Spanish for Teachers & Spanish Teachers | Total Language Immersion in Costa Rica & Ecuador – Earn CEUs and PDUs!
1-2 weeks
2-6 weeks in length
1-5 weeks total trip length
Dates subject to change depending on Covid developments.
Spanish for Educators: Spanish Immersion Program for Teachers in Costa Rica & Ecuador!
Whether you’re a Spanish teacher or a classroom teacher, you can’t find a better immersion program to improve your Spanish!
This teacher’s Spanish immersion program is inspired and implemented BY educators FOR educators. Program planning, host family coordination, language classes and leadership are designed intentionally for YOU the TEACHER! Read what our participants have to say about this program!
Spanish for Teachers Immersion Trip; thoughts from a recent traveler:
I would say that my time in Costa Rica has truly met or exceeded all of my expectations! For example, I came down knowing only a few words, but after three short weeks, I’m leaving with the ability to communicate in Spanish with my students and their parents – what a gift! Additionally, I’ve gained so much by being immersed in this culture and truly believe I will be a better teacher in the future because of it.
Read more testimonials here!
Why should I choose Common Ground Spanish Immersion Program for Teachers and Spanish Teachers?
We offer the best language and cultural outcomes:
The primary difference with our Educator Spanish immersion programs is that we weave 4 Spanish language components into your everyday experience to help you learn Spanish for your profession (and general conversational Spanish) through everything you do Mon. – Fri. Here is how we do it:
- You learn Spanish for educators (and general Spanish) in daily Spanish immersion classes with native Spanish speakers. Therefore, you know you’re exposed to native Spanish all day long.
- Staying with a local host family keeps you immersed in speaking Spanish 24/7, and forces you to acquire Spanish. As you relate to your host family and experience daily culture in Latin America, you notice your everyday communication improving.
- Preparing and delivering educational workshops to target communities with identified educational needs provides community support. Additionally, it requires you to use Spanish in a practical and educational context
- Visiting local schools and interacting with local teachers gives you insight into education systems in Spanish speaking countries.
- You can earn Continuing Education Credits and Graduate Level Credits which often makes this program reimbursable!
You’re not alone:
When you travel with Common Ground, you are not on your own. At a very minimum, you have the CGI onsite coordinator with your during your whole trip. Additionally, you will work closely with one of our lead Spanish instructors for at least a portion of your trip. We are in country to support you!
We prepare you before you travel:
Preparation is essential for establishing clear expectations for your trip, staying safe while you travel, knowing the day to day plan, and positioning yourself and your Spanish for maximum success on your program. Therefore, our custom pre-departure course is an amazingly effective online course that connects you with your fellow travelers and prepares you for every single detail – including culture shock!
You know where we live:
We’re a Colorado-based organization with a clear track record of amazing Spanish immersion programs since 2003! You can call us up at any time, speak English (or Spanish), and get your questions answered immediately. That’s worth its weight in gold!
What type of teacher is this program for?
- Classroom teachers who want to / need to learn how to communicate with their Spanish-speaking students, parents & guardians. For many classroom teachers, Spanish has become an extremely helpful tool to connect with Spanish-only parents; and the ability to understand families on a cultural level is invaluable.
- Dual language immersion teachers that need to refine their Spanish skills in a variety of contexts
- Spanish teachers benefit as well! It’s easy to get into a rut with your Spanish if you’re teaching the same levels over and over every year. Spanish teachers know that every 3-5 years they should get abroad to immerse themselves in the language and refine higher level grammar concepts and reach native like fluency in everyday conversations.
- Our Spanish for teachers immersion program is hands down the BEST way to improve your Spanish over the summer!
IMMERSION PROGRAM OBJECTIVE:
Spanish Immersion for Educators is specifically designed for teachers to drastically improve their Spanish communication skills. Participating in this program results in more effective and successful communication with your Spanish-speaking students and families in and out of the classroom.
