Sabbatical summary

My ferry arrives in Santander

June 12:   I'm leaving Santander on the ferry at 9 o'clock tonight, bound for Plymouth.  After a few days in England, I'll be flying home to Florida.  

So, time to wrap things up with a sabbatical summary: 

Sabbatical/educational goals and research:   

• I've strengthened existing international connections by completing a site visit at the International College of Seville.  
• I've made new international connections by (a) volunteering at the local elementary school CP José Arce Bodega (in Santander) and (b) observing/assisting in adult education classes taught by Juncal Garcia, Professor of English and Legal English at the University of Cantabria. 
• Through the above connections, I have learned about education in Spain, and I have contacts who are interested in (a) receiving international interns as classroom conversation assistants, and (b) faculty international exchange program.  In addition, I can provide contacts for any Valencia faculty who are interested in  arranging a study abroad opportunity here in Santander.  
• Corin's exchange with the University of Cantabria has gone well and has provided information for two blog posts about the exchange experience.
• I've researched and written blog posts about life in Spain, international education, intercultural communication, language acquisition, psychology, and random other stuff (click on table of contents above for full list).  
• I've published lesson materials and proverbs here on the blog (click on tabs above to see full lists).      
• I've talked about Valencia and passed out promotional materials to adult learners of English, teenagers, parents, and educators in Spain, Italy, and the UK.  
• I've learned about the history of life in Cantabria through documentary films shown at the library such as 'People of the Sea' and 'The Pas valley:  Valleys of Silence.  Film trailer here.  Pictures here.
• I've visited museums in Bilbao, Madrid, Santander, and Florence.

Fun stuff in Santander/Cantabria:  

with Sombra

• I've made lots of new friends in Santander 

• I've done lots of horse riding and hiking along the coast and in the mountains of Cantabria.

• Corin and I have attended four concerts at Santander's concert hall, Palacio de Festivales.  We enjoyed performances by some of the best European orchestras (Italian, Spanish, and German) as well as Italian pianist Fabio Bidini and Spanish singer Ainhoa Arteta.

with my cousin Isabella
in Orta, Italy

Other Travels:  

• UK:  Visited family and friends all over UK in December and January; celebrated Christmas and Corin's 18th birthday in London.  
• Spain:  Visited Barcelona, Seville, Granada, Sierra Nevada, and Bilbao 
• Italy:  Visited Florence and Milan
• Germany: Went skiing in Garmisch

What happens to the blog now?  Since I'm no longer on sabbatical, I won't be writing any more on this blog.  However, the lesson plans and proverbs have been moved to their own separate blogs, to be continued. Links here.  Proverb blog and Lesson plan blog 

Corin and me hiking in the Picos de Europa

Students on strike in Santander, 9 May 2013

Education strike Santander, May 9

On May 9 there was a nationwide education strike (huelga) in Spain, including Santander and the University of Cantabria.   

The first time we heard about the huelga was when Corin was given this flyer (right) at university, informing students about the strike on 9-M (9th May), encouraging them to wake up, choose, get up and fight! and inviting them to assemble on 30 April for a pre-srike information session and demonstration at the university.  
Calls for student participation were broadcast via twitter and facebook (see student union twitter page from May 9 below).  Meanwhile, the student council of UC sent students an e-mail one week prior to May 9 urging them  to participate in 'huelga a la japonesa';  (Japanese strike).  Apparently it's an urban legend in Spain that the Japanese 'strike' by working harder than normal:  disruption by over-production.  Thus, this e-mail encourages students not to cut classes but, instead, focus even harder on their education that day, and attend special events designed to promote a quality education through debate, symposium, and reflection.  'The strike is not a reason not to go to class', says the e-mail.

UC student union twitter page, 9-M

During the week before and after the huelga, I asked various 'players' (i.e. parents, teachers, and students at various levels of education) to share their thoughts. Below I've summarized my findings:  

Disclaimer:  I don't know that these examples are representative; they are just the voices of the people I know here.

University exchange student (Corin)  He was concerned with whether or not he needed to go to class.  Professors assured students that classes would not be cancelled; however, on the day it turned out that most of them were. In the lead-up to the big day, he was handed strike-related flyers, received strike-related e-mails, and heard a lot of noise as students were preparing their rallying calls in the hallways.  

Spanish university student (Carmen)  She didn't have much to say about the strike; she doesn't really know what they are trying to accomplish.  She explained that it doesn't affect her because her professors are giving classes as normal.  However, she acknowledges that many students won't be in class because they will be participating in the strike.  She will not be participating.

