PD for Summer 2022!

 

This summer I did an amazing PD experience through "Live the Osa". It was an "educator trip" to the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. On the trip were 12 other teachers/educators (only three of us were language teachers) and one 13 year old. It was my sixth time to Costa Rica, but I had never been to the Osa, nor on a trip like this. 

(Scroll down  to the bottom or click here if you just want to see the exciting news for a PD opportunity for the summer of 2022!)

Helaine Wemple is the owner of "Live the Osa" and also a full time Spanish teacher in New Hampshire and a mom of a 13 year old boy (who traveled with us as well). Helaine has deep connections in the Puerto Jiménez (and surrounding small towns) that span over twenty years. That made the trip even better! We were in very good hands and clearly with someone who interacted with people in the community. 

There were so many good things about the trip that I am still processing it all. Here is the itinerary:

Because we visited 5 schools, interacted with Costa Rican teachers and students, lived with Costa Rican families, explored the natural beauty of the Osa, and reflected on everything we did, teachers on the trip (mostly non-language teachers) increased their "intercultural competence" immensely...  and possibly without even really realizing it (especially if they aren't focused on teaching this to students).

Intercultural competence is defined as: "a combination of attitudes, knowledge, understanding and skills applied through action which enables one, either singly or together with others, to:

• understand and respect people who are perceived to have different cultural affiliations from oneself; 
• respond appropriately, effectively and respectfully when interacting and communicating with such people; 
• establish positive and constructive relationships with such people; 
• understand oneself and one’s own multiple cultural affiliations through encounters with cultural “difference.” (Huber, J., & Reynolds, C. (Eds). (2014). Developing intercultural competence through education, 2014, pp. 16–17)."

So, now the exciting news! Helaine and I will be co-leading another, similar trip this summer (2022), but this (very affordable) trip will be specifically for World Language teachers. In our itinerary, we have included six CI workshops. We are super excited about offering this PD opportunity as it encompasses so many things that WL teachers want:

• Be in a Spanish speaking country, specifically the amazingly beautiful (and not very touristy) Osa Peninsula 
• Interact with people of Puerto Jiménez and surrounding towns
• Learn from other teachers (Costa Rican and those on the trip)
• Improve and reflect on your Intercultural Competence
• Be with other teachers who are interested in CI techniques
• Stay with a Costa Rican family for four nights
• Improve your language skills and/or notice linguistic differences from Costa Rica