IMMERSION PROGRAM RATIONALE:
We have a problem. Today, teachers are graduating with cutting edge methodology and training to teach their students. HOWEVER, considering the growing Spanish speaking population in the US, many educators lack the Spanish language skills they need to successfully and effectively manage their classrooms. Additionally, communicating with their parents to improve outcomes of LEP populations in their classrooms is difficult. This Spanish Immersion Program for Educators equips teachers with the Spanish speaking skills and cultural understanding they need in order to successfully and effectively work with their populations.
IMMERSION PROGRAM SUMMARY:
This program was designed by Spanish teachers for teachers that need to: improve their Spanish, better serve their educational communities, and break down language barriers. Whether you are a classroom teacher with a high percentage of Spanish speaking families, a dual language immersion teacher that needs a deeper knowledge of the language and culture, or a Spanish teacher that needs to brush up on native skills, this program is for you.
Every element incorporated into this program is to maximize your Spanish language learning and cultural exposure. The 3 central components of this program result in increased Spanish proficiency for professional purposes as well as acquired cultural insights. The 3 central components of this program are:
20 hours a week of communicative Spanish classes that are customized for educators.
All participants must take both a written and oral entrance exam to get placed in the correct starting level.
- As noted above, “Spanish for teachers” can mean a couple of things: Spanish for classroom teachers or Spanish for Spanish teachers. During the pre-travel period, you will define for us which type of Spanish immersion you’d like your classes to focus on.
- Our Spanish for classroom teachers curriculum revolves around classroom management and parent conversations in Spanish.
- Our Spanish for Spanish teachers curriculum focuses on refining higher level communicative proficiency in Spanish, and/or it can include a focus on tips and techniques for teaching Spanish back home.
Educational service projects (10-12 hrs. per week): where participants deliver educational topics in our outreach projects to underserved communities with identified educational needs. Participants also visit local schools and interact with local teachers.
- Our community engagement projects give you the opportunity to:
- practice and improve your Spanish in an educational setting and a real life context.
- Not only will the community service activities help meet the needs of the under-served, but they also require teachers to be using Spanish in a practical context to meet certain objectives.
- This is an important piece to your language development and improving your Spanish.
- We generally volunteer between 9 and 12 hours per week.
Living with a local host family: participants are immersed in speaking Spanish 24/7 and acquiring Spanish as they relate to the host family and experience daily culture in Central and South America.
- Your host families in either country will take care of all of your basic needs:
- Provide you with a private bedroom
- Share breakfast and dinner with you
- Make sure that you are as comfortable as possible in their home
- We recommend host family stay to complete the 24/7 immersion aspect of the program, your general Spanish conversational skills will sharpen quickly! Of course, you have the option in both Costa Rica and Ecuador to stay on your own in a hostel or hotel. You will miss out on some conversational Spanish, but if you need your private space, you can certainly get it.
Continuing Education: Continuing Education Credits (CEU’s) and Graduate Level Credits (PDU’s) are available for an additional cost for teachers who would like to apply for them.
Learning Spanish well is not a quick endeavor. If you truly want to make progress on your Spanish skills, we suggest a minimum program length of two weeks.
All of our programs include basic travel medical insurance with trip interruption, delays, lost bags, etc. Here is the standard description of coverage for your included travel insurance plan.
If you you have any uncertainties about your upcoming adventure, it might be a good idea to consider a Cancel for Any Reason insurance policy. We suggest you shop for it here:
Registration is open for 2020 Programs…
1- 3 Weeks Teacher Spanish Immersion Program – ECUADOR
1 wk Ecuador Programs: June 12- 19, 2021
2 wk Ecuador Programs: June 12-26, 2021
- Fly in and out of Quito, Ecuador (UIO)
- Attend 1-5 weeks (Mon – Fri) of Spanish classes (20 hours per week)
- Optional cultural classes: salsa, merengue, cumbia dancing classes, and learn to cook like your mamá tica!
- Visit various precarios in the outskirts of Quito and develop educational charlas that help the communities improve quality of life. Work directly with kids and teachers in local schools.
