DESTINO LONDRES

En el centro ya se ha comenzado con el proceso de selección para la realización de dos movilidades a Londres, cursos estructurados de Metodología CLIL.

En enero está prevista su realización. Los candidatos están sobradamente preparados.

Hoy viajan a Londres las profesoras del centro Irene Manzano Estébanez y Sandra Rivas Mazuecos.

Van a realizar un curso en British Study Centre de Metodología para luego aplicarlo en las DNLS dentro del Plan Lingüístico que el cole lleva a cabo.

Have a good trip!

From Cogolludo to the sky... ups no, London

On Saturday, we arrived to London and we were so excited because for the next two weeks, we are going to attend school not as teachers but as students. We are willing to learn a lot, to meet new people, new traditions and above all, to acquire new techniques in order to apply them with our lovely students.

We have started our adventure on Saturday evening in Barajas and then, our fantastic family picked us up at Finchley Central tube station (yeah, we were able to get there without any help lol).

On Sunday morning, we went to explore some places that we didn't know.

We started with Highgate Cemetery, which was a bit creepy but absolutely beautiful. As you can see in the photos, it's a place where you can get lost and enjoy the vegetation, the sculptures on the graves and the catacombs. There are also a lot of interesting stories about vampires, ghosts and lost teenagers who were trying to be braver than they really were.

We met our new friend Karl Marx, who had a huge head and didn't speak much, but he is OK.

After that (and with chocolate supplies in our bellies) we went to have lunch (again) to Leicester Square (in a Wetherspoon: The Moon Under Water) and we continued with our route that guided us to Harrods, where we didn't buy anything because things were very very veeeeeeeery expensive (more than a house in Spain, which is very worrying for two clumsy girls...).

Finally, we went for a walk and we saw Buckingham Palace, the Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square and.... a Ferrari store! (we are sure our students would have loved it).

Finally, we went back home and we could hardly have dinner (but we did it which is a clue that we are two gluttonous girls or that we are tremendously respectful about food, we will continue thinking about that in the future) And then we had a good rest because next day was our first day at school.

First day of classes: we have survived!

This morning, our neighbourhood was frosty, cold and slippy, but we managed to get to the bus station without a single broken bone (we deserve a prize!!) ((a good and expensive one))

Then we catched the bus number 82 to Victoria (yeah, Sandra's orientation is getting better... it was about time!!) and we almost fell asleep in the bus because it was early in the morning and the trip was sooo long.

After nearly 50 minutes we arrived to the Hampstead School of English (while we were learning about how the houses' numbers were organized). As you can see in the photos, our faces weren't the best ones...

We have met a lot of people today, the teachers (Jonathan and Magda) are very nice and our classmates are from all over the world: Brazil, Argentina, Rusia and Japan. We are a multicultural class.

But you are surely wishing to know what we have learnt today. Well, we have learnt about the games to use in the English classroom with Primary Education children, but what is the best way to learn new things? Practising them. So, we've been playing for hours (that's why we are very happy today).

After the classes, we've decided to see other places in London and we've gone to Holland Park where we have taken thousands of photos that we are not going to upload (well, OK, maybe a few ones LOL). Holland is one of the best parks we've ever been to in our entire lives. We've met a new friend that we have called "Alvin" (isn't it beautiful?)

In this park we have found many things such as very spoilt peacocks, a meditation garden (Tokyo garden) and.... a Pokemon Go Poster!! Don't you believe us? Please, take a look at the picture.

When we were fed up of taking photos, we have left the park and we have walked towards Portobello Road which is colourful and charming. We are going to return soon (once or twice) or maybe, we will decide to buy a house here (in our next life, of course).

Finally, we have returned home in order to have dinner (yeah, how weird it is to find us eating!!) and that's all for now. We will keep in contact with you soon.

Night night!

Second day: stuck in the traffic

Yes, we've been over an hour on the way to school. What a traffic jam! This is London, we've just realized. But anyway, this has been a great day.

At school, we've been singing and learning chants and rhymes which is very motivating for us (and for the rest of humanity). In one of these rhymes we have met a guy called Jack and a girl called Jill. And yes, we have danced and sung with it.

(We attach the rhyme in case you want to try it LOL)

After school we have gone with our tutor Magda for a walk around Hampstead. This neighborhood (previously a city on its own) is one of the most beautiful and above all, expensive in London. The houses look like castles and they are worth over 1.5 million pounds, by the way, we are thinking of moving here... but for now, we have to do with our new (and amazing) maserati.

