health, 103(5), 777鈥�780.

Jorm, A. F., Korten, A. E., Jacomb, P. A., Christensen, H., Rodgers, B., & Pollitt, P. (1997). “Mental health literacy”: A survey of the public’s ability to recognise mental disorders and their beliefs about the effectiveness of treatment. Medical Journal of Australia, 166(4), 182鈥�186.

Kutcher, S., Wei, Y., & Coniglio, C. (2016). Mental health literacy: Past, present, and future. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 61(3), 154鈥�158.

Nightline Europe. (2025, February). Learning the lessons: Student mental health in Europe.

Radez, J., Reardon, T., Creswell, C., Lawrence, P. J., Evdoka-Burton, G., & Waite, P. (2021). Why do children and adolescents (not) seek and access professional help for their mental health problems? A systematic review. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 30, 183鈥�211.

Sappenfield, O., Alberto, C., & Minnaert, J. (2024). Adolescent mental and behavioral health, 2023. National Survey of Children’s Health Data Briefs. HRSA.

Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2018). Associations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a population-based study. Preventive Medicine Reports, 12, 271鈥�283.

Valkenburg, P. M., Meier, A., & Beyens, I. (2022). Social media use and its impact on adolescent mental health: An umbrella review of the evidence. Current Opinion in Psychology, 44, 58鈥�68.

World Health Organization. (2025). Adolescent mental health: Fact sheet.

World Health Organization & UNICEF. (2024). Transforming the mental health of children and adolescents: A global framework for action.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Jacqueline Klemke
Jacqueline M. Klemke is a听Mental Health & Wellbeing Consultant, Mental Health First Aid Trainer, Systemic Coach, and co-founder of听. Driven by a lifelong and deep passion for children’s mental health, she has dedicated her career to empowering young people, families, and educators with the emotional tools they need to truly thrive.

Her path to co-founding Let’s Be Real began as a parent, one who recognised the urgent need for better mental health and social wellbeing support within schools. That conviction led her to pursue specialised training as a听Systemic Couples and Family Coach and Life & Business Coach, equipping her to work at the intersection of personal development, emotional literacy, and family dynamics.
听

Nick Praulins
Nick Praulins is a communication and learning consultant, certified Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Instructor, and co-founder of听. With over 20 years of experience in education and leadership, including time as a school leader, Nick brings deep expertise in helping individuals, teams, and organisations navigate change with clarity, confidence, and compassion.

His work spans classrooms and cross-cultural teams across Europe, where he specialises in turning complex strategies into communication and learning experiences that people genuinely understand and embrace. Recognising the urgent need for practical mental health support in schools, Nick co-founded Let’s Be Real to equip educators, parents, and young people with the shared language and tools to build psychologically safe, resilient communities.
听

听is a Frankfurt-based mental health education organisation dedicated to听changing the conversation around mental health in schools. Founded by Jacqueline Klemke and Nick Praulins, Let’s Be Real delivers English-language wellbeing workshops and certified Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training听for international schools, families, and educators across Germany and Europe, both in-person and online.

At the heart of their mission is a simple but powerful belief: that young people deserve the tools to face the challenges of modern childhood, and that the adults in their lives deserve to be equipped to support them. Let’s Be Real addresses some of the most pressing issues facing today’s youth – social media pressure, identity struggles, stress, and disconnection – through evidence-based, practical, and deeply human programmes.

Their services include:

Certified MHFA training for school educators and parents

Wellbeing & resilience workshopsfor students, parents, and teachers

Parent education sessions focused on mental health awareness

Tailored school programsbuilt around each community’s unique needs

Proud members of听91精品 (European Council of International Schools), Let’s Be Real is trusted by leading international schools across Europe as a go-to partner for building stronger, more connected school communities.

