After a rigorous and competitive process, the Modern Foreign Languages Department has been successful in securing sought-after EU funding for an exciting French and Spanish project, which will further enhance the provision of modern languages at Bloxham School.
The project seeks to introduce new and engaging language teaching methodologies, provide up-to-date resources and create more authentic language learning environments. The grant of ‘26,130 was awarded earlier this year and during the October half term Ms McCaffrey and Miss Lesu had the opportunity to go on a study visit to Santander (not the bank, but the lovely Spanish city). They both took part in intensive daily Spanish language classes with the aim of keeping their language skills top notch, boosting their Spanish vocabulary and consolidating their grammar.
In the afternoon, they had the chance to explore the city and also a few beautiful villages outside of Santander and put into practice what they learnt in their language lessons. Both Ms McCaffrey and Miss Lesu thoroughly enjoyed finding out more about the local cuisine, customs and traditions and they look forward to sharing their experiences with the Bloxham students. In Santander, they also had the opportunity to take part in a Sevillanas dance class and are already planning to teach the Bloxham students a few steps. Stay tuned!
The course they undertook this half-term allowed them to meet other language teachers from all over England and the various activities and sessions they did together enabled them to learn from one another and further develop their teaching practice. During their stay in Santander, they collected authentic teaching and learning resources and gained ideas to help them deliver exciting lessons and update the learning displays at Bloxham School.
They both loved their learning experience in Santander, it helped them increase their confidence in using Spanish and they also had the opportunity to discover a charming city that is not in your usual top 10 Spanish tourist attractions. However, one of the objectives of the Eramus + project is to improve both the French and Spanish language provision at Bloxham School. So, with this aim, three Bloxham teachers (Ms McCaffrey, Miss Lesu and Mr Devesa) are off on a French learning adventure in Rouen, France, for eight days during the Easter holiday. They promise to keep us posted!
Thanks to Miss Lesu for this report and good luck on the French trip in the new year!