Internationalization in Innovation Processes

The pandemic has put the education sector in a challenging position. We are facing, in school, an unexpected situation that we were not ready for. However, all the educational community is putting a great effort to cope with the situation. From directive boards to teachers, we are trying to survive the pressure that COVID-19 has brought to us.

One of the things that the sanitary crisis has revealed to the sector is that the school must adapt to society’s needs more than ever.
Teaching from home has been one of the most challenging goals we have had in recent times. From one day to the next, digitalization of schools has been put under examination. All schools that were doing their homework have subsisted magnificently to this upside-down period. However, did we cover our goals? Indeed, the main objective was not to stop schooling during the lockdown. But now that we are facing a hybrid teaching system, are we using the best methodology to teach? Are we covering our students’ needs? Many questions are on the table at the moment. And when we question many things under a pressure situation, we may feel uncertainty and insecurity. 
Collaboration is essential to learn in a difficult situation.
We must forge a community of educators, school leaders, and entrepreneurs willing to express their fears and share their ideas. We must work together, plan together, and imagine together for a main common goal: an excellent education for all. 
As we are facing a pandemic, the problem is not just in one country or region. It is a global matter that we must battle together. It is a unique opportunity to boost the internationalization of our schools. We can learn so much about how other schools around the globe are tackling all these urgent matters. We can see it reflected on others that we are not alone in this. Meeting international partners will help us a lot when imagining a better present and future. Not to say that it will be an incredible opportunity for our students to connect with learners around the globe living in the same circumstances. 
There is another question that comes to me. Is the pandemic transforming our school system? I would say a positive “yes.” We are innovating to reach our unexpected goals, being creative and imaginative to find the best solutions. Fortunately, many schools have been opening their horizons to a new teaching way in the past years. So now the process is to balance urgent matters with essential matters. 
Tr@ms Foundation is a non-profit organization set up in Catalonia, Spain. There are twenty-six innovative schools associated with it, and most of the schools follow the cooperative model. For the last 20 years, we have been developing collaboration amongst our educational community. Many innovation processes have been carried together for the benefit of the students. There is a comprehensive stakeholder system to support this common goal. We started a new department to support the internationalization of schools in 2017. Since then, we have created an international network of schools: Educational Transformation International (ETI), and we have connected with many inspirational experts and education entrepreneurs that are joining us on this journey. 
Thanks to this previous work, we have the opportunity to exchange and share the engaging process we are facing now. We are passionate about it, and we are willing to share this experience with the world. 

The author

Raquel Fernandez

Raquel is a passionate English and Science teacher at Escola Sant Gervasi Cooperativa always seeking innovation in the education field. She has been an active leading member of Fundació Tr@ms for more than fifteen years. Nowadays, Raquel is Head of International Projects at the foundation. She has a widen experience designing, organizing, and participating in international activities and events. Her passion for different cultures has influenced her in her professional development and career. Raquel has a long expertise in managing innovative and transformation projects within educators from different schools. As for more than ten years, she has been coordinating Collaborative Departments of teachers at Fundació Tr@ms. She is a speaker at various national and international events since 2001, helping spread the Fundació Tr@ms vision and looking for collaboration partners around the world.

https://www.fundaciotrams.org/en