First of all, I’d like to apologize for the long silence! It has been quite a busy time at school: You tell me! and I haven’t had the chance to update the blog as much as I’d like. So sorry about that! But I’m excited to finally share some great news about one of the most enjoyable and ambitious events my school has ever held to kick-start the year.
This week we hosted a three-day event that brought together students and teachers from all language departments in a collaborative way. We called it "A Tour Around Languages", (Unha viaxe polas linguas), and it was an absolute success! The aim of the activity was to expose students to different languages and cultures while engaging in hands-on learning experiences. We also wanted to encourage them to find relatives or friends who might be interested in joining our school, as registration is still open! Not a bad idea to kill two birds with one stone!
The concept was simple yet powerful: each department set up a station where students could take part in an activity related to the language being taught. As students arrived at the first station, they were handed a passport, and their goal was to collect a stamp from each language station they visited. It was so much fun! The whole experience turned out to be a wonderful way to encourage participation and curiosity, as students were motivated to visit all the stations to fill their passports.
The tour itself took about an hour and happened at different times during the day: students from different shifts moved from station to station at their own pace engaging autonomously with each language activity in a relaxed manner. While teachers were present to guide the process, the students took ownership of their learning experience, which was quite beneficial.
The English Department's activity was a highlight for many! We chose a culturally relevant task: making a cup of tea!! – a quintessential British tradition, indeed. Students watched a short video tutorial on how to prepare the perfect cuppa. Following the video, they were given a series of cards with steps from the instructions, which they had to rearrange in the correct order. It was not only a language exercise but also a gastronomical experience, as students were invited to taste some buttery shortbread biscuits!
Other language stations featured similarly alluring activities, from learning basic vocabulary with a quiz game in Portuguese to exploring popular songs in Italian. The diverse range of activities ensured that there was something for everyone, and students expressed great enthusiasm for the variety of languages and cultures they got to explore.
Overall, the event was a tremendous success. We are really proud! Students left the school with smiles, full passports, a small prize and a deeper appreciation for the languages we teach. Teachers were equally pleased with how smoothly everything ran and how engaged the students were throughout the tour.
We are definitely planning future editions of "A Tour Around Languages" and... who knows? It might turn into an annual school tradition that continues to kick-start the school year by inspiring a love for languages and cultures in our students. You should definitely give it a try!