鈥淪tronger, more connected communities through practical mental health education.鈥�
听

听| Based in Frankfurt am Main, Germany

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Dr Steffen Sommer, Director General – Misk Schools Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Honorary Vice President, COBIS (Council of British International Schools)

1.听听听 Executive Summary

Purpose

This white paper calls for a transformational shift in how educational institutions assess student learning, replacing outdated, exam-centric models with assessments that reflect the real competencies young people need to thrive in university, employment, and society.

The Problem

Traditional assessment systems rely heavily on high-stakes testing, standardised metrics, and content recall, failing to capture or foster:

• Critical thinking
• Collaboration
• Creativity
• Adaptability
• Self-direction

These systems misalign with both the expectations of universities and the demands of the modern workplace, often disadvantaging students with diverse strengths and ways of learning.

Why Change Now

• Work is changing: Employers now prioritise communication, emotional intelligence, and problem-solving over technical knowledge alone.
• Universities are adapting: Many are diversifying admissions criteria, placing increased value on portfolios, project work, and personal narratives.
• Students expect relevance: Today鈥檚 learners need meaningful, real-world preparation鈥攏ot just exam technique.
• Technology enables reform: Digital tools now allow scalable, equitable, and holistic assessments previously impossible.
• A better aligned assessment system will inevitably lead to the adoption of future-ready teaching and learning techniques in schools.

“[鈥 administrators find it much easier to talk about numbers of schools, teachers, and pupils, and the management of revenue and expenditure, than they do about what those teachers are actually doing, or what schools are for, and how they might assist children to take control of their future.” p. 212 ‘Overschooled But Undereducated’ by John Abbott.

What We Propose

A new model of assessment built on:

• Digital portfolios
• Competency-based rubrics
• Authentic performance tasks
• Narrative and peer feedback
• Self-assessment and reflection

This model shifts the purpose of assessment from judging past performance to supporting future growth.

How We Implement It

A three-phase roadmap is proposed (cf. schematic visual on page 15):

1. Stakeholder Dialogue & Readiness Assessment
2. Pilot Programme Design & Staff Training
3. Evaluation, Iteration, and Scaling

The approach includes partnerships with universities and employers to ensure relevance and credibility.

Conclusion

The future of education depends on our ability to reimagine assessment as a meaningful, inclusive, and forward-looking process. This paper invites educators, policymakers, and institutional leaders to collaborate on building a system that recognises and develops the full potential of every learner.

2.听听听 Problem Statement: The Misalignment Between Assessment and Reality

Across the globe, schools continue to rely on assessment systems that were designed for industrial- era education. These systems, primarily built around standardised testing, high-stakes exams, and summative metrics, often fail to capture the breadth of competencies that students need in today鈥檚 world.

a.听 Narrow Metrics of Success听

Conventional assessments overwhelmingly prioritise rote memorisation, exam technique, and individual performance under pressure. This leaves little room to assess creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, or resilience鈥攓ualities increasingly valued in higher education and the workplace.

b.听 Increasing Irrelevance to Employers and Universities

Surveys from major employers and higher education leaders consistently reveal a growing disconnect:

The World Economic Forum lists problem-solving, analytical thinking, and leadership as top skills for the future鈥攔arely measured in traditional assessments.

• A 2023 McKinsey report found that 87% of employers believe recent graduates lack critical workplace competencies such as teamwork and adaptability.
• University admissions officers increasingly consider portfolios, interviews, and personal projects as better indicators of a student鈥檚 potential than grades alone.

c.听 A System That Disadvantages Learners

High-stakes assessments disproportionately benefit students who can navigate a narrow set of academic conventions, while leaving behind others whose strengths lie in applied, creative, or interpersonal domains. The result is an education system that ranks students rather than develops them. The emergence of EPQs in recent years and the inclusion of teaching real-life competencies within them has shown that reform is emerging, for the urgent need has been understood by educators.

3.听听听 Context and Rationale: Why Change, and Why Now?