Parent of Spanish university student (Margarita):  She doesn't agree with the strike. She pays approximately 2K euros (2600 dollars) per year for her son's tuition, and she acknowledges that this doesn't come close to covering the cost.  The state pays the rest, and she says 'as a taxpayer I know that we can't afford it.  Our country is in ecnomomic crisis'.  She suggests there needs to be a new model for financing university education.  In her opinion, the students are being manipulated by 'the left' for purposes of 'political grandstanding', and the professors shouldn't condone it by canceling class that day.  

strike in the rain!

High school students (Oscar and Paula)  As we might guess, they see it as a free day, a welcomed day off school.  Something like a 'hurricane day' in Florida!

Parent of high school students (Anita):  She feels that the Spanish education system is broken; she doesn't see how they can make any more cuts.  Education and health care are two things all governments must provide, she says, and cuts need to be made in other areas, not those two.  

Primary school teacher (Leila):  She is not going to participate in the strike, but she believes each teacher has to make his/her own decision based on conscience. Although, she points out, the children will arrive at school that day like every other day, and someone has to be there, if not to teach them then at least to take care of them.   

Primary school teacher (Pablo):  He is concerned that the new government is trying to privatize public services (education and health care) by taking funding away from public schools and hospitals and channelling it towards private alternatives. The public schools, whose mission is to provide a 'quality education for all', are therefore having to do more with less, while taxpayer funds are being diverted to private schools and used for capital improvements.  This is one of the reasons for the strike -- it's not only about cuts, but also re-distribution of funds.  

Parent of primary school children (Ignacio):  He thinks for a while, and then says 'I try to look at the situation logically.' He goes on to explain that in his opinion, health care and education should be provided by the government because they are essential for a stable society.  The problem now, in the economic crisis, is that there isn't enough money to pay for both of them without making drastic cuts.  If the option is either to make cuts or to stop providing health care and/or education, then he accepts that making cuts is the lesser of two evils.  However, he points out that the politicians are still finding money for their 'pet projects' and he blames the current economic situation on politicians, stating 'we need a completely new government.'

University Professor (Jimena):  She summarized the two reasons for the strike as follows:  

(1)  University funding:  The new government has cut funding for universities so that research is being stopped, tenured teachers are going back into the classroom, and non-tenured teachers are being laid off.  Although this is happening in Madrid and many other Spanish universities, it has not yet happened at the University of Cantabria. This, she says, is because of the UC president who is 'fighting for us'.  

In addition, the proposed changes include cutting student grants and scholarships while raising tuition.  Jimena explains that the way the system has always worked in Spain, the students pay for their university studies through a combination of grants, scholarships, other state funding, and a small parent contribution.  But now, with tuition going up and grants being reduced, it is becoming impossible for people with average incomes to afford university.  What about loans? I asked.  That's not something people do here, she explained.  But, she said 'people are starting to notice the new British system' (government loans) and 'wonder whether something like that will end up happening here'.  (Note:  The government loan system in UK should not be confused with student loans in the US.  In the UK, students do not start paying back their loans until their earnings reach a certain level; then payments are deducted automatically from salaries through the tax system.  It's a fixed percentage of income above the threshold, and typically it's thought of as an 'extra tax we have to pay because we went to university.'  If someone never earns above the pay-back threshold, they never have to pay it back, and they are not considered to 'owe' that money to anyone. They are just 'not subject to the tax.') 

(2)  School curriculum and funding:  The second reason for the strike, said Jimena, is the proposed changes to the public school system.  These include:  

(a)  More hours per week devoted to religion (studying the bible) which will be considered an academic subject for which students get a grade.

(b)  Music and art, which students are currently required to study for four years, will be cut to one year, and made optional.  

(d)  More funding is to be given to 'semi-private' schools.  She explained that there are three types of school in Spain:  Public (free), private (with fees that can be anywhere up to 6K euros a year), and something 'in the middle.'  In this middle category, parents pay about 50 euros a month and the schools also receive state funding.  There is typically a long waiting list for these schools.  The proposed change adds funding to the middle category and takes it away from the public category.

Santander, May 9, 2013

Education international, in a May 8 article, describes the reasons for the strike as follows:

Spain’s education community will use the strike to express its unanimous rejection of the reform plans imposed by the Education Ministry, under the leadership of José Ignacio Wert.  These reforms are an attack on several fronts - on primary and secondary education, on university education and on the education powers of local governments.    

