Aziz Zahraoui always looks for ways to make math relatable to his students. Many often ask: “Where am I going to use this?”
His “quest” since he started teaching 20 years ago has been to answer this. He’s brought drones into his classroom to explain how math ties in with flight. He’s taken kids on indoor skydiving field trips to experience free fall.
When school starts again this year, he’ll have a new real-life experience to share — from a 10-day circumnavigation expedition around Iceland.
Zahraoui, who teaches at Portsmouth’s Churchland High School, is one of 35 Grosvenor Teacher Fellows this year. The fellowship is open to K-12 teachers in the U.S. and Canada. Among this year’s other destinations are the Galapagos, Antarctica and Alaska.
Zahraoui will set out for his expedition at the end of July. He expects to participate in data collection, observe volcanic landscapes, go on glacier walks and measure glacial retreat. He also will learn from expert navigators aboard the National Geographic Explorer vessel. The opportunities will be lesson fodder for his calculus, algebra and geometry classes.
The fellowship is sponsored by the National Geographic Society and Lindblad Expeditions and is “aligned with both companies’ commitment to shaping the next generation of planetary stewards,” according to a news release.
The fellows teach various topics, including math, science and world religion. Zahraoui said the interdisciplinary nature of the fellowship also drew him in. His shipmate will be a social studies teacher and he expects to have conversations about the social ramifications of the expedition and how it ties into mathematics. Another possibility is how the region’s economics are changing because of the melting ice caps.
The fellowship is named for Gilbert M. Grosvenor, chairman emeritus of the National Geographic Society, in recognition of his work supporting teachers and promoting geography education. Fellows commit to two years of supporting National Geographic’s education initiatives after their expedition, including conducting webinars, creating resources and mentoring other educators.
Submissions for the 2025 Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship will open in the fall.
Nour Habib, nour.habib@virginiamedia.com