We have almost made the whole Hampstead's route by car, but we have thought that it was a pity to miss the wonderful and intricate streets that reminds you to the eighteenth century (in fact, we have seen two people who dressed and moved as in that century).

We have seen Daphne Du Maurier's child house and Robert Louis Stevenson's house. We were expecting to see the Doctor Jekill, Mister Hyde or any pirate as John Silver in that moment.

Apart from that, we highly recomend this place.

After the visit, we have taken the tube at Hampstead Station. Our teacher had told us that we should (must) take the stairs instead of the lift (this tube is the deepest in London with over 320 steps) because the walls were supposed to be incredibly beautiful. Now.... please judge for yourselves (we are frustated  and still looking for end).

Then, we've catched the tube (thanks God) to Camden Town and we've had fun seeing the shops around there. As you can see we've met Amy Winehouse!!

Finally, we have returned home and we have had a lovely dinner with our wonderful family. We'll see you tomorrow.

Night!!


                          Third day: Where is the theatre?

Wednesday morning, in the academy, we got the chance to observe an EFL class. It was a good occasion to reflect about what we had learnt so far and about our own teaching practice. Then, we put in common our ideas, points of view and feelings. You wouldn't believe how enriching it is talking to teachers with different cultures...

After the class, we took the Northern Line to Leicester Square and we had lunch in an Italian restaurant. Pizza and pasta... How yummy it was! This time our plan, however, wasn't eating but having a look around the ticket offices in town...

Yeah! We got them! Two tickets for Mamma Mia musical. Next Tuesday is the day. Irene needs to watch the movie beforehand because she has what the Spaniards call ''a fish's memory''. But just for the movies... Or at least we think so.

Ok, 'what can we do now?' was our following question. It sounds quite reasonable if we say we decided to look for the theatre where the musical was going to be performed. We didn't want to get lost on THE DAY. So there we went... and we got lost.

A long street. So many people wearing suits. This is not Covent Garden. Let's keep walking. St. Paul's Cathedral. We ended up at an Anglican mass service with a lovely choir and loads of incense. It was great, though. Something you just do once in a lifetime (unless you become Anglican).

An hour later we left the temple and we went to a lookout on the top of a shopping centre nearby. The views over the cathedral were just amazing. It was just amazingly cold. The man who took the picture was amazingly confused. Thankfully we are better photographers tan he was.

Once at home, there was a lovely dinner waiting for us. Wait a moment. Did we say we ate a whole packet of peanut butter Oreo biscuists after the whole amount of carbohydrates we had had at the Italian restaurant? Yes, we did and now, we were not hungry at all. Children, please, obey mum and dad when they ask you not to eat sweets before your dinner. We promise: you can explode.

After dinner, our host mum prepared a nice cup of tea for us, which helped us to digest the meal and which put us to bed. It was still cold outside, but it was warm and cosy inside.


                       Fourth day: Sandra and the bookshop

On Thursday morning we had a great time singing along in class. Beautiful lyrics:

''There was an old lady who swallowed a fly.
I don't know why she swallowed that fly,
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a spider.
That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
But I don't know why she swallowed that fly
Perhaps she'll die''
Plus a long etcétera.

We had lunch in the academy's canteen with Keiko and Laura, our Japanese and Argentinian friends. Then, we joined the rest of the class in a visit to a bookshop in town. There were around four floors of appealing books for both language teachers and literature lovers. Sandra, as our teacher likes to say, contributed to the British economy by buying the whole shop. Well, not the whole... She left one or two books for the other customers (they were written in Arabic).

In the evening -and just because the bookshop had to close-, we went to an English pub with our friends, where we had a nice chat... about Harry Potter. Irene got Slytherin house and now everybody says she seems to be Draco's sister.



There was LOVELY dinner waiting for us at home. Salmon and lentils with some rice. Simple but precise. It was so nice that we didn't even speak with each other while we were having it.

                                                         

Fifth day: Xin nian hao!



After a vocabulary session and a look at pair and group work, we have had a tutorial with our teacher in which we have told him how happy we are with the course and the things we would like to do next week.

Once again, we have had lunch at the canteen with our two friends. Then, we have gone to the London Eye, where there were amazing views of the city.

As it was still early, we have taken the underground to London Bridge station in order to visit the Borough Market. The tube was absolutely crowded and we thought we were going to end up in the last stop, as there was no way of getting out of it. But Sandra guided us towards the exit and we son found the market. It is a wonderful place under the railway; a true time capsule.

There, we have seen lots of food. We have tried cheese, bread, oil... and we have bought a huge cookie with bits of chocolate in it. So nice!

