While learning experiences in a classroom can most certainly lead to building conceptual understandings, true understanding often comes from stepping into the world to see, feel, and experience the places where concepts live. We are extremely fortunate to be located in Brussels, a city that offers an extraordinary range of opportunities to do just that.
From its museums and monuments to its international organisations and cultural landmarks, Brussels is more than just our home. The city has become an integral part of our extended classroom. Our students have walked through the Comic Art Museum, stood in awe before the surreal works at the Magritte Museum, and explored global heritage at the Africa Museum, among others. Each of these places has provided an experience that enriches their learning journey with context, meaning, and connection.
When updating our curriculum, especially in language, humanities, and the arts, we were led by the following question: What if the learning we want to design in some key units were linked to a place, story, or aspect of Belgium that deepens understanding? Last academic year, we took the first steps as a group of our teachers participated in ECIS’s Nature's Classroom conference. Their participation equipped us with insights that empowered us to put an action plan in place and outline targets for our community.
This academic year, we have started to bring this vision to life. Students have engaged in visits to NATO, the European Parliament, and various embassies, learning not only about global systems but also about their roles as thoughtful citizens of a connected world. Likewise, they have explored natural and man-made landscapes of the city and the country, which further nuances the experience.
These experiences represent more than field trips. These intentional choices mark our first steps toward building a culture of local relevance. We aspire to continue crafting a curriculum that draws inspiration from the very city we inhabit. We aspire to design tangible, and dynamic learning that creates memories and impact.
The impact is already visible: students return from each experience with a sense of understanding of the purpose of the concepts they are inquiring into, as well as with concrete examples to explain the understandings they are building. They begin to see the links between classroom concepts and the vibrant world beyond our gates.
We are immensely proud of the teachers who make this vision a reality. We celebrate our colleagues who reimagine lessons, design meaningful outings, and turn Brussels into a landscape for discovery. Their creativity and commitment ensure that learning at North Campus is not just about acquiring knowledge, but about living it.
As we continue to grow this approach, our goal is clear: to nurture learners who understand that education extends beyond the physical confines of a school and to see how it lives in every conversation, every museum hall, every walk through our city’s streets. We hope that as our approaches to teaching shape the personal and professional lives of both our students and our teachers.
October 13, 2025
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