International Exams at School

Today I had a meeting with the Cambridge representative in the area where I live, and we talked about the new “for school” version of the traditional Cambridge examinations.

It’s very interesting the way the exams have been adapted to fit students from different age groups and with a, perhaps, lower command of the language. What I told her was that I felt this would encourage students to sit for the exams without fear of failure (and avoiding private institute owners to charge unbelievable fees in their final exams – because, I think, as parents will be more aware of the prices of international examinations, they will decide which tests their sons and daughters will take). Since 2009, KET and PET for School have been in the market, and – apparently – next year we will also have FCE for Schools.

For more information, go to the Cambridge Examinations website

Teacher Appreciation Song

I came across this video in one of the many websites for teachers I frequently visit. The song  is A-MA-ZING, couln’t help sharing it with you 🙂

Teaching Practices

Some weeks ago, I watched an old Argentinian film about a teacher who worked in an innovative way during the late 1930s. Her name was Olga Cossettini, and she believed that school should prepare students for life: she wanted students to be in contact with nature and to have a special relationship with their teachers and peers.

Olga Cossettini, together with her sister Leticia, encouraged work upon the theories of Giuseppe Lombardo Radice, Giovanni Gentile, Maria Montessori and John Dewey in Argentina. They wanted an education specially focused on the students, making them the main character of the learning experience.  Among their ideals, we can name:

– Respect for children

– No borders between school and community. The school must be entangled in the life of every member of the community.

– No discrimination to or among students and/or teachers

– Teachers from the same community help the specific purpose of the school

If you are interested in learning how this school headmistress worked, you can watch “La Escuela de la Señorita Olga” or read some information about her. (Almost everything I came across is in Spanish, hope you can understand it!)