The call for assessment reform is not new, but the conditions now demand it with renewed urgency.

a.听 The Nature of Work Has Changed

Today鈥檚 jobs – and those of the near future – require agility, cross-disciplinary thinking, and lifelong learning. Teams are global, tasks are project-based, and problems are complex. Employers seek candidates who can learn quickly, communicate effectively, and solve unfamiliar problems. These are not qualities developed, or indeed revealed, through timed written exams.

b.听 Universities Are Adapting

Leading higher education institutions are expanding admission criteria, using contextual data, personal statements, portfolios, and interviews to assess applicants more holistically. Some are even moving away from standardised testing altogether. They increasingly want students who are curious, self-directed, and prepared to engage critically with knowledge, traits rarely fostered by conventional assessment practices.

Key Features of the Proposed Approach

• 1. Portfolio-Based Assessment
     • Students build digital portfolios showcasing work across disciplines, including research, creative outputs, reflections, and evidence of collaborative projects (interdisciplinary learning and assessing).
     • These portfolios are reviewed by educators, peers, and even external assessors (e.g. university partners or industry mentors).
  2. Authentic Tasks
     • Real-world challenges are integrated into the curriculum, e.g. problem-solving scenarios, design thinking tasks, debates, simulations, and collaborative
  3. Skill and Competency Frameworks
     • Clear frameworks outline core competencies (e.g. communication, digital literacy, leadership), which are assessed longitudinally, not just episodically.
  4. Narrative Feedback and Self-Assessment
     • Emphasis on qualitative, formative feedback that guides
     • Students engage in structured self-assessment, encouraging ownership of learning and metacognitive growth.
  5. Teacher-Led Moderation and Collaboration
  6. Professional learning communities standardise expectations and co-design rubrics, creating a robust and equitable assessment culture across schools.

c.听 Case Examples from Global Practice

• International Baccalaureate (IB): Emphasises Approaches to Learning (ATLs), extended essays, and oral assessments that go beyond content mastery.
• Misk Schools Diploma (validated by Cambridge University Press & Assessment), which has been reverse-engineered from the expectations of the 4-year transcript, focuses on teaching and assessing the 4 Cs (Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration and Communication) as well as adaptability, perseverance and digital competence within rigorous subject knowledge teaching, and the development of work-place competencies and leadership skills / aptitudes, all imbedded in a culture that is anchored in national identity yet offers a clear global
• Big Picture Learning (US, Australia): Replaces standardised tests with exhibitions and real- world projects evaluated by panels.
• Mastery Transcript Consortium: Schools create digital transcripts that showcase skills, projects, and achievements without traditional grades.

d.听 Students Are Different鈥攁nd Deserve More

The current generation of learners is more digitally fluent, socially aware, and globally connected than any before. They expect education to be relevant, personalised, and meaningful. Indeed, they expect educators to meet them in their world, rather than being hauled back into the 20^th century when they are in school. Inflexible assessment systems not only demotivate many students, but also fail to recognise their real potential.

e.听 The Technology Exists

Digital platforms, AI-supported tools, and competency-based models now make it entirely feasible to assess a broader range of skills more consistently, fairly, and meaningfully than ever before. The infrastructure for change exists, what is missing is the systemic will.

4.听听听 Proposed Paradigm Shift: From Assessment of Learning to Assessment for Life

To prepare students for life beyond school, assessment must evolve from a mechanism of judgment to a tool for development. The new paradigm embraces holistic, authentic, and future-facing assessments that reflect the full range of human potential.

a.听 Principles of the New Assessment Paradigm

Key Features of the Proposed Approach

1. Portfolio-Based Assessment
   • Students build digital portfolios showcasing work across disciplines, including research, creative outputs, reflections, and evidence of collaborative projects.
   • These portfolios are reviewed by educators, peers, and even external assessors (e.g. university partners or industry mentors).
2. Authentic Tasks
   • Real-world interdisciplinary challenges are integrated into the curriculum – problem- solving scenarios, design thinking tasks, debates, simulations, and collaborative reports, all of which can also be assessed in creatively designed examination settings.

