The University of La Guajira launched the Creative English Club for Children, an initiative led by the Language Center of the institution to motivate the learning of a second language in the children of members of the university community between 6 months and 14 years of age, through an interactive and enriching experience.
According to the teacher and one of the leaders of the project, Gloria Alejandra Moscote García, the Language Club is based on the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) approach, an educational methodology that integrates different disciplines to achieve a more meaningful and contextualized knowledge. Through this technique, a stimulating environment is created that favors the teaching of English in a didactic and accessible way.
For her part, Johennys Brito Chiquillo, director of Uniguajira's Language Center, indicated that “the objectives in creating this club are to encourage the teaching of different native and foreign languages, improve linguistic communication skills in our department, promote cultural diversity and facilitate social and academic exchange with societies where other languages are spoken.”
For the development of this educational space, the Alma Mater has the support of Peace Corps volunteers Alec Lusby and Spencer White, American experts in English teaching and cultural exchange. Their participation is recognized as a key contribution to strengthen the experience and practice of English in children, by offering an immersion in the language and promoting interaction in real contexts.
Members of the agency and Johennys Brito Chiquillo, director of Uniguajira's Language Center.
The club is free of charge and is divided into three groups adapted to different age ranges: A1, for babies from 6 months to 2 years old; A2, from 3 to 5 years old; A3, for children from 5 to 10 years old; and A4, from 11 to 14 years old. Each group has specific sessions designed for their stage of development, guaranteeing an optimal education adapted to their needs.
It is worth noting that this is a pioneering project at the institution, as clubs have previously been developed for undergraduate and graduate students, but with this new proposal, the scope is broadened to involve the youngest students in multilingualism.
Recently, the director of the Peace Corps in Colombia, Mathew Carlson, visited the Alma Mater and expressed his enthusiasm for this collaboration. “I am pleased to see how this study center implements dynamic and innovative methodologies to impart knowledge through conversations that bring together different students, thus contributing to the strengthening of bilingualism at the institution,” explained the international agency official.
Among its projections, the University of La Guajira aspires to extend the coverage of these clubs to the entire population of the department and generate meetings not only in English, Arabic, French and Wayuunaiki, but also in Korean, Portuguese and Mandarin, to provide a free space to improve the native and foreign language skills of people of different ages.
Lida Pamela Gómez Angulo
Journalist Uniguajira
