Text: Virginia Nanclares

As a language teacher for adults in adult language schools in Finland, Erasmus+ has made possible my stay in the Official Language School in Santander (EOI Santander), Spain, under the modality of job-shadowing for 10 days in April 2024. Official Language Schools (Escuela Oficial de Idiomas, or EOI, in Spanish) are public language schools present in all cities and towns all over Spain. It is a network of schools where adults can learn languages and get an official certification of their language level of competence in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and valid all over Spain. 

I was received by two members of the host organization to introduce me into the school. They showed me the school and the activities performed there in each area. I also explained thoroughly my background and goals for this job-shadowing experience. I was introduced to the blending teaching system used in the school by its responsible person and was assigned a schedule to observe different lessons and levels where the blended system is implemented. I discussed with all persons involved, mainly teachers and manager, but also with students, the implications, goals, upsides and downsides of this learning and teaching system. I was introduced to the extra curricular activities program run in the school by the person in charge of organizing it, and was able to see how they implement it and to discuss with some teachers and students about it. I observed different lessons in progress of all levels of English and French to learn about new trends in language teaching, and was able to actively participate in them. I participated in several discussion session with teachers and organizers to compare our teaching/learning systems in our respective organizations and we learned a lot from each other. 

In EOI Santander, students practice languages from the moment they step into the school. Pictures show the schools main entrance hall, where music in English plays and there is an exhibition on the festivity of Liberation Day in Italy celebrated on 25th April.

During my productive stay, I have learned how to organize and implement distance learning in a blended system. I have learned about different options to integrate language learning with other topic contents to be able to have students practice their language skills out of the regular classroom setting, where they feel more motivated developing topics of their interest in the target language, and how to organize and develop such activities. An amazing language library, different extra courses, lectures, workshops and competitions are all part of this system. I have also exchanged views and worries on the education system and language teaching theory and practice, teaching methodology implications, and hopes and expectations for the future of language teaching and learning. A super and satisfactory professional and personal experience!

Two competitions open to all the students in the school were running at the time of my job-shadowing stay in EOI Santander.