3. Skill and Competency Frameworks
   • Clear frameworks outline core competencies (e.g. communication, digital literacy, leadership), which are assessed longitudinally, not just episodically.
4. Narrative Feedback and Self-Assessment
   • Emphasis on qualitative, formative feedback that guides
   • Students engage in structured self-assessment, encouraging ownership of learning and metacognitive growth.

5. Teacher-Led Moderation and Collaboration
   • Professional learning communities standardise expectations and co-design rubrics, creating a robust and equitable assessment culture

5.听听听 Implementation Roadmap: Turning Vision into Practice

Transforming assessment is not an overnight task. It requires careful planning, collaboration, and iterative learning. The roadmap below outlines a realistic, phased approach to making this paradigm shift both credible and achievable.

Phase 1: Exploration and Stakeholder Dialogue (0鈥�6 months)

• Convene Stakeholders: Create a working group including school leaders, teachers, students, employers, university admissions staff, and policymakers.
• Audit Current Assessment Practices: Map the current landscape across member schools to understand strengths, gaps, and readiness.
• Engage the Community: Run surveys and workshops with students, parents, and staff to capture perspectives and build shared ownership of the vision.

Phase 2: Pilot Programme Development (6鈥�18 months)

• Select Pilot Schools: Identify a diverse group of schools across different contexts willing to test new assessment methods.
• Design Assessment Models: Collaborate to create prototype frameworks, g. digital portfolios, competency rubrics, feedback templates, and authentic tasks.
• Train and Support Educators: Provide sustained professional development focused on assessment literacy, feedback strategies, and moderation practices.
• Engage Universities and Employers: Partner with selected higher education institutions and employers to validate and endorse alternative assessment models.

Phase 3: Implementation, Evaluation, and Iteration (18鈥�36 months)

• Launch and Monitor Pilots: Begin implementation with continuous support, reflection, and community feedback.
• Collect Evidence of Impact: Use qualitative and quantitative data to assess changes in student motivation for learning, engagement, performance, and transition outcomes.
• Adjust Based on Insights: Refine approaches through regular review cycles and public sharing of what works.
• Scale What is Successful: Expand successful models to more schools, supported by toolkits, guidelines, and shared practice networks.

6.听听听 Policy and Leadership Implications

Systemic change in assessment cannot happen without strong leadership and supportive policy frameworks. To achieve meaningful and lasting reform, leaders must be bold, collaborative, and future-focused.

a.听 For School Leaders and Boards

• Champion the Vision: Articulate the importance of an assessment reform clearly and consistently.
• Invest in Capacity-Building: Prioritise professional development and innovation incentives for staff to trial new approaches.
• Embed Assessment in Whole-School Planning: Integrate the new model into curriculum planning, teacher appraisal, and school improvement strategies.

b.听 For National and International Policymakers

• Broaden Accountability Metrics: Shift from narrow academic results to include holistic indicators of student development and well-being.
• Recognise Alternative Credentials: Accept validated portfolios, digital transcripts, and project- based outcomes as legitimate qualifications.
• Fund Innovation: Provide resources and incentives for assessment innovation, especially in underserved or high-stakes environments.

c.听 For Universities and Employers

• Signal What Matters: Make explicit the attributes and evidence you value in applicants beyond traditional grades.
• Collaborate on Validation: Work with schools to co-develop and pilot alternative admissions
• Support Lifelong Learning: Partner in developing frameworks that align school outcomes with workforce readiness and lifelong upskilling.

7.听听听 Conclusion: Education Worth Having, Assessment Worth Doing

We stand at a crossroads in education. We can continue to assess what is easy to measure, or we can rise to the challenge of measuring what truly matters.

The world our students are entering demands more than exam technique. It demands resilience, ethical judgment, creativity, collaboration, and self-directed learning. The current assessment paradigm was not built to recognise or nurture these attributes.

But change is possible.

By shifting towards a more authentic, meaningful, and learner-centered model of assessment, we can better prepare young people for the complexity, uncertainty, and opportunity of the modern world. This is not about abandoning rigour, it is about redefining it.

