Back to the Classroom

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Traveling throughout Morocco provided me with opportunities to learn more about the culture, landscape, food, and people, but maybe more importantly, it provided me with ideas of ways I can bring global education to my students. Some of the main ideas I would like to bring back to my classroom include the connection between architecture and sustainability, the importance of local stakeholders in conservation initiatives, and the relationship between indigenous knowledge and culture and environmental education. 

One of my favorite things about my visit to Morocco was the unique architectural “language” and the context of the environment and nature in the buildings, streets, and medinas. Much of the architecture mimics the environment with the shapes and colors of the surrounding landscape. Buildings also respond to the climate and many structures contain wind towers or precisely placed windows and openings to allow for natural cooling and climate control. As a biology and environmental science teacher, I try to emphasize the importance of sustainability in all aspects of life. This is even more important now with the increasing threats caused by global climate change. I would like to incorporate the idea of sustainable and climate inspired architecture in my classroom by creating a project where students will design structures for different climates and environments similar to Moroccan architecture. 

Another takeaway from my trip to Morocco that I would like to incorporate into my teaching practice is the importance of including local communities and stakeholders in the development and management of conservation initiatives. Many times, new conservation management decisions are made with little if any involvement from the people it will affect the most - the local communities. Unfortunately, if sustainable development goals and conservation strategies do not include local stakeholders in the decisions and even profit sharing, those goals and strategies are likely to fail. While in Qualidia and Safi I was able to see firsthand how local-fisherman rely on their daily harvest and tourism to survive and provide for their families. This area is also home to one of the largest sardine fisheries in the world, and the local fisherman must be part of any conservation and sustainability efforts in order for them to be successful. I will bring my experience back to my students so they can understand the real-world implications of implementing conservation management practices without including the local communities. In addition, I plan to create a lesson where students investigate the importance of including local small farmers in sustainable commercial agriculture initiatives because agriculture is a large part of the Arkansas economy. 

I also plan to focus more on the importance of culture and including indigenous knowledge when developing conservation initiatives. Culture and indigenous knowledge of the Amazigh people is intrinsically tied to most things in Morocco including education. Unfortunately, there are few mentions of Native American knowledge or ideas when it comes to environmental science and conservation education in my community. I hope to change this. I plan to create a curriculum that ties in stories and knowledge from Native American cultures that relate to all aspects of sustainability and conservation in my biology and environmental science classes. I want my students to understand that many Native American cultures are deeply rooted in environmental sustainability and living in harmony with nature, and many aspects of Native American culture can be incorporated into sustainability initiatives.