Global education is so much more than just studying far-off places on a map or traveling across borders; it is about building deep empathy, curiosity, and authentic connections across cultures. When we engage with the world around us, we learn to listen deeply to diverse perspectives and recognize how interconnected our lives, stories, and classrooms truly are. To me global education  is about bringing rich, lived experiences back to our students, helping them see themselves as part of a broader global community and empowering them to navigate the world with open minds.

This global education guide is serving as a launch pad to share takeaways and resources from

the Fulbright Program as well as a place for reflection around the last year as a participant in the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classroom Program. When I began this experience, I initially believed that global education had to be a large-scale international endeavor. My direction shifted throughout the course, particularly while brainstorming and creating my global toolkit. I realized that global education is manageable and easily integrated into my existing practices and I hope the resources I have shared within the toolkit and website help other educators feel the same way. My core goals around global education, as outlined by Asia Society; having students investigate the world, recognize perspectives, communicate ideas, and take action, can and should begin right here in my own community. I am excited to see how the students I work with will use local learning experiences to impact the world around them and I hope other educators have similar experiences in their school communities as a result of exploring this guide!

During my time in Morocco, I was hoping to explore, answer, and understand the following questions:

1. What does English language instruction look like in Morocco?

2. How does this mirror instructional practices in the US and how does it differ? 

3. What can I learn from the approach to English instruction in Morocco and what can I share about English instruction in the US?

While 2.5 weeks does not feel like enough time to fully answer these questions, the depth and breadth of the programming provided by Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms, along with my experiences within my host community, gave me a much better picture of language instruction in Morocco and how it compares to language instruction in the US.

The linguistic landscape of Morocco was one of the most surprising aspects of my overall experience. I knew that Arabic was one of the official languages of Morocco, and several people in my community had asked if I knew any French prior to my departure, so I was somewhat aware of the linguistic diversity but it was incredible to see firsthand that many people in Morocco routinely use three or four languages!

English language teaching (ELT) in Morocco operates within a rich, complex multilingual environment. Most students already navigate Arabic, Darija, and/or Tamazight at home, alongside French as the primary language of administration, business, and higher education. English can be the 4 or 5th language for some students. It seemed in many of the schools we visited that there was English instruction occuring and that increasing English instruction was an educational focus nation wide. This website includes an interview with someone who taught at an international school in Morocco and she outlines the educational system from her perspective- it provides some context about the different types of schools in Morocco and lingustic instruction. 

What can I learn from the approach to English instruction in Morocco and what can I share about English instruction in the US?

I had several opportunities to observe English instruction across various settings, and in every instance, teachers viewed their students as highly capable and deeply motivated learners. This experience reinforced a key takeaway for me: when you set a high bar for students, they will rise to meet it! It was incredible to watch students complete a lesson in a single one-hour block that might take two or three days to work through in a typical US classroom. The majority of my observations took place in private school settings, where teachers and students had reliable access to technology and materials. Most of the instruction was delivered whole-group to classes of 20 to 30 students, with minimal student-to-student interaction. Based on my experiences teaching English in the US, I shared with the educators how impactful peer collaboration and partner talk have been in my own classroom. Seeing the students' high level of engagement made me realize how powerfully interactive group work could build on their existing momentum. It was a rewarding professional exchange that truly highlighted the strengths and insights within both of our educational systems.