Last week, a group of Japanese educators, both researchers and practitioners, visited the Teacher Education Programme of The Hague University of Applied Sciences. It was a valuable opportunity to exchange experiences and ideas, as well as to explore similarities and differences between life and work in Japan and the Netherlands. Encounters like this go beyond formal cooperation. They invite us to reflect on our educational systems through new eyes.

When colleagues from another part of the world enter our classrooms, something interesting happens. We begin to notice details we usually take for granted, such as the way we work with groups, how lessons start and end, the tone of voice between student and teacher/ lecturer. Just like researchers in comparative research use a close-up and wide-angle lens to understand education (Safford & Chamberlain, 2019), international guests help us to shift our perspectives. The close-up lens reveals everyday practices, while the wide-angle lens helps us to see how our work is connected to global values, such as diversity and inclusion, social justice, and lifelong learning.

Internationalisation in teacher education is sometimes framed in terms of mobility programmes, exchange agreements and/ or European subsidies. These are important structures. However, the real value of internationalisation lies in the conversations. In the curiosity that emerges when teachers discuss how they teach, what they think is important, and what challenges they face.

Education is as Harold Noah once observed, the “touchstone of society”. It reflects our deepest beliefs about what it means to live well together. Comparing educational systems is therefor never only about qualification and subjectification. It is also about the social values that underpin education. Group harmony and perseverance are highly prized in Japan, while in the Netherlands, individuality and critical thinking often take centre stage. Yet, a shared concern lies beneath these cultural layers: how to prepare children for a complex and interconnected world. When teachers talk across cultures, they are in fact co-constructing a global vision of what education could be.

Internationalisation reminds us that teaching is both local and universal. Each classroom has its own rhythm, shaped by language, social-cultural history and policy. But the essence of teaching: to help learners make sense of the world, transcends borders. Comparative studies, such as described in Learning and Teaching Around the World (Safford & Chamberlain, 2019), show that teacher all over the world struggle with similar questions. How do we make learning inclusive? How do we respond to diversity? How do we ensure every child feels a sense of belonging? Engaging with other colleagues from other contexts encourages us to revisit these questions with renewed attention.

For students in teacher education, such encounters are equally transformative. Meeting international educational professionals helps future teachers to understand that multiple ways to organise classrooms, assess learning and build relationships. It stimulates what the Sustainable Development Goals call “global citizenship”. The capacity to value diversity, think critically about one’s own assumptions, and act with empathy. A short exchange, a guest lecture or a collaborative project can plant the seed of a lifelong commitment to openness.

There is also a reflective dimension to internationalisation. Internationalisation invites us to question our own blind spots. Which parts of our curriculum might appear unusual, or maybe even exclusionary, to someone from another culture? What assumptions about good teaching are really universal and which are culturally specific? When we look through the eyed of a visitor, our familiar routines gain new meaning. We realize that concepts like inclusion. Participation and professionalism are not concepts but living practices that evolve through dialogue and over time.

In a world that is often divided by politics and misunderstanding, education has an unique potential to build bridges. Teacher education programmes can foster international solidarity by encouraging teachers to see themselves as part of a global profession. Each exchange, whether it is between Japan and the Netherlands, or between any two communities, adds a layer to this collective understanding. It reminds us that learning to teach is also learning to listen.

Global encounters in teacher education are not one-time events. They are part of ongoing conversations about what it means to teach and learn in the twenty-first century. By opening our doors to colleagues from afar, we open our minds to new ways of thinking. In doing so, we rediscover the joy and purpose of our own profession.

Book recommendation: Safford, K., & Chamberlain, L. (2019). Learning and teaching around the world. Comparative and international studies in primary education. Routledge.

Michel Hogenes, Novembre 2025

The Hague University of Applied Sciences

Categories: Debate, Internationalisation, News