Katie Hall ’12 did not know what to expect when she signed up to teach middle school in Gothenburg, Sweden. She just figured it would be a good way to travel the world while learning about education outside the United States.

She was right.

“Teaching in Sweden was very different from teaching in a typical American classroom,” Hall said. “The whole experience was eye-opening. You can’t really understand another system without seeing it firsthand.”

Hall is among the scores of students in College of Education who have taught abroad as part of the European Teacher Education Network, which TCU joined a decade ago.

Each year, 20 to 25 TCU students travel to Europe to work as student teachers, while roughly the same number from Europe arrive on TCU’s campus to study for one semester.

The exchange program provides college seniors with an in-depth look into an educational system different from their own, while boosting cultural sensitivity and improving their teaching.

“This prepares our students to teach in a global world and broadens their horizons,” said Dale Young ’66 (MA ’68), TCU’s director of student teaching. “Learning about another culture and another country’s educational system will benefit them immensely while searching for a job and throughout their careers.”

Representatives from universities across the world gathered at TCU this fall for their annual meeting. Many said the program has been invaluable to their students, giving them a glimpse of college life in Texas and the United States. They not only learn how our educational systems differ, but also how they are similar.

While at TCU, European students live on or around campus, study education and one elective of their choice and observe professional teachers at Fort Worth public and private schools, including Alice Carlson Applied Learning Center, Paschal High School and Trinity Valley School.

Students from Via University in Denmark are placed at KinderFrogs School, an early childhood education program that predominantly serves children with disabilities.

“Our students really enjoy working at KinderFrogs. They love it,” said Birgit Tanderup, who teaches at Via University. “We do not have schools like this in Denmark, so it’s a wonderful opportunity to see something new. They are amazed by how good the accommodations and facilities are.”

But for most European students, one part of their experience stands out: college football.

“Most of our students have not experienced American football, marching bands, cheerleaders. All of this is new to them,” said Sigurd Rimmelzwaan, who teaches at The Hague University in The Netherlands. “They really love going to football games and being a part of something.”

TCU students who travel to Europe also learn much about another country and culture. They have studied at international schools in England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark. Each February, the Exchange places TCU students in the equivalent of an elementary, middle or high school, depending on their studies and career plans. Classes are taught in English, but the students frequently speak three or four languages.

Cecilia Nihlen, who directs the program at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said American students are often surprised by the level of freedom and independence many European students have at school.

“Our schools are not quite as controlled. Our lesson plans are not as rigid,” Nihlen said. “Our students are given a great deal of responsibility, and that is one thing American students come to appreciate.”

Hall, who is now a graduate student at TCU, said teachers in Sweden excelled at helping students apply knowledge from the classroom to their real lives. For example, during a lesson on colonization, 6th-grade students created large collages to show where they had traveled. Classes also relied on project-based learning rather than lecture.

As a future social studies teacher, Hall plans to implement both ideas in her classroom.

“I picked up some good, outside-the-box ideas to bring home,” she said. “A lot of kids don’t like learning about history, but you just have to make it relevant to their everyday lives.”

In coming years, the program hopes to boost its network through continued travel as well as technology.

“This has been an exceptional program for TCU. Our students have learned and gained so much,” Young said. “We are very fortunate to be able to provide this opportunity to our students.”