3 key differences between Spanish system and the Sotogrande International School
Teresa Pino Torres, a student at the Sotogrande International School, is spending a couple of weeks with us at Noll Sotogrande.
The idea is for students to get to know a little bit about industry and how it works in real life. This blog was written by Teresa where she points out the positives she sees with the International School education system, and the differences with the Spanish system.
As a Sotogrande International School student in M5, I’m writing Noll Sotogrande’s blog today. This school offers all M5 students the opportunity to work for two weeks at the beginning of June, and I chose to gain my first experience working for Noll Sotogrande, an impressive company.
The system
Having the opportunity to study at the Sotogrande International School school is allowing me to evolve and mature as a person faster than a typical student would. The system’s purpose, in my opinion, is to prepare you for a future life in which you must be independent, organized, and especially responsible for yourself.
This is reflected in my own knowledge, as I previously attended a traditional Spanish school where getting a 10/10 by memorizing was paramount to understanding the subject, whereas this school is the opposite. If you have a problem in the future, you will be unable to solve it unless you understand it. It’s easy to relate to my daily maths in school, where the teacher explains a formula for 15-30 minutes, but he/she focuses on where this formula comes from and how to use it in our lives by doing an independent investigation about it. Unfortunately, not all schools think this way; they teach the values of a, b, and c to find the angle of a triangle without considering the logic.
Sotogrande International School
Sotogrande International School focuses on the development of other languages such as Spanish, German, and Russian.
Language development is also taken into account at this school. I’m a native Spanish speaker who has been able to learn English because it is the teacher’s first language. I have, however, been able to learn French to the point where I am preparing for the A2. What helps is that the teacher is French, and they are rarely allowed to speak to you in English, so you are forced to try to understand it in French. However, because there are 50 different nationalities, the school focuses on the development of other languages such as Spanish, German, and Russian.
When I first arrived at school, I didn’t even know how to say hello in English; I went to school and didn’t even notice if we were in an exam because everything sounded unfamiliar to me; the system was different, new friends… But, because of the consideration of every teacher and student, I ended up staying for more and more years, to the point where I believe that introducing me to Sotogrande International School was the best decision I’ve made and my parents’ token.
Sotogrande International School
Learning experiences at Sotogrande International School
I started at the International School when I was nine years old, and what I like about it is that each year there are new experiences ready to be developed. For example;
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P6 (10-11 years old) year – We had the exhibition, which is a massive project that you do in addition to your other subjects. When I was that age, it consisted of exploring our surroundings, but the theme changes every year. This forces the student to interact with others in order to demonstrate what they’ve accomplished in the last few months.
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M1(11-12 years old) year – We had the big thinker, which required you to conduct research on a historical figure and speak about him or her as if you were that person.
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M2 (12-13 years old) year -IDU entails the creation of new ideas (you have hours of IDU with the purpose of joining two subjects and creating a project).
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M3 (13 – 14 years old) year – The goal of a community project is to assist the local community. I raised 300 euros for APRONA (supports for people with cognitive functional variability) and volunteered physically in my spare time.
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M4 (14 – 15 years old) year – Creating a service in the community is what service as action entails. I was admitted to a nursing home.
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M5 (15 – 16 years old) year – In addition to our Personal Project, students were able to have work experience. Without mentioning the numerous additional activities that take place during the year, such as IDU and Service as Action, which are woven throughout the MYP curriculum. As a result, in each of these projects since then, I’ve been motivated to master new talents.
Written by Teresa Pino Torres
Further information about de Sotogrande International School, click here >>
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