This White Paper invites all stakeholders – educators, policy leaders, institutions, employers, and learners themselves – to join in reimagining what assessment can be and what education should do.

8.听听听 References

a.听 Key Resources and Further Reading

b.听 Glossary of Terms

• Authentic Assessment: Evaluation of student learning through real-world tasks and
• Digital Portfolio: A curated collection of student work showcasing progress and
• Competency-Based Learning: Education model that prioritises mastery of specific skills and abilities over time spent in class.

9.听听听 Summary

Assessment 3.0 – Aligning K-12 education with life beyond school

a.听听听听 Purpose

This White Paper proposes a transformational shift in how schools assess student learning, advocating for a move away from narrow, standardised exams toward authentic, skills-based, and learner-centred assessments. It responds to a growing mismatch between what schools measure and what universities, employers, and society now demand.

b.听听听听 The Problem

Current assessment systems:

• Focus predominantly on rote memorisation and test-
• Fail to measure critical skills like critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication and adaptability.
• Provide limited insight into a student鈥檚 real potential or readiness for future study or
• Create inequities by rewarding exam-savvy learners over those with applied or interpersonal

Why Change Now

The world of work has changed: Employers seek agile thinkers, effective communicators, and problem-solvers.

• Universities are adapting: Many are de-emphasising standardised tests in favour of holistic
• Students expect more: Today鈥檚 learners value relevance, flexibility, and
• Technology enables innovation: Tools exist to support broader, fairer, and more meaningful assessment at scale.

d.听听听听 The Proposed Paradigm

This new model of assessment is guided by the principle of measuring what matters:

Key features include:

• Digital portfolios capturing authentic work.
• Competency frameworks aligned with future-focused skills.
• Narrative feedback and structured self-assessment.
• Teacher collaboration for consistency and fairness.

e.听听听听听 Implementation Roadmap

The paper outlines a three-phase process over 36 months:

1. Exploration & Stakeholder Dialogue
2. Pilot Programme Development
3. Implementation, Evaluation & Scaling

Each phase prioritises community engagement, educator training, evidence collection, and strategic partnerships with universities and employers.

ROADMAP VISUAL

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Polyglot and High Performance Learning expert, Dr Sommer has over 25 years鈥� school leadership experience across Europe and the Middle East. He joined Misk Schools in 2022 from Doha College, where he was Principal for seven years. He has led top international schools in The Hague, Paris, and Lausanne, and was Head of Languages at Rugby School, one of the UK鈥檚 top independent boarding schools. Dr Sommer is active on the world education stage, and is Vice Chair, COBIS. He holds a PhD in Translation Studies.

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In the buzz and bustle of AI in education, it鈥檚 tempting to get caught up in the race to acquire the flashiest edtech. Some schools proudly announce the adoption of AI platforms, the integration of chatbot tutors, or the piloting of algorithmic grading tools,听while others bury their heads in the sand and hop ethat it will all pass them by. But as we stand on the cusp of a seismic shift in how students engage with knowledge, a more important truth emerges: AI in education is not about what technology you adopt鈥攊t’s about how your students learn to use it.

The focus must shift from learning to use AI to using AI for learning. That distinction isn鈥檛 just semantic鈥攊t is pedagogical, ethical, and profoundly transformational.

From Tool to Tutor: Repositioning AI in the Learning Process

At its best, AI should function like a compass, not a crutch. When students use generative AI responsibly鈥攚hether for drafting essays, analysing historical trends, or solving mathematical problems鈥攖hey鈥檙e not outsourcing thinking. They’re enhancing it.

The key lies in guided, purposeful use. Research cited in AI for Learning: 101 Assessment Strategies for K-12 Schools Unlocking Mastery of AI reveals that students given structured support in AI use significantly outperform peers who use AI unguided or uncritically (Holt & Harris, 2024). Left to its own devices, AI becomes a shortcut. Integrated into a structured learning journey, it becomes a scaffold for deeper inquiry.