Ideological reform

Wert’s Organic Law for Improving Education Quality (LOMCE) makes far-reaching changes to the current Organic Education Action (LOE, 2006) which has been in force for barely six years.  So far, no group of pupils has been educated throughout their entire school attendance under the terms of this law, and there has been no evaluation of its efficacy.

The unions believe the reforms promote an elitist, retrograde educational model. Pupils are segregated at an early age into educational streams of differing levels, while access to higher education is restricted due to a sharp rise in university fees.

There is also an obsessive attention to external evaluations, without teacher participation. The curriculum is also restricted, downgrading holistic approaches to teaching that are fundamental to the development of the individual. At the same time, the educational powers of local governments are being cut, hugely hampering the possibility of developing education policy at a regional level.

In short, unions warn that the reforms are opening the pathway to the covert privatisation of public education.

Drastic cuts

Since 2010, Spain has lost almost one-third of its education resources, with budget cuts of over €6.3 billion euros.  Thousands of jobs have been lost at every level and stage of education, while the working conditions of education professionals have deteriorated.

Grants and assistance to those most in need have been drastically reduced;  many forms of support and compensation for pupils with learning difficulties have been eliminated; and there has been an exorbitant rise in fees for certain levels of education, such as early childhood education, vocational training, and university education. 

So, on the morning of May 9, I went to the university. The hallways were quieter than normal, but there were students working in the library, professors working in their offices, a few people in the cafeteria, and the occasional burst of noise as students practiced their rallying calls and chants for the demonstration that afternoon.    

Despite the e-mail from the student council urging students that 'the strike is not a reason not to go to class', and despite Corin's professors having said they would be having class as normal, all his classes that morning were cancelled.  His afternoon class, however, was held as normal, albeit with fewer students.  

While high school students stayed at home, many elementary school children showed up to school that morning as normal because working parents don't always have other options. The teachers who did not participate in the strike took care of the children. However, they explained, 'it was a day for babysitting, not lessons.'

As you can see in the pictures, bad weather (it rained non-stop during the entire day of 9 May!) did not prevent students, teachers, and parents from 'taking it to the streets' in Santander.

Below are more pictures from the strike.  Note:  Most of the pictures on this blog post came from the website eldiariomontanes.es, in the Cantabria section.  If you'd like to see more photos of the strike, you can click on this link.

A Spanish school arranges Mercadillo Solidario

Today at the elementary school we didn't have English class.  Instead, the school was holding a special event:  A mercadillo solidario (literally: caring market). 

The market works as follows:  Each child brings in two items from home:  (1)  A non-perishable food item, and (2)  something for the market (typical garage sale fare such as books, clothes, toys, and DVDs).  The food is put in a grocery cart, and the market goods are spread out on tables around the room.  

The food is then donated to the Ayuntamiento (local council offices/town hall) who distribute it to the local food banks and give each participating child a bookmark.  Each child then chooses an item from the market.  

All the children in the school, including the 2 year olds (pictured above) came to see the market, and once they were all assembled, there was singing.  Even the 2 year olds joined in (with the hand movements if not the actual singing!)

The children loved giving away the market goods, and tried to persuade me that I needed a Spanish language (cartoon) version of La Pequeña Dorrit and an abridged English version of Tess of the D'Urbervilles.  I managed to resist their high pressure sales tactics (look!  It's English!  Perfect for you!) and instead, chose a cute little picture book called Las Fantasmas Buscan Casa. This choice was a source of great hilarity!

The teachers kindly allowed me to take these pictures, and explained to me how the market worked, and the motivation behind it.  Spain is experiencing an economic crisis, they explained, and, as one of the teachers put it, 'it's so important that they learn, at this young age, to do things like this.'  De acuerdo.    

University of Cantabria: The exchange experience

It's midterm exam time at the University of Cantabria; a good time to look at the exchange experience and report on Corin's findings so far.

This blog post will focus on assessment, university life, and advice for future exchange students.  A separate post discusses text books.   (Plus I've thrown in a couple of pictures for good measure).  

Right:  The port, Santander.



Assessment:

One of the first things Corin noticed is that grading in Spain is different.  This includes the grading scale, the grading calculations, and the final exam schedule.

Grading scale:  The percentage or letter grade system is not used in Spain.  The chart below shows how the grading scale is different between the USA, England (where I went to university), and Spain.  