- Learn about the educational system in Ecuador, through school visits and meeting local teachers
- Practice and improve your Spanish in an educational setting and a real life context while volunteering to help meet the needs of the underserved in educational communities.
- Live with a lovely host family
- Optional weekend excursions to travel with other participants!
Reserve your spot with $500 deposit
3-6 Week Combo Spanish for Teachers Immersion Programs in Ecuador and Costa Rica
3-week Ecuador & Costa Rica Immersion Program: June 12 – July 3, 2021
4-week Ecuador & Costa Rica Immersion Programs: June 12- July 10, 2021
5-week Ecuador & Costa Rica Immersion Programs: June 12 – July 17, 2021
6-week Ecuador & Costa Rica Immersion Programs: June 12 – July 24, 2021
- Experience 2 countries in 1 trip!
- Fly into Quito (UIO) and out of San Jose (SJO)
- Attend (Mon – Fri) Spanish classes (mix educational and general Spanish)
- Visit various precarios in the outskirts of San José, Quito & Cuenca in order to develop educational charlas that help the communities improve quality of life.
- Optional cultural classes: salsa, merengue, cumbia dancing classes, and learn to cook like your mamá tica!
- Learn about the educational system in Ecuador & Costa Rica, through school visits and meeting local teachers
- Practice and improve your Spanish in an educational setting and a real life context while volunteering to help meet the needs of the underserved in educational communities.
- Live with a lovely host family
- Optional weekend excursions to travel with other participants!
Reserve your spot with $500 deposit
1-5 Week Spanish for Teachers Immersion Programs in Costa Rica:
1-Week Costa Rica Programs: June 26 – July 3, 2021
2-Week Costa Rica Programs: June 26 – July 10, 2021
3-Week Costa Rica Programs: June 26 – July 17, 2021
4-Week Costa Rica Programs: June 26 – July 24, 2021
5-Week Costa Rica Programs: June 26 – July 31, 2021
6-Week Costa Rica Programs: June 26 – Aug. 7, 2021
- Fly in and out of San José (SJO)
- Attend 1-6 weeks (Mon – Fri) of Spanish classes including medical and general focus
- Attend (Mon – Fri) Spanish classes (mix educational and general Spanish)
- Visit various precarios in the outskirts of San José in order to develop educational charlas that help the communities improve quality of life.
- Optional cultural classes such as: salsa, merengue, cumbia dancing classes, and learn to cook like your mamá tica!
- Learn about the educational system in Costa Rica, through school visits and meeting local teachers
- Practice and improve your Spanish in an educational setting and a real life context while volunteering to help meet the needs of the underserved in educational communities.
- Live with a lovely host family
- Optional weekend excursions in order to travel with other participants!
Travel: Fly in and out of Costa Rica (SJO)
*The dates listed above are Saturday – Saturday dates. Official program start days are on Mondays, but we request that you arrive on the Saturday prior to the Monday start.
Reserve your spot with $500 deposit
A few video testimonials from recent travelers:
Registration is OPEN and space is LIMITED! Deadline to register April 20th OR when filled!
Complete the form below to see the Spanish for Teachers immersion costs and inclusions
Why does learning Spanish even matter?
Learning Spanish matters for a variety of reasons:
- First of all, it makes a tangible difference in the lives of your underserved students and families every day, which fulfills our mission.
- Secondly, your students & parents are put at ease when they see you trying to speak Spanish, which opens doors
- Thirdly, you understand your community members more easily, and are less frustrated
- Additionally, you observe the results when your students are successful in your classroom, which makes all your efforts worthwhile
- And finally, you feel better about your work with Spanish speakers
When you learn Spanish on immersion with Common Ground, you learn it by participating in a well-rounded total Spanish immersion context. For example, we include: educational outreach work in underserved communities, Spanish classes tailored and differentiated for teachers, host family lodging and weekend adventures. Therefore, you work hard and you have a lot of fun. However, the real reason that we invite you to participate in this Spanish immersion trip is to impact your community. We want you to take Spanish back to your home community and have a bigger impact in the lives of your students for a lifetime!
