Oxbridge+Academic+Teacher+Program+(Barcelona),+Summer+2010

Jully 25-August 1, 2010 I attended the Oxbridge Academic Teacher Seminar in Barcelona. Teachers in direct contact with writers, public figures and scholars in a historic environment surrounded by academic and cultural resources is the vision of the program. The teacher seminar offered participants cultural enrichment, intellectual replenishment and professional development. Ultimately, the program provided teachers with new ideas, new texts and techniques and new contacts and connections. There were twenty participants from mostly independent and private schools from coast to coast. Included in my group were librarians, world language teachers - new teachers and seasoned veterans. We were divided into groups - those communicative in Spanish and English speakers. Pursuing professional development, fulfilling personal aspirations and creating and exploring intellectual interests were the goals of one and all. Each day began with study groups and plenary sessions - highlights of Spanish history, medieval Spain, literary Barcelona, Barcelona and the Civil War, Spanish cinema as a teaching tool, art in the classroom, Barcelona and Modernism, Architecture of Barcelona, Spain since Franco (1975)-Democracy, Separatism, Immigration and Education. The Oxbridge Program also has a student division where we had the pportunity to visit classrooms and interact with teaches and students of the program. Afternoons consisted of museum visits, walking tours, and with Barcelona as our classroom, we had astounding visual aids. Our discussions and observations continued with dinners and cultural programs in the evenings at a variety of ethnic venues. Most interesting to me were the sessions on schools and immigration. My students are always interested in how schools around the world compare to ours and how the day and curriculum are organized. The accommodations were upscale in a student residence in a newer neighborhood of Barcelona. The food was superb and the program exhilirating. This is my second Oxbridge Program (Paris 2009). I strongly recommend this program for faculty and students of our Ransom Everglades community. Oxbridge also has programs in Oxford and Cambridge England, Paris and southern France. I would be happy to discuss further this marvelous experience that I had with others - adults and students if so interested.

Donald B. Bittler World Languages Department [|www.oxbridgeprograms.com]