Don Quijote: Valencia

The location of the school is good. The actual building is pleasant but I could have been anywhere in Europe. Virtually Nothing in any of the teaching rooms about Valencia or Spain or aids to support learning. The only thing I really got from the two weeks was a better ear off of the language which you’d expect from 2 weeks in a country..

The teachers were very pleasant but their understanding and use of teaching strategies to support learning was extremely limited making the quality of teaching extremely poor. It felt like pre 1970’s teaching techniques concentrating on coverage not if developing understanding and a poor use of appropriate teaching techniques to scaffold and support learning.

The most adventurous techniques were two colours on a whiteboard ( not electronic) and listening to a recording of a converstaion(10mins in over 50 hours of classes!) without techniques to support the listening . Interaction was limited to some pair and small group work but not well structured to balance learners skills and needs and hence support learning.

As a professional trainer if teachers, I was appalled at the extremely limited understanding and use of teaching strategies to support learning. A very disappointing experience

The teachers were very good and serious... something we can’t say about the young students. Sleeping on their table, speaking in english ( convenient but it was not the aim....) it was the worse thing for me. The almost killed the atmosphere.
Otherwise the classes were very effective. I learned a lot. The groups were small, better to talk.
I haven’t tried the activities or the accomodation.

Location was very intereted in the middle of the old city, easy to reach.

I didn’t like the concept to increase the number of hours per days because we missed the holydays....it was to much. Better to pay less....

This was my first trip to study abroad and I really liked it! I have been learning Spanish for three years at the university, I still needed a push to speak.
The first day I arrived, I was amazed with my apartment. Although, it was not big it was nice, with a balcony.
The location of the school is very convenient for people living at the residence, you just need to go downstairs and there it is. It is also close to the beach, so you do not even need to catch a train to get to the sea.

All the teaches are excellent! They have an individual approach almost for each person and from the first lesson they try to make you feel comfortable and communicate with the others.