Our programs promise to be full of new and rewarding experiences as you manage to adapt to living and studying abroad in a different culture.
All the ISF work team is committed to helping you realize all your personal goals related to this incredible experience…language learning, cross cultural appreciation and development, meeting new people, etc.
Life in Spain will be what you make of it, so be sure to take advantage of every opportunity available, be it cultural, academic or social-related. You will find that you will not be the same person at the end of the program. You will have grown in maturity, insight, open-mindedness, and cultural awareness. When you return home, you will have a greater appreciation for life in your home country and, most importantly, you will be able to better understand the complicated world in which we live.
We have created our programs with the objective of offering our students the opportunity to improve their proficiency in the Spanish language, while experiencing the culture of Spain firsthand.
Our Programs integrate morning Spanish classes or workshops with a complete set of afternoon cultural, social, and sports activities. On weekends, students are able to travel to other important Spanish cities, as a means of complementing their in-class learning.
The classes, as well as the materials used and program activities, are especially geared toward younger students. The University program includes both University level classes and cultural complementary activities.
As part of the total immersion program, students enjoy carefully selected housing in the form of family home-stays or residence halls.
The academic program combines a morning schedule which includes two Spanish classes of 45 minutes (Language Module), with two other classes of 45 minutes each that introduces the student to Spanish culture (Thematic Module / Workshops). The program includes a total of 3 hours per day of classes (from Monday to Friday).
The Language Module consists of a class on grammar, with the goal of helping students attain a firm grasp on standard colloquial Spanish in a rapid and practical manner. It emphasizes a communicative approach in the practicing of interpretive and expressive skills rather than the mastery of abstract grammatical rules. It promotes the use of language to function in social situations and communicate with others.
The purpose of the Thematic Module / Workshops is to complement what has been learned in the Language Module through a more in-depth background on Spanish culture and lifestyles. Students work in small groups in the active and lively exploration of various cultural themes. This often includes on-site field trips led by professors into the streets and markets, or out to local exhibitions of art, music, or literary readings.
The history, geography, customs, folklore, art, and society of Spain are presented in an in-depth manner so that the High School student can gain a beneficial understanding of the various topics.
There would be from 8 to 12 students per class. Our teachers are all graduated in several foreign languages and the have been selected by our Academic Department following a rigorous criteria and process.
All class materials are provided by the Instituto San Fernando.
After having breakfast at home, students will make their way to Instituto San Fernando that will be no farther than 20 minutes walking. Once they get there, they will start their classes (at 10:00). Classes finish at 13:30 It is then when our teachers usually solve possible doubts and when our coordinators inform the students about the planned activities for the evenings. Students get back home to have lunch and when they are finished they still have time to sleep the “typical siesta”.
Around 17:00 (depending on the activity), students go back to Instituto San Fernando. Here, the coordinator is waiting for them to carry out the organised activity.
When they are finished, they have free time to have a walk around the city. At 21:00 or so, they are supposed to get back home to have dinner together with their families.
The objective of our activities is to facilitate interpersonal relationships, not only among students, but with the people of Spain in many different environments. This is accomplished though a relaxed and flexible atmosphere in which students can feel free to speak in Spanish without being nervous.
All of the activities offer a great amount of pleasure and leisure, but they also closely relate to the curricular aspects of the students´ work. This method of immersion allows coherence between class work and out-of-class activities. We believe that it is essential that students are exposed to Spanish both in and out of class.
Our primary goal of a well organized activities program is to provide answers to any questions students may have with regard to the ¨newness¨ they are experiencing and to put at ease any social concerns they may have. With these activities, the Institute opens its doors in an informal manner to the creativity and spontaneity of the students.
The best way to know the culture, to meet new friends, and to live an unforgetable experience.
Activities facilitate relationships between students and Spanish people in many different settings.
We organize a wide variety of activities: sporting, cultural, artistic…
