Global Learning in Action: St. Francis of Assisi CES and Dutch students in Landgraaf, Netherlands connect through Deep Learning

May 26, 2025

For the fifth time this school year, It was a 30 minute virtual call between two schools several time zones and an ocean apart.

Students at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Elementary School in Newcastle and Op gen hei in the Netherlands answered each other’s questions about their home countries.

Both schools are committed to integrating Deep Learning pedagogy into their classrooms, and together they’ve been exploring how to ask deeper, more thoughtful questions.

One of the classrooms that participated on May 22, 2025 was Madison Lee’s Grade 4 class.

“Honestly, asking deeper questions doing the research and not having to answer right away was interesting,” said Everett Casselman-Burant, Grade 4 student.

“It’s really fun to communicate with other people in another country,” Grade 4 student Charlotte Doyle said.

The Deep Learning Inquiry project is a model where students take charge of their learning by exploring issues they are passionate about, while teachers facilitate resources and opportunities for deeper exploration.

“It’s been very interesting. I’ve never partaken in Deep Learning activities myself, so to be able to take the back seat and watch it happen has taught me a lot as the teacher, and I’ve been able to transfer those skills into my own teaching,” Lee said. “Seeing the kids and their level of engagement has also encouraged me to further my Deep Learning experiences in my own teaching.”

St. Francis CES students asked what they should explore if they went over to the Netherlands and some of the answers they received included checking out the tulip fields and miniature park, riding bicycles across the flat countryside, eating pancakes and visiting the sea.

They also learned about the country’s largest music festival ‘Pink Pop’.

Op gen hei students asked about Canada’s military as well as Canadian treats including Nanaimo bars and Beavertails.

“Pink Pop is pretty interesting. Artists going to the Netherlands to do that is cool,” Charlotte said.

“Honestly, I was surprised they had flat ground there. It’s pretty cool to be able to go and bike and roller skate there. I need to get over there one day,” added Everett.

The partnership between Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board schools in Clarington and Op gen hei goes back several years.

“Our Vice-Principal Heather Michel and (former school Principal and now Information Technology Services Principal) Frank Bradica began this at St. Mother Teresa CES and when Heather came over to our school, she brought it over to this school,” Lee said. “To be able to collaborate with our own classes and classes so far away really adds perspective.”

Michel and Bradica as well as Trustees Mary Ann Martin and Board Chair Kevin MacKenzie also attended the virtual call.

The plan for the schools is to connect once more this school year.