For more details from Leslie Foster, director Spanish immersion for Educator Program watch this pre-recorded informational webinar:
Spanish Immersion FAQs
How is this program different from other Spanish immersion programs abroad?
Common Ground’s Spanish immersion program for Educators is unique in several ways from other options available to teachers. Firstly, the differences relate to pre-trip preparation. Secondly, integration into the local communities and the type of educational outreach work we do. Thirdly, out-of-class learning experiences, and program supervision. If you’re not sure how to choose between the programs you’re considering, we’ll also be happy to give a free comparison/contrast with any other program you’re considering. It will be our pleasure to help you make a well-informed decision on which program will be best for you.
Who usually travels on this Spanish for Educators Immersion program?
We welcome all teachers, so we accept teachers and students preparing to be educators from across the country. While everyone has unique specialties and varying professional aspirations, the one thing that EVERYONE has in common is a sense that they need Spanish for their work. Regardless of your teaching speciality, our goal is to match your expertise with a need in the communities where we work to benefit the local population. We have a small team of teachers that help supervise our programs in Central America and ensure that our outreach work remains ethical, accurate, and applicable to the local populations that we serve.
How can I prepare for this Spanish Immersion?
Preparation is one of the key elements of our Mission Statement for responsible international outreach work. Therefore, you can and should be preparing as much as possible with your Spanish language before traveling. As mentioned elsewhere, beginners are accepted onto the programs without hesitation. However, you will never regret a single minute of Spanish preparation before you travel. There is a truism when it comes to language immersion programs: the more you know before you travel, the more you learn while abroad.
The reality is that the stronger your foundation is in Spanish before participating in a program, the more you have to build on when you are in-country. You will also be joining a series of live webinar meetings online to help you prepare for logistics and plan the outreach work that you’ll be participating in. For example, we typically have 4 meetings in the 2-4 months preceding a program in order to systematically help you prepare for your travel. Additionally, we ask you to complete an online pre-departure course.
Can I join if my Spanish is beginning level?
Yes, of course. Our Spanish Immersion Program is designed to improve your Spanish regardless of your level. Since we expect you to be learning while you help communities with specific needs, we are intentional about the group you’re in. We strongly believe that improving your Spanish proficiency is key to providing enhanced service to your Spanish-only students, parents, and guardians in your home community. As long as you know that as a beginner, you will face frustrations and challenges that intermediate and advanced level speakers don’t face, then we welcome you! For example, it takes you longer for beginners to get comfortable with your host family, and you strain harder to follow conversations and presentations that we receive. Additionally, you work harder to develop and facilitate your charlas.
However, it’s totally worth it, and every trip beginners thank us for allowing them to participate because they can’t believe how much progress they’ve made with their Spanish.
How are the facilities chosen where we will be working?
We work with a few different non-profit groups and schools that focus on bringing education and enrichment to the poor and under-served in several different communities around the Central Valley of Costa Rica and the Cuenca & Quito areas of Ecuador. For example, we spend significant time in schools or other public meeting places in these communities to deliver our workshops and respond to the identified needs of the community. For more information on our guiding principles for work abroad, please see our mission statement.
What about donations?
Donations are great! For example, during your pre-departure course, we may ask you to collect both physical and financial donations for your work on immersion. Normally, your donations will relate directly to any charlas that you will be giving in select communities. For example, if you’re giving a talk on oral hygiene, we will suggest that your charla group try and secure toothbrush and travel toothpaste donations to accompany your charla. Other situations may lend themselves more to education materials as donations. You will receive more details on the talks you will be delivering and have the opportunity to define your own donation items during your pre-departure preparation.
Can I bring my family with me?
Of course! We’re happy to have your family join you on your immersion program. This does require some additional planning – so we will want to know that you’re thinking about bringing a spouse and/or children sooner rather than later.
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