Escuela Oficial de Idiomas San Roque – Spain

Spain

Escuela Oficial de Idiomas San Roque
Complejo Municipal Diego Salinas 2ª planta
11360 San Roque ( Cádiz), SPAIN
1170081.edu@juntadeandalucia.es | +34 956670108
www.eoisanroque.es

The San Roque Oficial Language School was set up in 1988, and was the second school of its type in Andalucía. Our location, in the Campo de Gibraltar area, just 14 km from the African continent, means we are within easy reach of other languages and cultures. We are a state run school which specializes in adult language teaching, and we are also assessors, examining and certifying foreign languages to the levels stipulated in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1).

The profile of our students is very heterogeneous in terms of age, background, profession, but all students share the common goal of learning a language. With the implantation of the Promoting Multilingualism Scheme in Andalucía in 2006, we became reference centres for the training of primary and secondary school teachers participating in the scheme, who give their classes in a foreign language. As there are 150 education professionals in our Courses in Linguistic Development for Teachers (CAL), ranging from level A1 to C1, we have become teacher trainers ourselves, meeting the demands of excellence that this requires. Our staff, made up of 17 language teachers, is committed to continuous training and professional development and participates actively in training programmes. We aspire to specialize, to exchange and share teaching practices, and to be at the forefront of the latest teaching trends.

Our school offers face-to-face teaching, blended learning and distance courses (That´s English). We have a total of 1312 students, of which 95% are adults. Students come to us with the aim of learning the languages taught here (English, French, German and Spanish for Foreigners) and gaining the qualification in the respective language. We also offer external students the possibility to sit the exams and gain the official qualification without coming to classes. Regarding the blended leaning option, during the academic year 2011/12, our school piloted this teaching method for English. What’s more, in the academic years of 2012/13 and 2013/4, the German department piloted it alone breaking the ground for other schools to start later. Nowadays, this blended learning scheme is available for English, German and French.

The Department for Extracurricular Activities outlines an annual programme of activities designed to complement what is taught in the classroom. It comprises of a series of events which enables students to gain an understanding of the cultures of the languages taught. It includes: festivals such as Halloween, Oktoberfest, Thanksgiving, St. Patrick’s Day, La Chandeleur, Día de Andalucía; Cooking competitions; study and linguistic immersion trips which combine culture and language practice.

The Students Association was founded in 1997 with the following aims: promoting minority languages, encouraging cultural activities, boosting social links between students in and outside the classroom and furthering language practice. Its programme of events includes trips, guided tours and language workshops. These workshops offer both extra practice for those languages taught in the school as well as informal classes those not already officially taught (e.g. Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Arabic). Since 2008, the Students Association has worked in collaboration with the School Management Team to organise activities and conferences which meet the students’ needs (e.g. talks and workshops given by experts in psychology and emotional intelligence) Thanks to the work described above, our Students Association has become a role model to other Official Language Schools who have called on them for advice on how to set up and information on activities for their own respective schools.

Over the last three years, our school has received training from experts at the Official Teacher Training Centre (CEP) on Emotional Intelligence, gamification, collaborative learning, mindfulness and creativity. We are currently doing a project which enables us to share teaching practices and detect our specialized needs in order to create new experiences in the classroom.

Our school has students of 30 different nationalities, which creates a very multicultural, plural environment. This diversity is due mainly to the Department of Spanish For Foreigners (we are one of only 4 schools in Andalucía which are lucky enough to have this Department). It gives an international dimension which is reflected in the cultural activities that take place during the year. What´s more, our students age from 14 to 75 years old, and with their very differing professional backgrounds, this all creates unique, valuable heterogeneous classes. Students are not only exposed to a rich linguistic and cultural experience, but also gain personal skills as the classroom gives the opportunity to mix and share experiences , cultures and knowledge. Without a doubt, our school is a hub for the exchange of language, culture and respect.