Spanish Students Exercise Their Language Skills in Salamanca

“The practice that they got in speaking the language is the best possible preparation for their exams,” says Spanish teacher Cristina Fernandez, who has just returned from Salamanca in northwestern Spain with ten students.

With their A Level exams closing in, ten Spanish students spent four days honing their chosen language of study and soaking in the culture and vibrancy of an ornate city, staying with Spanish families in the area rather than hotels in order to put their linguistic skills to practical use.

The capital of the Castile-Leon region, Salamanca boasts the fourth oldest western university, along with the site on which Christopher Columbus made his case for the King and Queen of Spain to finance his expedition to the Indies, so there’s no shortage of history and culture in the city.

After spending the mornings taking in lessons with local students, the afternoons were spent with their host families and visiting some of the incredible architecture and historical monuments in Salamanca.

A Level Spanish student, Michael Connor, who joined us from Woodchurch High School, said: “The families were so welcoming. They were fantastic and it was a great experience.”

Targeting a clean sweep of As in Spanish, History and English Literature in the summer, Michael concluded: “It was really useful in terms of practising Spanish. We were talking in the language pretty much constantly so it was a very formative visit. In terms of our oral exam, all the speaking we had to do was the ideal practice. Salamanca’s such a cultural place too so it was an incredible trip.”

Teacher Cristina said: “It’s lovely to hear some of the students coming back and saying ‘everything has just clicked now’ – they understand the language much better and it’s inspired them to continue with Spanish and work even harder towards their exams. They got immersed in the culture and the language, and that immersion is the best motivation they can get.”

The students stayed in pairs with the local families, and Cristina, who was joined on the trip by English teacher, Joe Peters, explained: “Staying with the families can be daunting at first but in less than a day, all the students found that they could chat very comfortably. It is throwing them in at the deep end in a way, but that’s the point. There are other options for staying in residences or hotels, but staying with the families gives them the opportunity to use the language, and it’s language that they already know, but it’s in a new environment.”

Cristina arranged for the students to get a taste of what else Salamanca has to offer, not only with making and eating local food but also with a special after-dinner performance from ‘La Tuna’ – musical entertainment with a unique tradition.

Salamanca La Tuna from Birkenhead Sixth Form College on Vimeo.

Born in the 13^th Century, ‘tunas’ were students who would band together to play music in exchange for much-needed money or food. While the desperate needs might no longer be applicable, current and ex-students alike join ‘La Tuna’ to keep the tradition alive, and our students got fully involved in the cultural institution, maybe with a hint of empathy with La Tuna’s humble beginnings.

Salamanca Trip March 2016