Hello, bella_aria-ga!
It seems we have children wanting to do the same thing this summer,
although my daugher is only fifteen! Though I will give you references
to programs in Mexico, Quatemala and other South American countries, I
will start off with the school my daughter is attending in Costa Rica!
Costa Rica
***********
Centro Panamericano De Idiomas
www.cpi-edu.com
First and foremost, we have chosen this school due to it's excellent
reputation. We have several excellent Spanish teachers at my
daughter's school who are familiar with Spanish immersion programs,
and this school has gotten top ratings! Secondly, the family my
daughter is travelling with have been to the school and are very
confident about its safety and reputation. Believe me...I wouldn't
consider sending my fifteen-year old to Costa Rica unless I was
confident about her safety.
Teaching Methods:
http://www.cpi-edu.com/teach.htm
"Our method emphasizes conversation and provides the students the
opportunity to speak Spanish from their first moment in class. We
tailor our programs to the academic goals of the student. The
professors are open to teaching survival skills and grammatical
structures which are most important to students. Mastering difficult
concepts is facilitated by the small class size (Average of 2
students, 4 maximum).
CPI's teaching methodology is based on daily conversations derived
from the interests of the students. The conversations are guided by
the professors and are supplemented by oral and written exercises as
well as other activities in which the students can practice what they
have learned. CPI's programs are designed for students of different
levels (beginner, intermediate, and advanced) with time periods of 2,
4, 6 or 8 weeks. The 4, 6, and 8 week programs are complete,
structured course and are directed toward the specific needs of the
students. The 2 week beginner program is a course in "survival"
Spanish.
(Three locations with the ability to study in more than one location.)
Common Questions:
http://www.cpi-edu.com/questions.htm
Student Recommendations:
http://www.cpi-edu.com/students.htm
Mexico
*******
Instituto Miguel de Cervantes
http://www.spanish-immersion.com/
====================================
"The Instituto Miguel de Cervantes in Guanajuato, founded in 1981,
provides intensive language study and a practical language-immersion
experience for individuals and groups. At the Institute, you will
benefit from small classes, individualized instruction, and our proven
teaching methods."
Our Program:
http://www.spanish-immersion.com/ourprog.asp
July session:
Session 2, July 2003. Four weeks to get credits in Archeology,
Photography, History, Sociology, and three levels of Spanish.
Exciting new opportunities for Service Learning credit. A total of 6
or 7 credits.
Why Guanajuato?
http://www.spanish-immersion.com/whygto.asp
HOW TO GET HERE. Guanajuato is located just twenty-five minutes from
León International Airport (also known as Aeropuerto del Bajío -
Airport code: BJX). The easiest way to get here is to fly direct.
There are international flights to León from the United States via
Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Chicago. A second option is
to fly to either Mexico City or Guadalajara and take a connecting
flight to León. If you are participating in our homestay program, we
will arrange for you to be picked up free of charge at the airport. If
you are not participating in our homestay program, we can still pick
you up for an additional charge of US$30. (You can also fly into
Mexico City and take a 4-hour bus ride)
http://www.spanish-immersion.com/planning.asp
PERSONAL SAFETY. We know that personal safety has become an issue of
increasing concern to foreigners visiting Mexico, and we want to
stress that Guanajuato provides an extremely safe environment for
visitors. Visitors are advised to exercise the same common-sense
precautions they would use anywhere to protect themselves and their
possessions -- that is, don't flash large amounts of money, leave
personal goods unattended, or conspicuously display valuables such as
jewelry, cameras, etc. That said, it is possible to walk virtually
anywhere in Guanajuato's downtown area, unaccompanied, and feel safe,
even after dark.
http://www.spanish-immersion.com/planning.asp
===
Spanish Institute of Puebla
http://www.sipuebla.com/index.htm
==================================
If you are serious about learning Spanish... we are the only
American-owned Spanish Language School, specialized in teaching the
Spanish language and its culture through a total immersion intensive
program in Puebla, Mexico. Our students learn from the outset to think
and express themselves in Spanish as they take classes, live and visit
the culturally rich city of Puebla and its surroundings. Founded in
1984... over 19 years of experience.
