Immersive language course in Alicante focused on the practical use of Spanish with native Spanish and Argentinian teachers. Daniel Hazelhoff reports…
This December you can immerse yourself in a practical language course taught in Alicante. “The practical approach to language helps students get rid of their inhibitions and promotes a fluid and comfortable learning environment, useful to those at beginning-to-intermediate levels of Spanish,” explains Maria Cuesta, teacher and architect of the event.
The course will take place over the first weekend of December, Saturday the 4th and Sunday the 5th. The idea of the course is to develop both verbal communication and listening skills. Students will engage in role-play, real situations, phone conversations, projects, presentations and cultural awareness.
The event will use the language school, Digma, as a headquarters. It’s on Maissonave street, next to the Corte Ingles in the centre of the city. Where students can take bus line C6 straight to the door. The weekend will start on Saturday at 9:30 am, where students will receive a breakfast of Argentinian empanadas. The immersion begins the moment students enter through the front door. Creating an atmosphere of comfort, and an opportunity to learn, from the first moment, how to communicate effectively in Spanish.
Class time
After breakfast, at around 10:00 am, students will participate in their first class of introductions and greetings. There students will have a chance to get to know each other, and find their comfort zones. From 11:00 am to midday, students will practise phone conversations, where they can learn the nuances of Spanish phone etiquette. In the third lesson, students will be taken to a market where they can put their newly learned Spanish to good use, and develop their transactional vocabulary.
Lunch will be held from 13:30 to 15:00 at La Mary. A very well-regarded Spanish and Mediterranean restaurant, where students can further practise their Spanish while enjoying a meal together. After lunch, there will be a two-hour break where students can do what they like. So, whether rest-time, a tour of the city of Alicante or a masterclass in essay writing with experienced journalist Eugene Costello (this will be a premium add-on; please contact organisers repricing). From 17:00 to 18:00, you will have role-play for real-life situations and also pronunciation tips will take place. All followed by a cultural class studying Argentine traditions from 18:00 to 19:00.
Time to unwind
Afterwards, you will enjoy an evening tour of Alicante, where students can take in the sights and enjoy the evening. As an end to the first day, dinner will be at 20:30 at the Sunrise Gastrobar. An Italian restaurant with 100% “excellent” reviews (five stars out of five) on Tripadvisor.
Sunday the 5th will start in the same vein as Saturday, with a breakfast of Argentine empanadas. The day will kick off with a more practical and intense class. From 10:00am to 11:00am, students will find themselves interviewing Spanish people on the streets of Alicante. From 11:00am to midday, students will discuss the answers they will have received from strangers, and participate in a quiz. All followed by a cultural class focused on Spanish traditions from midday to 1pm.
You’ll have lunch at the upmarket fusion restaurant Saona from 13:30. From 17:00 to 18:00, students will immerse themselves in a project and presentation, and they will receive their certificates of completion by 19:00
About the Teachers and Volunteers
Aurea Lópes Quiles has a long experience as both a Spanish and English teacher in different education centres all over Spain, The USA, and England (London and Oxford). She is also a published author, and her work deals with learning Spanish. She will be the senior volunteer.
María Cuesta studied English philology and acquired her CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to speakers of other languages) degree from the University of Cambridge and a master’s from the University of Alicante. She has been a language teacher and head of studies in countries such as the UK and China and is currently writing a bilingual book.
Mariela Collado, born in Argentina, is an English teacher with more than 25 years of teaching experience. She’s CELTA-qualified and runs her own language school in Alicante. She also trains primary and secondary school teachers for their official examinations or oposiciones. Also, she has been collaborating with the Oxford University Press in Spain since 2001, and furthermore, she has been running workshops at international conferences. She is especially interested in the topic, story and play-based learning, using synthetic phonics to develop pronunciation and literacy skills and in CLIL (content and language integrated learning)
- Immersive Language: Spanish Learning Weekend, €195, including breakfast and lunch across both days. Accommodation is as the student chooses, however,
- The school also has found rooms at the modern and comfortable three-star Hotel Campanile for €44 for a double room each night. The hotel is a 20-minute walk from the school; Avenida Elche Esquina Federico Mayo
Keep up to date with news in Valencia here.