A different catedral and a different choir, but the same outstanding sound. Londoners have beautiful voices.

By this line, you may have wondered what does today's title mean. ''Happy new year!'' With these three words we have gone all the way up to the 32nd floor of the Shard, one of the world's highest skyscrapers. How? Tonight, the Chinese are celebrating their new year's ev. We have found out that there is a Chinese restaurant in the Shard, so we have decided to take the lift on the pretext of wishing them a happy new year. Unluckily, you could only come in with a reservation that we didn't have. So we have just asked the guard to let us have a look at the views. Astonishing. Cheeky us!

We have returned home in a busy but quiet wagon of the underground and we have had dinner with our host family, with whom we've been chating for a long time.

Good night!



                                                       

Sixth day: Cambridge

On Saturday we went to Cambridge.

This city looks like at the beginning as another ordinary city but when you get into its streets and alleys, you find out that Cambridge is a wonderful piece of history.

We started our tour as each good traveller does: in the train station. We took the train in King's Cross Station (where Sandra was completely fascinated due to the relation between the station and Harry Potter) and we went to Cambridge.

Firstly, we went to the city centre where we found a beautiful Street market. We walked along the little stands full of food, books, clothes and flowers. In our promenade, we continued walking in the closest streets that giving access to the big square of the university. In that moment, we realized that something was happening there because there were hundred of people (apart  from, of course, the tourists). So we got close and we found out that a graduation of the university was taken place: a lot of people dress in tunics displayed proudly their qualifications. The atmosphere was full of joy and life, and we decided to have luch in a little Turkish restaurant in front of the university.

After that, we continued our visit and we walked to the river. This part of Cambridge is absolutely amazing and we felt as two little children playing around the place.

Then we suddenly became aware that there was a entrance to the university in the back part (where we were, by chance, walking). So, as two curious girls, we decided to visit it. It looks like a castle!! After that, we continued our walk and we discovered that inside of the university (in one of the places where nobody can usually go into) it was to be celebrated a free choral concert. So without thinking much, we decided to attend it and let us tell you that it was astonishing.

When the concert had finished, we decided to return to London finishing, in that way, the day.

Believe us, if you have the opportunity to know Cambridge don't be afraid of the English exams and go!

                                                   

Seventh day: Richmond (or how to get lost in a moment)

On Saturday we woke up early after a good rest and we asked to our host family what we should do that day. So they recommended us going to Richmond that is also called the Little Venecia. They wrote for us the detail instructions to get there and we started up the day.

As usual, we took the underground and the train. Well, we were very happy to be in the train (two stops to Richmond) that we didn't realized that the train record was making really important warning: "those people who want to stay in Richmond must move to the final coaches". So weeeell, we reached Richmond yes, but the train didn't stop there. Irene's face was so funny that Sandra laughed a long time after. As we were in the train and the train didn't stop, we almost believed that our next destination was going to be France or at least, the English coast.

Fortunately the train stopped 20 minutes later in a town called Stain and we could return to Richmond... but it was a very very funny experience.

Then in Richmond, a very kind man indicated us what to see and to do.

We started walking through the Richmond Park, the largest park of London. People warned us to be careful with the deers (yes, there are around 600 deers there although we are trying to find one yet...) so we gathered our courage and we walked around the huge park. It was an amazing experience... until it started to rain and we brought all the park's mud in our boots and trousers.

After that and from lost to the river, we decided to visit it (the river) and knew why Richmond it is called the Little Venecia.

Finally, exhausted and soaked to the skin, we returned home wishing a very hot shower.

 Eight day: Irene's birthday!

We started the monday with a birthday song, a very good beginning of the day if we have something to say. Irene reached the 24 years old... she became a very old woman.

After that, we went to the school and our second and last week started.

We were learning in the first hour about the storytelling and guided Reading in Primary Education. Jonathan, our teacher, told us a wonderful story about a dragon, a computer and.... a car?  Anyway, we enjoyed a lot and we achieved a lot of techniques to introduce the English language in our lessons.

After that, Magda explained to us several things about the English education in order to prepare ourselves for the next day visit to the Primary Education school. We learnt about the different features of the education in Britain and we reflected about the different educational systems around the world (taking into account that we have some different countries represented in our classroom). Then, in the last lesson of the day we learnt about the safety in the school and we realized that there are a lot of differences between the British educational system and the Spanish system, for example, do you know that it is forbidden to touch the students? or that we must ask for permission just for speaking with the students?

When the last session had finished we had luch with our friends in an italian restaurant so we celebrated Irene's birthday. After that, we went to Covent Garden and we went shopping.