The Traffic Light System: Teaching Ethical and Effective Use

One practical approach to this balance is the Traffic Light System. In this model, AI use in student work is categorised into three bands:

• Green 鈥� Enhances learning without replacing it (e.g., brainstorming prompts, language practice, data analysis).
• Amber 鈥� Risks displacing the learning process and needs monitoring (e.g., using AI to paraphrase or summarise without reflection).
• Red 鈥� Replaces learning or violates academic integrity (e.g., full AI-generated assignments).

This framework, introduced in AI for Learning, provides clarity for students and teachers alike, distinguishing between collaboration and collusion. It helps learners understand when AI acts as a learning partner鈥攁nd when it undermines their growth.

AI is Pedagogy, Not Product

We need to think of AI not as a plug-in but as part of a pedagogy of possibility. As AI for Learning outlines, the most meaningful AI integration isn鈥檛 platform-dependent. It happens when:

• Teachers model metacognitive reflection鈥攁sking not just 鈥淲hat did you write?鈥� but 鈥淗ow did AI shape your thinking?鈥�
• Students are encouraged to interrogate AI outputs, question accuracy, and add their own insights鈥攄eveloping digital and critical literacy simultaneously.
• Learning objectives drive AI use, not the other way around.

This is the heart of the book鈥檚 Assessment-as-Learning principle: assessment isn’t just about measuring what students know. It鈥檚 about helping them learn through the process of inquiry, revision, and reflection鈥攚ith AI as a thinking partner, not a ghostwriter.

Equity and Access: Avoiding a Two-Tier AI System

Another urgent issue the book raises is equity. If AI tools are only accessible to students whose families can afford subscriptions or devices, we risk deepening existing achievement gaps. AI for Learning recommends school-led solutions: centralised subscriptions, in-school access, and parent workshops to ensure that AI becomes a bridge, not a barrier.

Education leaders must ask: Are we equipping all students鈥攏ot just the privileged few鈥攖o harness AI responsibly and reflectively?

Assessing the Learner, Not the Output

One of the most provocative questions AI for Learning poses is this: 鈥淲hat are we really assessing when students use AI?鈥�

Traditional assessment often focuses on the final product. But when AI is in the mix, educators need to shift the lens. Did the student understand how to refine the AI output? Did they cross-check the facts? Did they integrate their voice, their argument, their evidence?

To support this shift, the book offers over 100 assessment strategies categorised across five learner levels鈥攆rom foundational to mastery. These assessments aren’t about checking AI usage; they鈥檙e about checking learning through AI usage.

Cultivating AI Fluency, Not Just Compliance

Ultimately, schools need to prepare students not just to use AI but to thrive in a world shaped by it. That requires more than teaching prompt engineering or banning ChatGPT. It demands a fundamental change in how we define success in school.

Instead of asking 鈥淐an students write this without AI?鈥�, we must begin asking:
鈥淐an students show us what they鈥檝e learned with AI?鈥�
鈥淐an they reflect on how they got there?鈥�
鈥淐an they distinguish AI’s voice from their own鈥攁nd use that difference to grow?鈥�

That鈥檚 what fluency looks like. And it starts not with the tech we buy, but with the trust we build鈥攊n our learners鈥� ability to engage, critique, create, and reflect.

It鈥檚 Not the Tool鈥擨t鈥檚 the Thinking

Schools that treat AI as an add-on will never unlock its power. Schools that treat AI as a thinking partner, a means to deepen learning, will transform education. Not because of the tools鈥攂ut because of the thinkers they help shape.

As AI for Learning reminds us: 鈥淯sed well, AI becomes the Aristotle to a learner鈥檚 Alexander. Used poorly, it is as poor a learning tool as 鈥榗ut and paste鈥欌�� (Holt & Harris, 2024, p. 41).

Let鈥檚 teach our students to lead鈥攏ot follow鈥攖heir tools.

