In the latest episode of the Tes International podcast, we talk with Oanh Crouch, director of learning at Globeducate.

The discussion covers a wide range of topics, from travelling the globe in search of the best and most innovative education systems - starting with going from one climate extreme to another by moving from Australia to Finland.

“I was specialising in early years and primary education and there was a great conversation going on about the Finnish education system and I was really intrigued and wanted to find out more - so l went directly to the source to teach within a private international school setting with three- to seven-year-olds.”

This move, in 1999, ignited a spark that has been burning ever since: “That [job] really set me off on my international career because I really wanted to discover how different countries approached education and how that aligned with my own philosophies.”

That led to working in lots of different roles in both teaching and leadership, working with different curriculum models from Thailand to the UK, and in both private schools and MATs and then on to her current role at Globeducate.

Research interrogation 

Now, she works to ensure the learning strategies of schools in the group are delivering the best possible learning environments for children wherever they are in the world. 

“Part of my role is to really capture and harness that expertise and experience so that we can share the knowledge and improve upon our practice and the provision that we offer - regardless of the curriculum the schools are offering,” Crouch says.

To do this, analysing the latest educational research is key: “We always began with what the research is telling us but we critically analyse it, too. We look at the source, we think about the results and engage in professional dialogue to come to conclusions about next steps - [but] we have a gut instinct as educators what the research is telling us.”

Examples of areas where this has led to new ideas being taken forward include taking a greater focus on outdoor learning and reading attainment

Of course, teachers around the world being dictated to by an often unseen “centre” is not the purpose of this work. Instead, it is about informing teachers so they can then work together to understand what is working well and share best practice, tips and insights.

Learning together

For Crouch, these learning communities among educators are vital and something she works hard to facilitate for Globeducate schools - either with real-life events or, more recently, with virtual platforms hosted on Microsoft Teams.

“It means they have a free space that is not monitored or specifically led by anyone - it’s a non-judgement environment where they can connect and discuss and take a discussion onto video or live chat as well if they wish.”

Indeed, she says that this collaboration and togetherness that learning communities offer was a fundamental strength of the last year, as teachers came together to support one another.

“I really think [school] closures have strengthened professional learning networks. It’s clear we have leaders and teachers willing to offer professional levels of support - not just saying ‘it will be fine’ - but offering specific ideas on resources, weblinks, webinars and so forth.

“It’s been a challenge [for education], but also an opportunity for growth and I think the positive impact of that has been obvious. The strength and quality and calibre of learning development is something we should want to build on.”

You can listen to the full interview below or on your podcast platform of choice, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Dan Worth is a senior editor at Tes