UF education students seize learning opportunities in Teach the World program

Sixteen UF education majors recently returned from Europe, where they took part in this year’s Teach the World study abroad program by spending two weeks at the prestigious Marymount International School in Paris, France.

Teach the World is a joint venture between the UF College of Education and the university’s College of the Arts. More than 100 students have spent time in Europe since the program’s inception five years ago by UF music education Professor Russell Robinson and his wife, Brenda.

Russell Robinson, who has been a consultant and speaker for numerous international school conferences around the world, said the focus of the program – which alternates each year between Marymount and the Ambrit International School of Rome in Italy – is to provide student interns with cultural and educational experiences in English-speaking international school environments.

“Their experiences can be life-changing,” Robinson said. “Ambrit and Marymount are high-achieving schools for students in pre-K through eighth grade, and they both have about 500 students that represent over 30 countries.

“It’s been a privilege to see how quickly UF students grasp the many teaching opportunities that come with that kind of diversity,” he said. “The reviews of our interns by the teachers at the host schools have been extremely positive, and that’s helped to make Teach the World a highly selective study abroad program.”

Contacts
Liaison: Larry Lansford, director, College of Education Office of News and Communications; llansford@coe.ufl.edu; phone 352-273-4137.
Writer: Stephen Kindland, College of Education Office of News and Communications; skindland@coe.ufl.edu; phone 352-273-3449.