Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad
The project takes 10-12 teachers to Morocco each year for intensive travel-study experience.
The program is designed to build on participants' existing knowledge and experience to enhance their understanding of Morocco, North Africa, and the continent as a whole, with the aim of expanding their ability to teach fluently about Africa and become leaders in their schools and communities. The project consists of language immersion, academic training, direct personal experience, curriculum-development workshops, mentoring, and on-going support. Language instruction and seminars are supplemented by site visits and daily interaction with the local population, creating a multideminsional, dynamic learning environment. With first-hand knowledge and experience, teachers will be more inclined and equipped to not only cover what little Africa content might be available in existing textbooks, but also go beyond and develop original units.
The project is organized to provide teachers with the tangible knowledge and personal experience which is necessary to introduce innovating, quality instruction on Africa into their schools' curricula. Morocco's location, linking Europe and Africa at the intersection of the Mediterranean and Atlantic worlds, offers a rare opportunity to experience the fusion of cultures and religions as well as witness the impact of this blending socially, politically, and economically. The project's itinerary includes visits to active commercial capitals, spiritual and religious centers, and centers of power that offer a wide sampling of contemporary cultures, remote village life, and urban life in Africa. Teachers have the opportunity to experience popular culture and socially interact and network with local counterparts. Teachers are paired with a local partner with whom they discuss various topics including family life and social obligations to gain a sense of everyday life. This first-hand experience enables teachers to present contemporary Africa in the classroom and disprove stereotypes.
UCLA African Studies Center's Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad is funded by the Department of Education.
Curriculum Units, Blogs & Photos
Below are the curriculum units developed each by the team of teachers, the blogposts for their travels, and some wonderful photographs from each trip.
Published: Tuesday, May 15, 2012