SABBATICAL: MOROCCO
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In April 2014 I traveled to Morocco to teach English as part of my three month sabbatical. I was filled with hope and ambition, eager to immerse myself in this unique opportunity. Equally, I was hopeful to impart to students and teachers in the schools abroad the many skills and approaches of the modern American educational system.
In the ever-evolving global community of the twenty-first century the value of this human contact has become more important than ever. Spending time abroad naturally enhances linguistic skills, but also offers other valuable benefits, whether these are learning how to manage people, understanding how to operate in a different cultural context, or acquiring new communication and presentation skills. I quickly realized just how unprepared I was for this experience, despite my many weeks of research and my educational leadership training and background, in the end I felt as though I fell short. It is for this reason I wanted to create a teaching and resource guide that would provide a realistic view of some of the challenges of teaching abroad and share some important lessons I learned along the way.
My goal is to give both the novice and seasoned professional a general overview of the processes of teaching, highlight some key points (in the form of key takeaways) accompanied by specific resources to get you started. Though far from complete, it is a practical and easy to use guide designed to support, inform and help developing one’s own individual teaching methods. Hopefully, it will also contribute to a fulfilling and enjoyable teaching experience – regardless of background or personal goals.
*(This guide was produced in conjunction with my students and educational colleagues while in Morocco and can be applied to both British Schools Foundation / National Curriculum for England and or U.S Educational Standards / National Standards and is intended for use at the primary and lower secondary levels)
View my ESL guide by clicking on the PDF
| k.widra_morroco_teaching_guide.pdf |