Reference
Holt, S. & Harris, A. (2024) AI for Learning: 101 Assessment Strategies for K-12 Schools Unlocking Mastery of AI. London: Belgravia Press.

About the authors

Stephanie Holt is an educator with over 20 years of experience, having worked globally in various capacities including as an Advanced Skills Teacher of English in the UK, School Improvement Officer, Vice-Principal in Malaysia, and Deputy Head in Moscow. Currently, she is the Director of Learning and Teaching in Mumbai.

Involved with the OECD Classrooms+ initiative, Stephanie has delivered workshops for COBIS on metacognition and using AI for Learning, will be speaking at the OECD Classrooms+ conference 2025 and was a keynote speaker at the WCE Conference 2024. Her forward-thinking approach has been recognised by her shortlisting for the GESS Award 2024 for Positive Change in Education.

She has co-authored the book “AI for Learning: 101 Assessment Strategies for K-12 Schools” with Alexander Harris. Stephanie is a thought leader in AI and education, contributing regularly to global conversations on enhancing learning outcomes through innovation. Her research as a PhD candidate for Brunel University London and work at DSB International School, Mumbai significantly enhances educational practices, empowering educators and fostering student success.

Alexander Harris is an educational leader with a global career spanning multiple continents. He holds a Master’s in Educational Leadership with Distinction from UCL鈥檚 Institute of Education and has held senior roles in prestigious international schools. Alexander is known for his innovative approach to AI integration and curriculum design, driving academic growth and fostering ethical leadership.

His expertise in change leadership has transformed educational communities, empowering educators to create dynamic, student-centered learning environments. Alexander has led successful AI-driven initiatives that enhanced student engagement and achievement.

He is the author of two upcoming books on education and numerous novels and plays under the pen name ‘Thomas Alexander.’ As a sought-after speaker, Alexander shares visionary insights on AI in education, curriculum design, and leadership development. His work is grounded in servant leadership, promoting integrity and equity as transformative forces for good in education.

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On one hand, leaders and educators are deeply engaged with some of the most exciting and urgent conversations in education: AI integration, curriculum redesign, recruitment challenges, governance reform, student voice – the list goes on.
On the other hand, the weight of these conversations, layered one upon another, is creating unsustainable pressure.

I鈥檝e attended several exceptional education conferences recently where I found myself both inspired and concerned. Inspired by the ideas and ambition present in every room yet concerned by the growing burden being placed on the people leading the work.

The reality is this: it鈥檚 not a lack of care, willingness or leadership that schools are struggling with, it鈥檚 the capacity to carry so much, for so long, without effective systemic support.

It is for this very reason that Wellbeing Intelligence has become the foundational skillset upon which everything else must rest if international schools are to continue performing in a way that is strong, human-centred and future focussed.

First Things First 鈥� No Wellbeing, No Wisdom
Maslow鈥檚 well known hierarchy reminds us that fundamental human needs must be met before higher-order growth can occur and, in a similar vein, Jen Fisher introduces us to the notion of The Intelligence Stack. This emerging concept is built on the principle that each layer of intelligence supports and strengthens the next and it is grounded by the belief that sustainable growth comes from positioning these layers in the right order, starting with what matters most.

Without wellbeing laying the foundations, authentic emotional connection struggles to form, wisdom is harder to access and innovation cannot effectively take root. The Intelligence Stack offers a blueprint for designing stronger, more human-centred organisations ready to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Advanced Wellbeing Intelligence acknowledges that wellbeing is a precondition for human sustainability and organisational success. It allows for the development of well-designed work and wellbeing-forward systems, without which the foundations of our workplaces remain unstable and we begin to play a dangerous game of Jenga with our organisational health.

