Member Spotlight: How a Small Polish Classroom Built a Global Badge Exchange

In 2024, a third-grade teacher in Poznan started a simple badge exchange with a sister school in Lisbon. Two years later, that local idea blossomed into an international badge-exchange network connecting classrooms in five countries, sharing badges, cultural artifacts, and peer feedback.

Origin Story

Anna Kowalska began by designing a “Culture Explorer” badge in her classroom and inviting a partner class to co-design. Students exchanged digital postcards and reflections to earn the badge. The initiative fostered curiosity, language exposure, and cross-cultural empathy.

Scaling to a Network

Word spread through teacher forums and social media. Within months, teachers in Norway, Brazil, and South Africa joined. The exchange developed a shared badge taxonomy and simple evidence requirements: a student reflection plus an artifact (audio, image, or short video) to verify intercultural exchange.

Learning Outcomes

Teachers reported improved language skills, deeper curiosity about global issues, and stronger digital literacy. Students described the experience as “like pen pals, but cooler.” Assessments showed increased oral communication confidence in language classes by a measurable margin in participating cohorts.

Technology and Accessibility

The network used a lightweight platform that allowed students to upload small artifacts. To address connectivity gaps, teachers offered offline tasks and scheduled asynchronous exchanges — a compromise that kept participation broad and inclusive.

Sustainability and Community

To sustain momentum, the project organized thematic months (e.g., local legends, food traditions) and an annual virtual showcase where classes presented collaborative projects. Small grants helped cover translation tools and moderator time.

Advice for Teachers

• Start with a clear, simple badge and pair it with a meaningful artifact requirement.
• Build flexible exchange timelines to accommodate different time zones and schedules.
• Prioritize low-bandwidth evidence options so more classrooms can participate.
• Use student reflections to deepen learning and to provide verification for badges.

“Kids didn’t just collect badges — they collected stories.” — Anna Kowalska

Impact Beyond Badges

The exchange sparked community projects, language clubs, and student-led mini-documentaries. For many students, the experience broadened horizons and created a sense of global belonging.

Next Steps

The network is planning an open-source toolkit so other classrooms can replicate the model. The goal is to make intercultural badge exchanges accessible and adaptable to local needs.

This spotlight celebrates how small classroom experiments can scale through collaboration, thoughtful design, and student-centered goals. It’s a reminder that recognition systems are most powerful when they connect learners across difference.

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