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Fulbright Teachers For Global Classrooms
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I was honored to be selected for the 2018-2019 cohort. In the fall of 2018, I completed a 10 week professional development course on global education. In February, 2019, I attended a Global Symposium in Washington D.C. In March 2019, I headed to Morocco to continue on my global education journey with my International Field Experience!
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Click on "Study Global Education" tab to learn all about global education and find resources.
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Click on "Teach Global Education" to see implementation strategies.
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Click on "Globalized Chemistry" to see example lessons and implementation strategies specific to chemistry.
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Read on below to see more about my experience!
Week 1 - Training in Rabat
During our first week, we were stationed in the capital of Morocco, Rabat. During this week, we took part in Moroccan cultural and educational training, visited cultural sites and the parliament, and visited various American-Moroccan exchange programs. At the conclusion of this week, I was so extremely excited to get to my host city of Taroudant and do a little teaching! We also perfected our guiding question that we would be exploring throughout our experience.
Week 2 - Host City of Taroudant
I was so incredibly lucky to be placed in the host city of Taroudant. This required a flight from Casablanca to Agadir and a drive to Taroudant. The long journey was definitely worth it because I fell in love with the city and had an amazing experience. My host teacher was thoughtful, talented and an excellent host. While teaching at Sidi ou Sidi High School, I taught some amazing students and collaborated on global lessons. I was lucky enough to experience an authentic Morocco in Taroudant and it is an experience I will always hold dear to my heart.
Week 3 - Debrief in Rabat
As we all came back together for a debrief in Morocco, there was one common thing we all wished for - more time. We learned so incredibly much about education, the culture and the people. My guiding question was centered on science education and islam. My understanding of the religion and muslim culture grew immensely. I am excited to take all of my research and write about my guiding question. Reflecting on my experience, Morocco now holds a place close to my heart.
Guiding Question Reflection
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Guiding Question: How does religion, culture and language affect the school system and science education?
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During my time in Morocco, I learned a lot about Islam. I truly believe every American should take a course on the religion. There are so many false impressions and assumptions in the United States that are just simply not true. I was most amazed by the overlap I saw between Christianity and Islam. Seeing its presence in school was a bit trickier. I would hear the call to prayer, but I didn't see any students stop during class to pray. I saw girls in headscarves, but only about half. On the surface, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of influence of the religion in the education system. I was told during Ramadan, the schedule of the day slightly changes. And on Friday, their holy day, students get a longer break in the middle of the day for prayer and Friday couscous meal with their family.
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The culture had a direct impact on life in a Moroccan school. Students tended to be more respectful of their teachers than what I see in the United States. There is a strong sense of respect for elders and for the profession of teaching. Moroccans tend to be hospitable and want to please. Because of this, I saw little to no behavioral issues.
The biggest impact I saw in the Moroccan schools was languages. There are some Moroccans that know 5 languages by the time they are 16 years old, just because they have to. I reflected very heavily on the impact that this has on students in this blog post. So much can be learned from the Moroccan's natural ability to know so many languages. I wished I knew arabic the entire time I was there! So many more conversations and experiences could have been gained if I knew one of Morocco's languages. This is a valuable lesson on the importance of languages in Global Education. In order to work with and understand somebody, you need the basics - languages!
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My Experience in Photos
Click through the slideshow to see my experience in photos!
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