Bilingual education in the Spanish school Miguel De Cervantes, Sofia, Bulgaria

Stefka Kitanova: 'The Spanish School and me were involved in Science Across the World since the programme was introduced in Bulgaria in the year 2000. We started a little sceptically, we didn't know how it worked, what to expect but soon it became clear...

It was wonderful to discover that a lot of materials, practicals and fun, for me and for students, were available just like that. The students enjoy doing 'strange' things that are related to the school curriculum, but from a different point of view. And they started thinking themselves of new activities to go with the topics. At the moment the students even develop, while taking part in an exchange with other schools, extra activities and mini-projects.'

Spanish school Miguel De Cervantes

The school is located in the centre of Sofia, not far from the beautiful cathedral St Alexander Nevski. The building houses a primary and a secondary school. Spanish is also taught in primary and the schools collaborate very well.

In a nice canteen on the ground floor even the youngest students enjoy their lunch together. Sports facilities are located outside the school.

Stefka teaches biology and chemistry in Spanish and she is well aware, that students need language help, just as help with the subject.

Exchanges with other schools

The exchanges started on a local level - which is easier - with Bulgarian schools in Sofia, Varna, Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo in English and Spanish.

Later exchanges with Spanish speaking students abroad from schools in Valladolid and the Basque country in Spain, also Italy. And in English with bilingual Bulgarian and German schools.

Apart from just science, the Science Across the World programme aims developing skills through science and language. Last year the programme was even awarded as the best language project by the European Commission: www.scienceacross.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.showcontent&node=363! Have a look at the 'Talking about Genetics around the World' topic. It also shows elaborate teacher notes for language teachers: www.scienceacross.org/media/ACF43F.pdf.

I was impressed by the fluency in Spanish and English the students showed.

Science

All students like the 'non-standard' approach - they learn by doing and investigating things and not by only listening to teachers' 'lectures'. For them the teacher is more like a helper and not only an infinite source of information.

Inna: every lesson we expect something different and interesting and strange.
Marina: how is it possible she to be so crazy and every time with more and more ideas?
Niki: super, how interesting; no, it is impossible to 'see' your own DNA – cannot believe! (when students carried out a DNA extraction of cells from KIWI in the school laboratory). The picture shows Teodora, Svetozar and Radoslav working on the DNA experiment.

Disseminating results

The Spanish school is well equipped with computers. The students use them to collect information and produce presentations and posters with the results.

Because the students and Stefka like working on the Science Across the World topics so much, they like to show their results to others. They produce posters that are exhibited in the school and Stefka regularly takes them to present and share their results at seminars and conferences for teachers.

The picture on the right was taken in the Spanish Embassy during a teachers training on the Science Across the World programme.

Stefka presents her students' results at many occasions. The picture on the left shows a workshop during  the summer school in Varna, Bulgaria (July 2004) training teachers Science Across the World in English. Participants worked a whole week on the subject 'Create Culture through Science – Water'. The results are summarised in a booklet, that can be downloaded from www.factworld.info. FACT stands for Forum Across the Curriculum Teaching. The picture on the right shows Stefka with Marianne Cutler, the director of the Science Across the World programme, during a seminar in Sheffield (February 2004): www.scienceacross.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.showcontent&node=338.

Apart from all this, the students regularly publish their results themselves. Have a look at e.g www.factbg.hit.bg, in the journals. In practically each journal you will find students' contributions.

Bulgarian co-ordinator for Science Across the World

Since the programme was introduced in Bulgaria in 2000, Stefka has been acting as the co-ordinator for the country. The picture shows Stefka with Spanish speaking Carlos Parejo in the Science Across the World stand during ASE's Annual Meeting in Leeds in the UK (2005).

If you need more information or like to comment, please contact Stefka: skitanova@scienceacross.org

August 2005

Text:        Lida Schoen
Pictures:    Lida Schoen, Keith Kelly, Stefka Kitanova