What began as a simple question; how might we get students actively conducting field research during Exhibition, created a learning pathway for students to ask questions and find answers in their local community. At International Community School, Addis Ababa Ethiopia, that involved tapping into our local community members as resources. Students who were inquiring into access to education were able to survey the female student population at the local neighborhood school, trying to understand and highlight their perspectives. The first iteration of engaging the local community felt one-sided in nature, which led me to ask further; how might a learning partnership look between grade five students in our school and the local school.

Nanjing International School, within their strategic mission of “Bursting the Bubble,” was primed consider the possibilities around the notion of a learning partnership. This time during Exhibition, the Grade Five students worked parallel with the grade five students in the local elementary school around their Exhibition key issues. As this process began to evolve, we noticed that the learning partnerships brought together a variety of perspectives, through the use of multilingual strategies, brought together a clearer understanding of the issues at hand.