Immersion Learning & Canoa

 

 

                Written on the board in the picture above is; "Life is experienced in different ways".
                                             

 

Students playing games in Quito!

Too often the American education system seems to be centered on the belief that every lesson of importance can be found in books or from the reiteration of information through lectures. The truth of the matter is that most valuable skills and lessons are hard to put in black and white. I believe that experience is the greatest teacher of all, and when students are asked to actually apply the skills they’re taught, they will then successfully master them rather than filing information to the back of their brains. While I was technically an assistant teacher in Ecuador, I oftentimes felt like a student, as I learned so much from the students and teachers around me. Especially in Canoa, a small fisherman’s village where we spent every morning working in a bilingual school. I spent time there teaching bilingual students English while they helped me develop my Spanish. The experience was both rewarding and eye-opening. I realized how much the American Education system has to learn from other countries. This small school lacked the facilities of our schools; they didn’t have computers, smart boards, and were lacking sufficient supplies. Yet, they had kids who were eager to be there, and they were smart about the way they were teaching them. For instance, I worked in a kindergarten classroom where English lessons were a major part of the curriculum. Research has proved time and time again that the critical acquisition period for student’s development of a language is when they are around this young age. Yet, most American schools start foreign language lessons in middle school and focus on them in high school. Contrary to research, we teach our students backwards, and considering the amount of possibilities that become available to students who are bilingual, we could learn a lot from this small school in Ecuador. These schools are also free from the burden of suffocating high-stakes testing that sucks the fun out of learning for most American students. Without Common Core and rigorous testing, the students are able to have time for projects and hands-on learning, where they are able to develop their skills and abilities. We too often think that the American educational system is superior to countries that have less financial support than us, yet despite lacking the funding and technology available in America, I saw engaged and excited students who were eager to learn.

Canoa student playing during recess, Photo Credit: Jose Antonio Maldonado

I learned a lot myself. Immersion learning is powerful.  In the photograph of the student from Canoa, the board reads; "Life is experienced in different ways". What better way for students to experience other cultures than to be immersed in them? The Latino Americana De Español School, a family-run school based in three different countries, made this entire experience possible for all of us SUNY Oneonta students by coordinating places for us to stay and work, all so we could have this amazing study-abroad experience.

Jose Antonio & Tara painted the library for the Canoa students!

The  Corral Family welcomed us to Ecuador with open arms and hearts, and went above and beyond to make the experience special for us. The school's goal seems to be focused on this process of immersion learning. We spent our mornings at the Academia taking Spanish lessons, and spent our afternoons doing service learning. They also coordinated opportunities for us to experience Ecuador first-hand by seeing the country for ourselves. Although I had taken Spanish classes in high school, it wasn't until I was fully immersed and living with a Spanish speaking family that I really utilized and applied the information I had once learned. While I had been exposed to information about the culture of Latin America through textbooks and in Spanish class, it wasn't until I conversed with the people, ate their food, and saw things from their perspective that I was able to really understand them.



The Canoa School

What a valuable way to learn, through experience. And, as the picture states above, life is experienced in different ways. If we never try to understand these differences, whether it be between ourselves and another culture, or even between those who grew up differently from ourselves right here in America, we will fail to learn valuable information about their lives and our own. Although "different" was out of my comfort zone, stepping into the shoes of those who live differently from myself helped me to grow and develop an appreciation for both my way of life and theirs.  Albert Einstein once said; “Learning is experience, everything else is just information”. Through my own experience in Ecuador, I learned that although lives are led differently, we have a lot to learn from experiencing and seeing things from another’s perspective.  

---