Why Wellbeing Intelligence Matters More Than Ever in International Schools

International schools today operate in complex, fast-changing environments. Shifting student and staff demographics, evolving parental expectations, global instability and increasingly competitive recruitment markets all contribute to an almost constant flow of change and uncertainty for leaders and staff alike and we should not be underestimating the human cost of this. When leaders and their teams are operating from a place of depletion, their capacity for the complex work of innovation and improvement is compromised and, all the while, the demands continue to mount. It鈥檚 like trying to lay the foundations of a house after construction has already begun – crucial work is happening everywhere, but the structural stability is missing.

As service-driven educators, we often succumb to the subtle narrative that when things feel overwhelming, we should double down on our personal capacity: manage our time better, become more efficient, build our bounce-back muscle. But in truth, this isn鈥檛 a call for more individual resilience, (and nor should It be); it鈥檚 a call for better foundations, because without systems and practices that protect and promote staff wellbeing, even the most dedicated teams will eventually be stretched too thin.

What I witnessed in those recent conference sessions was far from a failure of resilience; it was a test of capacity, playing out across schools where people care deeply, but are struggling to find solid ground.

Building The Foundations for Managing Complexity

One of the most powerful shifts leaders can make today is to move from asking 鈥淗ow do we help our people carry more?鈥� to 鈥淗ow do we build foundations that allow us to manage the complexity?鈥�

Achieving the desired stability doesn’t mean achieving the impossible and removing the steady stream of challenges faced by the education sector, it means creating environments in which wellbeing is systemically embedded. It鈥檚 about designing work for human sustainability 鈥� from the bottom up.

Wellbeing Intelligence in leadership can look like:

• Embedding wellbeing principles into strategic planning and decision-making.
• Prioritising psychological safety within team culture.
• Creating systems that monitor workload and allow meaningful recovery.
• Recognising that purpose, meaning and connection are all essential for high performance.
• Protecting time for reflection, collaboration and simple human interaction, especially when things feel busiest.

Immediate Action for Leaders

If you’re wondering where to begin building Wellbeing Intelligence in your school or organisation, a simple but powerful starting point is to audit your wellbeing foundations.

Take an honest look at the systems and practices currently in place and approach it with the same seriousness and rigour as curriculum, safeguarding or financial audits.

Start by asking:

• Are our wellbeing supports reactive (only triggered when something goes wrong) or proactive?
• Where in our strategic priorities is staff wellbeing explicitly embedded, not just implied?
• Are leaders at all levels equipped to recognise and respond to signs of team strain, not just individual struggle?

Wellbeing Intelligence is The New Leadership Intelligence

The future of education demands a new model of leadership, one that sees wellbeing as the bedrock of organisational strength and which understands that a focus on Wellbeing Intelligence doesn鈥檛 slow strategic ambition, it strengthens and sustains it.

The best international schools of the future will be those that recognise:

• Wellbeing is structural, not ornamental.
• Leadership at all levels must be equipped, empowered and supported to foster cultures of wellbeing.
• Sustainable success is built on human thriving, not just human time and effort.

I am passionate about helping international schools embed Wellbeing Intelligence as a leadership skillset and a strategic advantage. Through training, coaching, consultancy, and bespoke programmes, I work with organisations to:

• Equip leaders at every level with practical tools to design for wellbeing.
• Align wellbeing with whole-school strategic planning
• Build cultures where people feel connected, energised and capable of doing their best work.

If you鈥檙e ready to consciously design systems where people can truly thrive, get in touch to explore how we can work together to develop Wellbeing Intelligence in your leadership teams and across your whole organisation.

听听听听听听听听听听 hello@wellwellwell.work

References

This article was inspired by the recent thought work of Jen Fisher, former Human Sustainability Leader and leading voice on workplace wellbeing and the future of work.

About the author

Steph Hawkins

With 20 years’ experience in education and leadership across international and UK schools, Steph now specialises in workplace wellbeing, combining a Master鈥檚 in Applied Positive Psychology with a deep understanding of what helps people and organisations thrive. Through her consultancy, Well Well Well, she partners with schools to embed sustainable wellbeing practices that strengthen leadership, boost staff engagement and shape healthier school cultures.

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