Find a partner classroom in another country

A good partner classroom is one you can plan with. Distance can bring another perspective, but the partnership also needs a question both teachers want to teach, time to reply and a task both classes can complete.

Look for a partner who fits your class

• Learning goal: are you working on related subjects or questions?
• Students: will the task work for both age groups and learning needs?
• Timing: do term dates, reply times and the project length fit?
• Communication: what language, tools and teacher contact will you use?
• Commitment: can each teacher explain what their class will contribute and when?

School contacts and professional networks can be useful starting points. On Class2Class, teachers use Connect to find one another by subject, age range, language, SDG interest and availability. Send a short message about your class, the question and the dates you have in mind.

Agree a small plan before students begin

1. Write one shared question and the learning you will check.
2. Set a start date, a reply deadline and an end point.
3. Choose the work each class will share and one result that uses both contributions.
4. Agree how to assess the subject work and individual contributions.
5. Choose a backup if a call, device or internet connection fails.

A first plan might last two to four weeks, or use a smaller exchange within an existing unit. Adjust the scope to the time both teachers have. Confirm what both teachers can manage before promising students a live meeting or a larger project.

Choose how the classes will work together

Shared documents, teacher-mediated messages and optional calls can support any of these models. A larger network adds coordination, so start with two classes if that suits your first project. The virtual exchange guide explains the approach in more detail.

Start with a topic you already teach

• Language and literature: compare folktales, translations or coming-of-age themes, then write for the partner class.
• Mathematics: compare prices or school-lunch data using clear dates, units and currency rates.
• Science: compare local weather, growing seasons, biodiversity, pollution or waste observations.
• History and geography: compare accounts of an event or investigate a local urban issue.
• Art and music: share a tradition, exchange feedback and develop a joint gallery or composition.

A real audience gives students a reason to explain a calculation, a story or a finding clearly. Ask the partner class to question or respond to it. Notice what students change after the response and ask them to explain why.

Make time and language workable

Live calls are optional. Classes can share recorded messages, pictures or documents and reply later. Check the actual dates and local school times before arranging a call: daylight saving changes can alter the difference between two places.

Agree a language the classes can use, then support it with short sentences, pictures, captions or teacher-helped translations. Offer a written or visual contribution when speaking live would exclude a student. Ask students to check the meaning of a translation rather than treating it as automatically accurate.

Give students clear roles and a simple reply routine. For example, one class shares a question by Wednesday and the partner replies by Friday, if both teachers agree those days work. Choose a small set of school-approved tools and explain what good collaboration looks like.

Keep student interactions teacher-led and use the school's sharing rules. Teachers can coordinate through project messages and decide what students share. Student contact details should not be exchanged between schools.

Check learning and individual contribution

Assess the report, calculation or creative piece against your lesson goal. Alongside it, ask each student to explain what they contributed, how they used a partner's idea and how they handled a difficulty.

A brief process journal can record what a group did, the challenge it met and the next step. Invite partner feedback with one specific strength and one suggestion. A portfolio can include the work, a shared planning example and an individual reflection; private chats or identifiable recordings are not required.

Make individual responsibilities visible when participation is uneven. Each student can own one part of the work or give an individual explanation. Prepare a paper, phone-friendly or teacher-shared alternative if technology fails.

Build on the partnership when it works

After the project, ask students and your partner teacher what was useful and what could be simpler. Their ideas can shape a later exchange. Keep the plan, rubric and reusable task instructions; keep examples of student work only within the permissions that apply.

A shared project can connect with COIL, the SDGs or global citizenship when those frameworks fit the lesson. The COIL project guide offers examples, but the framework label does not replace a clear subject purpose.

Class2Class is free for teachers and students and supports finding a partner and planning a shared project. A published profile can help you start a conversation; agree expectations directly with the other teacher before you begin.