Why the Spanish Institute of Puebla?
http://www.sipuebla.com/Why-SIP.htm
Courses:
http://www.sipuebla.com/courses.htm
Director:
http://www.sipuebla.com/director.htm
July Dates:
July 21st - August 15th
http://www.sipuebla.com/starting-dates.htm
Location
http://www.sipuebla.com/puebla-mexico.htm?
Student Comments:
http://www.sipuebla.com/student_comments.htm
==
Experiencia
http://www.experiencia.com/
==============================
Spanish School in Cuernavaca, Mexico or Tepoztlan, Mexico
"In 1981, in between years of graduate study in social work, we
traveled to Mexico to study Spanish in an intensive Spanish language
immersion school. We knew then that acquisition of Spanish would be
important to us in our profession working with mental health clients
in California. We traveled to Cuernavaca, Mexico, which we learned was
one of the world centers for the study of the Spanish language. Upon
arrival in Cuernavaca, we began our research of the many schools
there. After visiting many schools and meeting their staff, we decided
upon the program at EXPERIENCIA, Centro de Intercambio Bilingüe y
Cultural. It had many things that we were looking for and more:
CUERNAVACA PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
A seasoned and experienced school. This program was founded in 1977 by
Arturo Ballinas. Staff receive regular training updates on teaching
methods. Experience + Innovation.
Daily classes, Monday through Friday, 9am-2pm. Learning Integration
Activities, 6-8 pm Monday through Friday , included in tuition
(optional). Weekend Excursions (Saturdays, included in tuition).
An intensive Spanish language program with small group (never more
than five students in all group classes, not like some schools) and
individual private classes. We can specially design a mix of group and
individual classes or add additional hours to meet your specific
needs.
A program which emphasizes learning Spanish in the context of
understanding Mexican and Latino culture helping you to become
culturally competent in your application of Spanish.
Evening Learning Integration Activities included in the price of basic
tuition (lectures, dance, bilingual "intercambio" with Mexican
students learning English).
Interesting and fun Saturday excursions, included in the price of
basic tuition, to archeological sites, recreational sites, as well as
other popular locations.
An opportunity to live with Mexican homestay family who will welcome
you as a member of their family. They will also help with homework and
integrating the Spanish language and culture in a natural way.
Volunteer work experiences to further integrate your language
acquisition and integrate specific job related language skills. We
help you arrange a placement in a hospital, a clinic serving families
or a clinic serving women.
A reasonable price with many additional activities included (evening
Learning Integration Activities and Saturday excursions are included
in basic tuition, unlike most programs where you pay extra).
Classes designed for children and teenagers on the same campus running
concurrently to adult classes.
A friendly, family-operated school with a serious academic atmosphere
and classes in a beautiful tropical garden setting.
A focus on program flexibility to meet individual learning needs.
Access to meet and speak with Mexican students studying English.
Students from Europe and other parts of the world, not just the US,
like most schools
Special study programs for professionals (health, medical, education,
social work, psychotherapy, business, legal, etc).
Significant discounts and incentives for professors, teachers, travel
agents and others bringing groups to study. Inquire for quotes
regarding your group idea.
==
Also see seperate review!
http://www.aventurased.com/
==
Comprehensive List of Spanish Immersion Schools in other countries
*******************************************************************
Spanish 4 Students
http://www.spanish4students.com/start.html
You will need to go through a series of steps....skip the
introduction, and then click on the "schools" link. From there, you
can click on your country of choice (Quatemala, etc.) and then read
about the different schools. Unfortunately, you will have to cut and
paste the website URL into your address bar to get more than the
basics about each school!
===
In your case, it would be wise to pick out a few schools based on
budget and class schedules, and then look at the locale and safety
issues. I know nothing personnally about any of the language immersion
schools other than the few I have listed above.
I think Mexico and Costa Rica are your best bets.....however, it all
depends on what your son is looking for as an all-around experience.
I hope this information is helpful. If you need additional
clarification, please don't hesitate to ask *before* rating my answer,
and I will try to provide additional help is possible.
umiat-ga
Google Search Strategy
Spanish immersion +mexico |
