Markéta Košatková is spending the academic year at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Florida with her husband David and their two daughters. She has been awarded the prestigious Fulbright Scholar in Residence grant, a scheme in which the visiting academic is selected directly by the American institution. Around 25 people from all over the world take part in this programme each year. “I think I’m the only one from the European Union this academic year, and I am really honoured by that,” she says.
She attributes this success to long-term, targeted work on internationalisation and building contacts and collaborations. The very end of the selection process, however, was quite dramatic. The final confirmation arrived just three weeks before her scheduled departure. “I hadn’t counted on it at all, so it was quite the surprise. Looking back, I don’t understand how we managed to get everything ready and fly out,” recalls Markéta Košatková. She practically stepped off the plane straight into the start of the semester and, alongside her teaching duties, she was sorting out housing for the whole family for the year.
Unlike most Fulbright scholars heading to the US primarily for research, Košatková is fully involved in teaching. She leads the “Classroom Management and Teaching Strategies” course and has her own class.
“Students expect a certain level of excellence in teaching, and I try to ensure that theory does not conflict with what I practise in my own lessons,” she explains. Direct teaching has given her a deeper understanding of how the university operates, from creating detailed syllabuses and working with the new learning management system to supporting students with special needs, electronic portfolios, final assessments and course evaluations.
Teacher training in the US and the Czech Republic
She was impressed by the system’s even distribution of the study load. Students work intensively throughout the semester and complete ongoing tasks, so there isn’t so much pressure at the end. She also appreciates the extensive technical support, such as the applications and licences that she can use when creating materials, teaching and providing feedback.
The University of Central Florida includes the College of Community Innovation and Education, which goes beyond mere teacher training. “I like that they focus a lot on educational management here,” she says. The training of future teachers itself strikes her as very similar to that in the Czech Republic – with an emphasis on both didactic and interpersonal skills and the socio-political context of teaching practice. She was surprised by the strong links with prestigious institutions, such as NASA’s space programme, which offers students the opportunity to undertake placements and participate in educational activities.
Teaching innovation is a major focus of her work. In the new semester, she is preparing micro-teaching sessions for her class in the TeachLive simulated reality. The technology bridges the gap between theoretical preparation and real-world practice. In a safe, controlled environment, future teachers can practise dealing with challenging classroom situations, ranging from minor disruptions to verbal aggression and class boycotts, before reflecting on their experiences. “The simulations do not cause harm to real students, but the experience is very authentic,” she explains. Interestingly, UCF still uses a system with human operators controlling the avatars. The university thus maintains natural human responses even in the age of artificial intelligence.
Students can repeatedly try out different strategies, change their communication style and observe how their reactions affect the rest of the class – including students with whom the teacher is not directly interacting. “We work with emotions and a sense of confidence that grows with repeated experience,” adds Košatková. The simulations also include communication with parents and working with different age groups.
She also applies innovative approaches directly in the classroom. For example, they spent the first lesson outdoors doing confidence-building activities. She incorporated elements of drama education, improvisation techniques focused on the teacher’s physicality, and experiential learning. In the future, she would like to implement COIL – Collaborative Online International Learning – and connect students in Florida with those at Masaryk University. Exchange programmes focused on teaching practice are also being planned.
In Florida, she also presented the Edustories project, an educational platform featuring a database of real-life case studies of challenging behaviour in schools. By utilising large language models, it offers various solution options that teachers can search for and reflect upon. “I’m seeing a great deal of interest in the research associated with the project. I believe the platform could also find its way into undergraduate teacher training in the US,” she says.
According to Košatková, the Czech humanities certainly have a lot to offer to the US. Their strength lies in their analytical approach and emphasis on reflecting on practice. Combined with the American focus on application and innovation, this could lead to an inspiring dialogue. “We may not have such large financial resources, but that is precisely what drives our hard work and creativity,” she adds.
Life in Florida
Košatková finds the academic life on a typical American campus thrilling and energising. “There’s always something going on there,” she describes. Sporting events strengthen a sense of belonging to the university, and the sunny Floridian weather contributes to the good atmosphere. The Fulbright programme also offers further educational activities – Košatková took part in a multi-day meeting in Washington and is planning to give a lecture at Kansas State University.
Balancing family and work in Florida is, in her view, “something like alchemy”, especially in their new circumstances. Nevertheless, she sees the experience as enriching for her children too, who are quickly picking up the language and adapting to their new surroundings.
She has long been dedicated to the issue of structural inequalities in education and support for socially disadvantaged children. In the US, she is inspired by the strong tradition of volunteering and Title I, a programme that secures federal funding for the education of children from low-income families. She was also intrigued by the prospect of secondary school pupils obtaining professional licences, such as those for flying drones, while still at school, which give them immediate access to employment opportunities.
At the University of Florida, she was impressed by an inclusive programme for students with intellectual disabilities, who attend mainstream courses with the support of mentors. “I would very much like to bring a similar approach to our context and truly open the university to everyone. In my view, this actually strengthens academic excellence,” she concludes.