We all -- students and teachers alike -- long to belong. 

Douglas Beam from Global Online Academy joined us to share his insights on the importance of working to build a sense of belonging for students in our schools. He also discussed his doctoral work on gender and sexual minorities in international schools. 

Douglas has been a teacher and leader in schools in Europe, Asia, and North America and currently works at GOA as the Associate Director of Member School Engagement. He has taught or coordinated programs in elementary, middle, and high school and at the graduate level. As a school leader, he has had several roles, including head of the department, grade level coordinator, IB Middle Years Programme coordinator, and GOA site director. His leadership has focused on collaborative program building, curriculum development, school policy, and pastoral care. Douglas is passionate about making schools where all students feel a sense of belonging. He earned a Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) from the University of New England, where his dissertation focused on a sense of belonging in international schools for gender and sexual minority students. Douglas lives in Ohio with his husband and their twin boys.

Our Guiding Question was, “What does it mean to experience a sense of belonging in an international school environment, and how can we, as teachers, best support our students in developing theirs?” 

Here are some of the topics covered: 

• A definition of belonging
• Factors that nurture belonging
• Ways students in elementary, middle, and high school would describe their sense of belonging.
• How an identity as an international student differs from an identity as a student in a person’s home country.
• The positive and negative “forces” affecting international students as they develop their identities. 
• School leaders and teachers can implement programs and strategies to improve the environments inside as well as outside the classroom to support student well-being in terms of feeling supported and connected to others. 
• And we heard a few highlights from Douglas’ dissertation on gender and sexual minorities in our schools. 

The show was recorded on February 16, 2024. 

Douglas’ Contact Information: LinkedIn Douglas Beam

Categories: School Life | Transitions

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

Douglas’ Doctoral Thesis on Belonging in International Schools 

The Global Online Academy (GOA) 

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Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.