Robert Walker, social studies teacher at Academy of the Canyons, plans to travel to Morocco on March 8 as part of the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program.

This weekend, Academy of the Canyons teacher Robert Walker will travel to Rabat, Morocco as part of the U.S. Department of State’s Teachers for the Global Classroom Initiative.

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Walker was selected as one of 72 teachers nationwide to be part of the competitive program, which involves a symposium in Washington, D.C. and an online course, in addition to international travel.

There were more than 400 applicants, and the application process was extensive, Walker said, requiring letters of recommendation and several essays.

He was interested in Global Classroom Initiative, because educating students in reading, writing and arithmetic is no longer enough, Walker said.

“The reason I went for the program in the first place is the focus is on global education,” he said.

Funded by the State Department and administered by the International Research and Exchanges Board, the Global Classroom Initiative will send teachers to several countries this year.

The Morocco trip, for which Walker was selected, is the first in 2014.

Trips to Ghana, Russia, India, Colombia and the Philippines are also scheduled for the spring and summer.

Because Walker will be overseas while school is in session, he hopes to make the trip a learning experience for his students as well.

“I’m putting together this website. It’s going to have a blog. I’m encouraging kids to go up and comment on it,” he said. “I want this to be an important adventure for my students as well.”

Barring technical difficulties, Walker plans to hold a video conference with parents during AOC’s open house later this month.

When he returns, Walker would also like to start building projects that allow his students to collaborate with other students around the world, he said.

The trip is scheduled for March 8-22.

Walker currently teaches social studies at AOC and was named the school’s Teacher of the Year in 2006-2007.

About the Teachers for the Global Classrooms Program

The Teachers for Global Classrooms Program provides a year-long professional development opportunity for middle and high school teachers from the United States to participate in a program aimed at globalizing teaching and learning in their classrooms.

The program has several goals.

• TGC fellows should become skilled authors and analysts of pedagogical materials that infuse a global perspective into the core curriculum.
• They should be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to effectively catalyze global engagement in their school communities.
• They should develop skills as practitioners and ambassadors of globalized pedagogy resulting in enhanced student learning outcomes within the U.S. education system.

For more information, click here.

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