In an increasingly interconnected world, exchanging ideas across borders is more than just enriching — it is essential. This truth lies at the heart of an exciting new partnership between UnboundEd and educators from the United Kingdom, a collaboration made possible by a generous donation from the Transatlantic Learning Fund. Through this professional “exchange” program, math educators and leaders from the US and UK have come together to observe, learn, and reflect on how best to support students and teachers in their mathematics journeys.
This partnership is not just about sharing teaching strategies or curriculum design; it is about building empathy, expanding perspectives, and ultimately, shaping a more grade-level, engaging, affirming, and meaningful — GLEAM® — math education for every single student.
Global Conversations, National Impact: The Start of Our Journey
The seeds of this partnership were planted with a shared recognition of the universal challenges that math educators face. Across continents, educators grapple with how to engage learners, make complex content accessible, and ensure coherence across years of instruction. Yet, despite these common goals, education systems often operate in isolation, missing valuable opportunities to learn from one another’s successes and struggles.
UnboundEd’s commitment to empowering educators to meet the needs of every single student through GLEAM math instruction aligns closely with the UK’s evolving approach to math education, where teachers have sustained contact with students across multiple years and focus on integrated curricula.
The goal? To create a transatlantic dialogue that enriches math teaching practice and professional learning by grounding it in real classroom experiences and collaborative reflection.
Supported by the Transatlantic Learning Fund, UnboundEd launched a professional exchange to break down these barriers — to send our team to the UK and to welcome UK educators to our Denver Standards Institute. The goal? To create a transatlantic dialogue that enriches math teaching practice and professional learning by grounding it in real classroom experiences and collaborative reflection.
This partnership proves that everyone benefits when educators open themselves to understanding teaching through a different cultural and systemic lens. It is a powerful example of how international collaboration can deepen the impact of professional learning and, ultimately, improve student outcomes.
A Tale of Two Journeys: The Exchange in Action
The partnership took shape through two complementary experiences.
First, UnboundEd staff traveled to the UK, where math — “maths,” as it’s called there — is taught using a curriculum that emphasizes coherence across years, productive struggle, and student ownership of learning. Our team observed how teachers foster independent discovery of math concepts and build connections across topics through an integrated curriculum.
One UnboundEd team member reflected on how the UK math teachers generally instruct students aged 11 to 18, developing a strong sense of how different topics interrelate and build upon prior knowledge. This longitudinal contact allows teachers to see curriculum coherence in action, fostering deep understanding for students and educators alike.
Just a few months after the UnboundEd team’s visit, UK educators traveled to Denver to attend UnboundEd’s Standards Institute. This professional learning event immerses participants in approaches that center on GLEAM Instruction.
UK educators brought fresh eyes to Standards Institute and engaged deeply with sessions on rigorous instruction, productive struggle, and supporting students’ identities as learners. They saw firsthand how US teachers and leaders are supported in making standards-aligned lessons accessible, fostering student agency and independence.
This two-way exchange allowed educators from each country to see their work in a new light — not just through theoretical frameworks, but in practical, lived experiences of teaching and learning.
Lessons Learned and Insights Gained
The key takeaways from this partnership resonate beyond national borders.
1. The Power of Curriculum Coherence and Contact Time
UK educators emphasized how having sustained contact with pupils across multiple years allows teachers to develop a nuanced understanding of curriculum progression and student growth. This longitudinal view supports intentional scaffolding and deeper connections across math topics.
The US educators appreciated this perspective, seeing opportunities to strengthen curricular integration and continuity in their own schools.
2. Student Ownership of Learning is Key
Educators from both contexts highlighted the importance of empowering students to take charge of their math learning journey. UK teachers often emphasize independent learning, encouraging students to discover mathematics and make metacognitive decisions — skills that serve them well beyond the classroom.
UnboundEd’s approach similarly centers student agency, recognizing that learning is most effective when students are active participants, not passive recipients.
3. Engaging Professional Learning Requires Active Participation
A striking takeaway was the shared challenge of making professional development intellectually engaging. Too often, PD sessions rely heavily on lecture and passive listening, which limits impact.
The partnership reinforced the value of treating teachers like learners in the classroom — providing hands-on activities, collaborative tasks, and reflective exercises that promote deep engagement with the material. One of the UK participants noted the value of their UnboundEd facilitators enabling active discovery instead of lecturing, echoing best practices for both classroom teaching and professional learning.
4. Seeing is Believing: The Value of Experiencing Teaching on the Ground
UK educators expressed a strong desire to visit US classrooms directly to see how standards and frameworks are enacted in real contexts. Observing teaching and learning firsthand provides insights that theory alone cannot capture.
This highlights the importance of exchanges not just as information-sharing but as immersive experiences that foster empathy and practical understanding.
The Road Ahead: Next Steps and Hopes for the Partnership
As this initial exchange concludes, the momentum and enthusiasm it generated set the stage for a deeper, ongoing collaboration.
Building More Reciprocal Visits
Both UnboundEd and UK educators expressed interest in continuing reciprocal visits. By regularly exchanging visits, educators can deepen their understanding of each other’s systems, instructional approaches, and professional learning structures.
Collaborating on Resources and Research
The partnership also opens doors to co-creating resources that leverage the strengths of both systems—such as integrated curricular maps, assessment tools, and professional learning activities that emphasize student agency and coherence.
Joint research projects could explore the impact of different teaching approaches and professional learning models, generating evidence to inform both countries’ education policies and practices.
Scaling the Impact
By sharing insights widely through conferences, publications, and professional networks, this partnership aims to inspire educators beyond just the participants. The goal is to build a global community of practice centered on meaningful math education that meets students where they are and empowers them to realize their potential.
Sustaining the Vision
Fundamentally, this partnership is about sustaining a shared vision: that educators learning together across borders can unlock new possibilities for their students. With continued support, UnboundEd and its UK partners hope to model how collaboration and curiosity can drive innovation in education.
Connecting Across Continents: The Power of Our Shared Purpose
In a world where education often feels divided by systems, standards, and geography, this partnership is a hopeful reminder of what is possible when we connect as learners, teachers, and leaders united by a common purpose.
For educators, it offers concrete inspiration to reflect on their own practice, embrace fresh perspectives, and seek collaborative learning beyond their usual circles.
For education leaders and funders, it demonstrates how strategic investments in professional exchange can lead to powerful, informative experiences.
For families and students, it is a promise that their educators are part of a global conversation dedicated to making math meaningful, engaging, and accessible for every learner.
The transatlantic exchange between UnboundEd and UK educators is more than a project; it is a living example of how bridging cultures and classrooms creates space for transformation. Together, educators on both sides of the Atlantic are discovering new ways to support students, not just in mastering math, but in becoming confident, independent thinkers ready to navigate a complex world.
Next steps with GLEAM®