Country	Number scale	Letter scale	Excellent	Good	Pass	Fail
USA	Up to 100	A-F	A:  90-100	B:  80-89	C: 70-79	D/F: <70
England	Up to 100	None	70-100	60-69	50-59	< 50
Spain	Up to 10	None	7-10	6	5	< 5

Final grade calculation:  In Spain, the most important grade is the final exam.  Although in most classes there are other tests, the grades are not counted if the final exam grade is higher.  If a student fails the final exam, he/she can re-take it (the exam, not the class) the following semester.  The chart below shows how the grade is calculated for Corin's four classes:

Class	Grade calculation
Physics	10% lab, 40% tests, 50% final.  The final exam grade over-rides any lower test grade.
Partial differential equations	45% midterm, 55% final.  If you fail the midterm, the final counts for 100%.
Statistics	40% midterm, 40% final, 10% participation, 10% homework.   Final exam grade over-rides lower midterm grade.
Spanish for engineers	This class is pass/fail or students can choose to take the final exam and get a grade.

I think I like this system.  It could represent the best of both worlds.  In my field, language teaching, it makes sense to assess students based on their proficiency at the end of the semester rather than using the 'averaging' system.  What does it matter if they struggled in the beginning as long as they have arrived where they need to be by the end?  Of course, I also appreciate the argument for continuous asssessment: that basing a semester grade on one exam is stressful for students and having 'a bad day' can unfairly penalize an otherwise strong student.  That's why I like the Spanish system, where the final exam grade is the class grade if it's as good as, or better than, the cumulative grade.  Otherwise, the cumulative grade counts.

Left:  A windy day in the Bay of Santander. 

Revision and final exam schedule:  The spring semester classes at UC end on May 31 and then the exams start on June 3 and continue until June 22.  This is a much longer exam period than in the USA or England.  In England there is a 'revision week'  following the end of classes for students to study for the exams, then the following week is 'exam week.'  In Spain, the exam period lasts three weeks, with revision time included.

Below is a chart showing the difference in the scheduling of revision time and and final exams in the USA, England, and Spain.

Country	Revision period	Exam period
USA	None:  Final exam week follows final week of classes	One week
England	1 week between final week of classes and final exam week	1-2 weeks
Spain	Included in exam period	Three weeks

There is one more difference related to assessment; it's the way professors give students their test grades.  There is no expectation of, nor option for, privacy.  The results are announced in class and posted on the door, together with the students' names.  Nobody minds, that's just how it's done here.

University Life:

Studying:  There are no group study rooms in the library; it is a place for independent, silent study, and this is enforced.  Instead, students go to one of the many cafés on campus when they want to work together.  Some Americans aren't going to like this, but, just like everywhere else in Spain, there is alcohol available in the campus cafés.  The legal drinking age in Spain is between 16 and 18, depending on the region.  All types of alcohol are available, but most students drink beer, coke, or water.  It's cheap; for 2 euros (less than 3 dollars) you can buy a beer and a snack. The cafés are part of the university; not run by a for-profit company.

Student ID:  The university has an agreement with Banco Santander to provide students with a student ID that is also a debit card.  With this high-tech, multipurpose card they can  access university computers and print documents (there's a chip terminal on the computer keyboards so they don't need to enter a username and password, just a four-digit PIN).  They use the same card to make purchases in and out of the university, and as a bus pass for the city of Santander urban transportation system.  One card, many uses!  The picture shows the #4 bus, which goes from the barrio pesquero (where we live) to the university.  

Some advice for future students:

No matter how well you have prepared, you will need to be able to tolerate a level of uncertainty when you first arrive.  Pre-departure orientations tend to focus on 'being a good tourist', warning you about pickpockets, educating you about cultural differences.  That's fine as far as it goes, but what you really need to know when you get here is how to register for classes before they are full, where the classes are, what buildings to go to, and how to communicate with the school about schedule changes. Don't expect everything to run smoothly, there will be mixups, schedule conflicts, and schedule changes.  These are things you cannot foresee or prevent, and there are things you cannot fix until you arrive because you need information that you can only get once you are here.  So just be patient and stay in touch with your advisor at your home university.  Classes here start in February, so schedule changes happen too late to meet the home university add/drop deadline.  This means that your home advisor will need to do some over-rides for you.  Also, because classes here finish in June, your home university will not be able to report that you have successfully completed your classes by the end of the spring semester in the USA.  This will throw a spanner into the works of financial aid and scholarships, and, again, will require over-rides.  Knowing that these things will happen, and that there is a system in place to correct them, is important for your peace of mind.