Third edition of Boundless Good Education focuses on sharing successes and looking ahead
The Brainport region is becoming increasingly international. This was confirmed once again by the figures shared by research agency Decisio during the third edition of the Grenzeloos Goed Onderwijs (Borderless Good Education) conference. The number of international children between the ages of 0 and 18 is expected to continue to grow in the coming years. More than 500 education professionals, policymakers and business people gathered on Wednesday 12 November to discuss how best to accommodate and support these children.
The first floor of the Van der Valk Hotel Eindhoven – Best was taken over by education-loving Brainport on 12 November. After a joint kick-off by chairwoman Meike de Jong, in which the challenges and opportunities of internationalisation in education were discussed, the attendees split up into groups for various workshops. The topics covered were diverse: from “trauma-sensitive teaching” to “cultural awareness and inclusion in education and childcare” and from “the transition of multilingual pupils from primary to secondary education” to “the role of (international) parents in special education”.
Interesting discussions
One of the workshops was led by Mayke van den Hurk, a student of Religious Studies at Radboud University in Nijmegen. She discussed the question with the attendees: as an education professional, how do you deal with a religiously diverse class? She first gave a brief explanation, based on the religion guide she wrote for Brainport on this subject. This religion guide consists of “cheat sheets” for teachers with concrete information about different religions, which proved very popular among those attending the conference.
Mayke helped participants understand that their own position on religion is never neutral. ‘That's not a bad thing, but you need to be aware of it, because it influences how you deal with this subject,’ she explained. She then held an ‘Over the line’ activity. It was up to the participants to take a stand: is carnival still a religious festival? Should there also be a mosque in Madurodam? Do you avoid discussions about religion in class for fear of conflict? “This led to some great discussions, in which the participants really thought about their own opinions and those of others. The reactions were very positive,” Mayke said afterwards.
Language courses
Colleagues Inge van de Molengraft and Tosca van Rijswijk manned a stand during the conference. Both ladies work at Taalkracht, part of Summa. “Today, we are here as ambassadors for the Ouders en Taal (Parents and Language) project. We offer language courses at school for parents who speak other languages. In addition to learning the language, participants learn more about the Dutch education system, but we also talk about things like the Sinterklaas festival. This encourages parental participation. And the great thing is: it costs parents and the school nothing at all,” says Inge enthusiastically. “That's why it's great to walk around here and talk to colleagues who are also active in education in this increasingly international region,” added Tosca.
Brainport coordinator Marieta Raaijmakers and NT2 specialist Corine Fenu, both from the Puur Sang childcare centre in Mierlo, attended as visitors. They consider the conference an ideal place to find inspiration. ‘It’s useful to ask yourself every now and then: are we still on the right track? That’s why it’s nice to talk to people here who do the same work,’ said Marieta. “And why should we reinvent the wheel on our own?” wondered Corine. “You always get new information here. What's more, I enjoy expanding my network.”
Mini TED talks
Bjorn Houben, headmaster of 't Slingertouw primary school in Veldhoven, was also among those present. He was enthusiastic after the conference. 'Boundless Good Education is very important to me for several reasons. First of all, to learn about and be inspired by the theme of internationalisation, but also to exchange knowledge and network with fellow educators. Today, we succeeded in all of that. I attended two workshops. One with mini TED talks, where I was particularly struck by Gisi Cannizzaro's story. She emphasised the importance of making room for the home language of multilingual children, in addition to English. Of course, this was already known, but it was useful to reflect once again on the value of mother tongue education. Danny Bloks' workshop on artificial intelligence was also an eye-opener. He emphasised that we should not keep AI out of education, but rather embrace it. ’
Marjolein Marneffe organised the third edition of the education conference on behalf of Brainport Development. Looking back on “the day after”, she feels positive. “It was a very successful edition, with over 500 visitors. Not only teachers and administrators, but also educational staff and people from other institutions and companies involved in the internationalisation of education. I notice that we all feel the urgency of this topic.” Nuffic, the Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education, gave us a nice compliment. “They noted that we work very well together on this topic here. Across all levels, within and outside education. That is certainly not the case throughout the Netherlands.”
Working together
In the coming years, the Brainport region will face a major challenge in managing the growing internationalisation of education. However, significant progress has already been made, Marjolein emphasises. 'Eight years ago, many schools in the Brainport region were not yet addressing the issue of internationalisation. Thanks in part to the Regio Deal funds, many schools have been able to make enormous strides in the area of internationalisation. Standing still is no longer an option in our region. That's why it was great to see such a positive mood today. The visitors really radiated enthusiasm: we're going to roll up our sleeves and get to work together. Of course, there is still room for improvement, but we are well on our way.'
Want to be there next year? Then mark 18 November 2026 in your diary!
Want to know more? Further down the page, you can read about the sessions and view photos from the day.
The conference was aptly summarised by Eindhoven city writer Corinne Heyrman. Read the full poem via the link below.
Read the full poem here!Watch the sessions here
Overview of session round 1
By clicking on the session you are interested in, you will be taken to a document with more information about that session.
Session 1a
Nothing happens without parents, even in special education. They are a wealth of information!
Session 1b
What does a multilingual child need? Experience it for yourself and acquire tools to experience it together with your team!
Session 1d
Borders are blurring with AI
Session 1e
International colleagues in childcare; an initiative with impact!
Session 1f
The power of warm transfer: the transition of multilingual pupils from primary to secondary education
View the sessions here
Overview of session round 2
By clicking on the session you are interested in, you will be taken to a document with more information about that session.
Session 2a
Learning a new language does not happen automatically.
Session 2c
Continuing to build on the internationalisation of education in Brainport
Session 2e
Cultural awareness and inclusion in education and childcare organisations
Session 2f
A classroom full of religion: practical tools for religious diversity in the classroom
Session 2g
Building successful education for multilingual pupils
Session 2h
Learning together in diversity - ‘Would you kindly understand me?’
Session 2i
Let all languages shine, recognise mother tongue education in your region
Impression of the day:
These photographs were taken by Nick Bookelaar.
You can view all photos via the link below. If you would like to download any, please use the code 9159.
View the photos here!
