Education Exchange: Teaching young people the skills of dialogue in a global world

Anastasia Beltsiou is an experienced ELT educator, teaching English mainly to primary, secondary and over a small period to adult learners. She has worked in language institutions, public and private schools in Greece for 25 years.

Her journey began in Kingston University in the UK where she earned my BA bachelor’s degree in English language and literature and later in Westminster University my MA in applied Languages.

Currently, she is working in primary education in a private school in Greece, Mary N. Raptou School that has been officially recognized as a Cambridge preparation centre and been awarded the International School Award 2024-2027 by the British Council where I was also certified for leading the integration of international learning in the school.

She and her students participated in the Topical Festival organised by the Economist Foundation, and their efforts were rewarded with the prestigious Alastair Burnet Award.

Her ultimate goal is to trigger enthusiasm to my students by embedding innovative educational programs into our curriculum that connects their learning to the outside world.

Therefore, global partnerships and themes were included in many projects organised and led by me such as collaboration with schools in the UK and Poland, participation in global competitions such as Never Such Innocence, Peace Pals art contest, Goi peace essay contest, KGL English Olympiad and the organization of a TEdEd student event.

Anastasia has also invited and collaborated with many international speakers from NASA society (NASA ambassador and the British Geological Institute) throughout the years.

She believe that even if education progresses rapidly, we as educators are the ones that can influence positively new generations.

Anastasia is an experienced ELT (English Language Teaching) educator with over 25 years of experience, primarily teaching English to primary and secondary students, and briefly to adult learners. Throughout her career, she has worked in various language institutions, as well as public and private schools in Greece.

Her academic journey began at Kingston University in the UK, where she earned a BA in English Language and Literature. She later pursued an MA in Applied Languages at Westminster University.

Currently, she teaches in primary education at Mary N. Raptou School, a private institution in Greece officially recognised as a Cambridge preparation centre. The school was awarded the International School Award 2024-2027 by the British Council, where she also earned certification for leading the integration of international learning within the school.

Her ultimate goal is to inspire enthusiasm in her students by incorporating innovative educational programs that connect their learning to the outside world. To this end, she has led numerous projects with global partnerships and themes, collaborating with schools in the UK and Poland, and organising student participation in international competitions such as the Never Such Innocence, Peace Pals Art Contest, Goi Peace Essay Contest, and the KGL English Olympiad. She has also organised a TED-Ed student event.

In addition, she has worked with international speakers, including ambassadors from NASA and representatives from the British Geological Institute, to enrich the learning experience for her students.

She strongly believes that, despite the rapid progression of education, educators play a crucial role in positively shaping future generations.

Lisa Petro is the Education and Quality Lead at Generation Global, an education initiative with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, supporting youth in becoming open-minded global citizens through intercultural dialogue. Previously, Lisa co-founded Know My World, a Global Education organisation that builds competency for social, emotional, and cultural learning through Virtual Exchange. As a national consultant for Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico, Lisa co-designed the PrepaTec Multicultural Competency Model. Lisa has co-developed Global Education programming around the world with organizations including Nepali Education Support Trust, The Grail Link to the United Nations, and One Globe Kids.

Mar Robillard is a social studies teacher, currently working at a bilingual school in the Netherlands. She has previously worked at other Dutch bilingual schools, and at international schools in Germany and Belize, and has years of experience in online education with QSI Virtual School. Throughout her career she has supervised and spearheaded several educational programs aimed at international collaboration, both online and offline. Other areas of interest include Content and Language Integrated Learning, intercultural learning and global citizenship.