Wow, I have taken longer than expected to bring you the report on the few other visits we did while attending the Symposium.
So on the second day of visits we went to Les Vinyes, a mix between an "Institut" and a school. The only reason for this classification was the age groups that the school received - from 3 yo to 18.
At this school we started by visiting the lab, where students could experiment with several different tools. Among some of the things there were wood-shop tools, that the children used for one of their workshops - carpentry.
After an introduction on how the school works, how the grades are organized and all that, we got separated into two different groups. One of the groups went to see the elementary school and kindergarten, while the other group went to see the high-school classes.
The classes in kindergarten and elementary school are organized differently and they have several workshops that are mandatory and others that are optional. Some of these workshops consist of experiments with light, kitchen workshops, painting, and others... As the years progress, the theme of the workshops might change slightly and some start to be optional, while others become mandatory.
One of the things I fell more in love with while at this school - and, believe me, there were too many to even tell them all in a post! - was the fact that in kindergarten, the first 30/45 minutes of each morning were dedicated to the families. This meant that families were welcome to bring their kids to class and join them in the activity that was planned for that morning. These activities are always planned with the families in mind, but if a family/family member can not stay, the students do them together with the teacher and the other families. As this happens every day of the school year, every family gets at least one chance of participating in the activities. Children that are taken to school by a neighbor, or a friend of the family, can also share these activities with those people, even if they are not directly related to them. I thought this was such an amazing idea! What better way to involve parents/family/adults in the learning experience of the child?
As the first shift of visits to the elementary and high-school classes ended, we swapped places. The group that had already seen the elementary school went on to visit the high-school classes and talk to the children about their routines.
These children worked primarily on projects, although they also had "normal" classes. One of the projects they were now involved in consisted on discovering different Spanish accents and dialects around the world. Not only were they doing their research online and in books, but they were actually also booking interviews with different people from Spanish-speaking countries, to talk to them on Skype and learn more about their cultures, their language and the main differences between the countries! Such a fun way to learn about geography, linguistics, social sciences... isn't it?
After the visits, and similar to the first school we had been in, we were then gathered in another room, with a few of the teachers and the board of direction, to ask a few more questions and discuss a few more of the bureaucratic details and logistics that an institution like this requires.
Oh inspirations, inspirations... :)
(I will write about the third and last visit to these school in another post, sometime soon.)
So on the second day of visits we went to Les Vinyes, a mix between an "Institut" and a school. The only reason for this classification was the age groups that the school received - from 3 yo to 18.
At this school we started by visiting the lab, where students could experiment with several different tools. Among some of the things there were wood-shop tools, that the children used for one of their workshops - carpentry.
After an introduction on how the school works, how the grades are organized and all that, we got separated into two different groups. One of the groups went to see the elementary school and kindergarten, while the other group went to see the high-school classes.
The classes in kindergarten and elementary school are organized differently and they have several workshops that are mandatory and others that are optional. Some of these workshops consist of experiments with light, kitchen workshops, painting, and others... As the years progress, the theme of the workshops might change slightly and some start to be optional, while others become mandatory.
One of the things I fell more in love with while at this school - and, believe me, there were too many to even tell them all in a post! - was the fact that in kindergarten, the first 30/45 minutes of each morning were dedicated to the families. This meant that families were welcome to bring their kids to class and join them in the activity that was planned for that morning. These activities are always planned with the families in mind, but if a family/family member can not stay, the students do them together with the teacher and the other families. As this happens every day of the school year, every family gets at least one chance of participating in the activities. Children that are taken to school by a neighbor, or a friend of the family, can also share these activities with those people, even if they are not directly related to them. I thought this was such an amazing idea! What better way to involve parents/family/adults in the learning experience of the child?
As the first shift of visits to the elementary and high-school classes ended, we swapped places. The group that had already seen the elementary school went on to visit the high-school classes and talk to the children about their routines.
These children worked primarily on projects, although they also had "normal" classes. One of the projects they were now involved in consisted on discovering different Spanish accents and dialects around the world. Not only were they doing their research online and in books, but they were actually also booking interviews with different people from Spanish-speaking countries, to talk to them on Skype and learn more about their cultures, their language and the main differences between the countries! Such a fun way to learn about geography, linguistics, social sciences... isn't it?
After the visits, and similar to the first school we had been in, we were then gathered in another room, with a few of the teachers and the board of direction, to ask a few more questions and discuss a few more of the bureaucratic details and logistics that an institution like this requires.
Oh inspirations, inspirations... :)
(I will write about the third and last visit to these school in another post, sometime soon.)