We also had a tea in a beautiful Swiss cake shop.

But our day hadn't finished. Our host family had prepared a fantastic party to celebrate the birthday so we enjoyed a lot this day!!!

  Ninght day: terror tour and Mamma mia!!

On Tuesday, we started the day very early in the morning. We woke up at 6 because we were meting at 8 in order to go to a Primary Education School.

We went to Our Lady and St. Joseph Primary School and we enjoyed our time there a lot. We could see how the British educational system works and how children (they were so cute!) learn Maths, Music, English... and even we saw a Little festival about the Chinese New Year! We went over the whole school with our two guides: a 12 years old girl and a boy. We also could ask anything to the headmaster and the teachers were so kind with us. It was an amazing morning for sure.

After that, we went to the Museum of Childhood with our teacher Jonathan, where we had a great time. This museum is not as the others: in it, children can run and play and enjoy as much as possible without an adult's supervision. The museum is full of toys for all ages: balls, dolls, dolls' houses, puppets, board games... from the 16th Century on! Some of them were a bit creepy, though. We were happy and we acted as real little children in the visit.

When the visit to the museum was over, we went to the London Dungeon... a terror tour about the most horrifying stories of London. Sandra was totally scared and... that's why Irene laughed a lot that afternoon. We listened to stories, from Sweeney Todd to Jack the Reaper!!!

But our day wasn't finished still because we had to go to... Mamma mia musical!! It was amazing, astonishing, awesome.... we do not have enought words to describe it. We could just say: WE WANT TO WATCH IT AGAIN.

The musical finished very late so we returned home. We were the happiest women in the world.

Tenth  day: a very special dinner

Today, we have returned to our ordinary lessons. Firstly, we have reflected about yesterday's impressions and feelings and then, we have started to work. We have learned about drama in Primary Education. We have also played a lot of games and we have even mime! It has been great fun and we have learnt a lot!

After the warm up, we have continued learning about the global meaning of CLIL in class, focusing our attention, above all, on Primary Science. We have discused about the 4 C's of CLIL and how to apply the different exercises in class. It has been very helpful!

Finally, we have finished our day working in the final Project of the course: the micro lessons.

In the afternoon, we have had lunch in our favourite italian restaurant and now... we are going to prepare the dinner for our host family. A real Spanish dinner! So, we have to leave you know... we will keep in contact. See you later!!!


                          Eleventh day: touching the sky!

This morning, we have discussed the advantages and drawbacks of teaching phonics in Primary Education. We have determined that, as long as children enjoy learning it and find it simple enough, they can be helpful. Then, we have reviewed the different assessment techniques (formative and sumative) and how to apply them to a regular class. Every country and every school has different evaluation procedures to which we have to adapt our own practice. Nevertheless, the importance of assessing children in an objective and fair way is common to all of us.

In the afternoon, we have gone to the Museum of London with our teacher. There, we have seen objects, houses, clothes and even bones from different historical periods. All of them belonged to London, even before the city had been build. It has been very interesting and we have learned a bit more about History.

Then, we have walked around City of London until we have reach the ''Walky Talky'', a very famous skyscraper. We have gone all the way up to the last floor and we have enjoyed the amazing views of London at night: a huge field full of lights no matter where you looked at.

A delicious fish pie has been waiting for us at home! What a wonderful day of finishing the day.


                         Twelfth day: the last day at school

This morning, we have presented the micro lessons to our classmates. It has been the perfect review of the things we have learnt along the course. Watching a short class taught by students of different nationalities has been an enriching experience that we will never forget. Of course, our own presentations have been carefully planned and explained. We have done a great job! Once we have finished, we have been given the certificates and we have said good bye to our teachers and classmates (especially to our friend Keiko, who has been very kind with us and who has given us a beautiful present - Thank you very much; we wish you all the best!). We are going to miss them!

In the afternoon, we have rushed to Paddington station with Laura because our train to Oxford was leaving soon. We have eaten our lunch in the carriage and, by the time we have arrived, it was rainy and windy. We have visited Christ Church (and all its Harry Potter settings - Sandra was delighted!). Then, we have gone to ''The Eagle and the Child'' an English bar where the writer J. R. R. Tolkien used to go. 

Back to Paddington and... Good bye, Laura! It has been a really sad moment, but a pleasure to meet you. We hope to see you some day!

Our last dinner at home as been great. The family was waiting for us with a nice paella especially made for us. After our last conversation together, we have gone upstairs to have a rest. Tomorrow afternoon we are leaving, so we better go to bed now and pack our luggage in the morning. Good night!