The Importance of Established ‘Agreements’ in Virtual Exchanges and Beyond
I recently attended a professional development workshop that began with the instructor inviting us into some agreements by which we would then, once ratified, hold one another to accountability. At first this smacked too much of the zeitgeisty jargon of today’s ‘lean in,’ ‘hold space,’ and all those other well-meaning, but sometimes overused buzzwords that characterize the meta-communicative language by which we oversee and direct our own conversation.
However, over the week, the value of this practice became clear to me, especially as I began to reflect on how useful such a system could be utilized in the context of running a virtual exchange through Level Up Village’s excellent courses.
What are ‘Agreements?’
First and foremost, let’s unpack what one means by ‘inviting people into agreements:’ it’s not as complicated as it sounds! You know when you’re running the Day One “Let’s collectively come up with our Community Rules” exercise, and you ask your students to come up with basic guidelines of respect, write them on a large poster board, and then refer to them as if they had ideated the code of conduct themselves? Well, it’s a bit like that, but more modernized.
As I understand it, the word agreement functions better than ‘rule’ or ‘guideline’ because it removes any authoritative proprietorship, any ethical superiority, and it leaves the idea open to be updated or improved upon. So, when you open your class with such an exercise, you’re soliciting a discussion regarding what baseline accords will meet every participant’s shared sense of ‘what makes a classroom.’ If the elements of ‘classroom’ include (for most of its participants) ‘raised hands,’ ‘respect,’ and ‘openness,’ then we’re already off to a good start; though of late, people have added ‘assume good intent,’ and using preferred names or pronouns to such lists, and those kinds of adjustments have really opened up these spaces for more frequent and deeper conversations.
Why ‘Agreements’ in a Virtual Exchange
As you begin a new year of virtual exchanges with Level Up Village, you probably go through the same list of questions that I have each time: Will the students participate? Will their growing skills of global citizenship embarrass them, us, or our school community? Will they find meaning in the activity? Will they share openly when it comes time for them to reciprocate in the cultural back-and-forth?
If you have expectations of how your students are going to participate, then ‘inviting them to agreements’ might be one of the most helpful ways to share these expectations and set your classroom up for success. When you introduce the process of the LUV class to your students, consider the following statements and how they might positively affect the experience:
- I invite you all to the agreement that the more we can share about our culture, the better our international partners will understand how we live and what we value.
- I invite you all to the agreement that if personal sharing is not the best way someone can be open about their community, that person can strive to be open in other ways in order to serve as an ambassador to our school and our ways.
- I invite you all to the agreement that we will respect one another by completing our parts of the exchange punctually and dutifully, or we will communicate the need for more time.
These are just the first few I imagine would lubricate a lot of the potential friction that might come from the course and its work, but of course every class is different, and you might have certain practices you’ve adapted based on what has or has not worked in the past for your specific group of students.
How to Conduct the Invitation
Practically speaking, you the educator have the experience and the vision to write these agreements yourself and serve them up on a pretty laminated poster made with your free Educator’s Account on Canva; however, I think you’ll notice that while ‘agreement’ is a great word, it’s ‘invite’ that’s doing the real work in the expression. I like the verb ‘invite’ because it’s welcoming enough, but it certainly leaves some room open for discussion. When you introduce to your students the nature of a virtual exchange, having everyone be on the same page can seem like a great idea right off the bat, so ‘inviting’ your students into certain ‘ agreements’ now ensures that you’re collectively operating and presenting your community as a united front.
The other aspect I like about the verb ‘inviting’ is that it relies on your students to opt in. As a skillful educator, you no doubt can sell the Level Up Village international exchange up front with a ton of hype. Most students, after hearing the intro pitch, are not going to be thinking, “this is going to be so much work…” But that sentiment will eventually creep in once they’ve been editing their video for the third hour and six other subjects require their attention on a Thursday night. So, selling them on the project itself won’t be hard, but knowing where they might want to cut corners is where the personal buy-in might help.
What Agreements Are Not
Agreements aren’t rigid contracts, nor are they a soft way of avoiding real standards. They don’t mean we’re watering down expectations, and they’re not a free pass to avoid responsibility. In fact, when done well, agreements hold more weight because they are co-authored. They reflect the values and the actual people in the room (or on the screen), rather than a static list handed down from the front of the classroom.
Additionally, what makes agreements stronger than, say, rules, is their ability to be updated and fluidly tweaked as the need changes. Think about an agreement as a Constitution rather than Hammurabi’s Code. Amendments can happen, especially if you’re working around one of our often discussed Common Challenges–like time zones, varied school schedules, or an international partner with cultural norms around time and communication that might differ from yours. As you learn what works, you need not change the rules–you just need to come to a new (or slightly updated) agreement.
Agreement Renewal Mid-Course
Introducing a follow-up opportunity to revisit the agreements partway through the exchange—especially if engagement dips or a conflict arises–is a great strategy, and will help relieve some of the pressure of ‘getting it right’ the first time.
Halfway through the exchange, when the first few weeks of videos have been submitted and the novelty has worn off, revisit the agreements. Ask your students: Are we still holding to them? Do we need to amend anything? Does something new need to be added?” This is also a great window into your pupils’ sense of empathy: perhaps their having gotten to know some of their peers from abroad has allowed them to be more understanding of videos that arrive late, or videos that seem less personal, or more narrative, or in some way different than theirs. This gives the agreements a living quality and reinforces their adaptability.
Getting Creative with Agreements
You’ve got some great ones listed already—and your students will ultimately author some real gems that you might add to your stock over the years, but consider adding a few that are fun or culturally conscious to inspire others?
- I invite you all to the agreement that we will celebrate each other’s weird snacks.
- I invite you all to the agreement that spelling mistakes in another language are not failures, they’re badges of courage.
- I invite you all to the agreement that we will approach cultural differences with curiosity, not judgment.
These can add a touch of humor, empathy, and warmth that resonates well in cross-cultural exchanges. They could also be a positive way to reinforce cultural empathy and protect your students from making an embarrassing faux-pas.
Getting the Invitations Out
Agreements, in the end, are about mutual respect and collective purpose. In many ways, they model the kind of thoughtful global citizenship we’re trying to cultivate through these exchanges: listening before speaking, showing up when it counts, and staying open to learning—not just from a textbook, but from each other.
And plus, they’re so much better than boring old…rules.
