At José Max León Bilingual School, we are convinced that significant experiences abroad (internationalization) complement the skills and competencies in new languages, strengthen the development of transversal competencies and our students’ life project.
The academic and cultural exchanges with Brazil and the immersion program in New Zealand seek to broaden the perspectives to consolidate global citizenship in students, committing them to the construction of a harmonious, equitable and sustainable world.
For this reason, the knowledge of diversity, multiculturalism, and pluralism are essential in the daily life of our institution.
Internationalization in the CBJML
The exchange program with Belo Horizonte, for seventh grade, allows our boys to interact directly with native students and families.
It is a Significant Development Experience that makes it possible to continue the development of transversal and disciplinary competencies to achieve critical responsibility away from home.
For a month they face the academic challenges posed by their new context and show their social and linguistic skills to establish relationships with their new academic peers and families in Brazil.
The internationalization experience also includes educational and recreational outings that allow direct contact with science and nature.
It is important to bear in mind that Brazil offers a considerable percentage of university scholarships for foreigners, for this reason the CBJML thought of this country as a destination and Portuguese as the third language.
Mauricio Montealegre
Director of Escuela de Maestros
What I Highlight About New Zealand Education
I believe that students have the freedom to choose between many learning that is not necessarily academic, but knowledge for life such as cooking, textile production, cabinetmaking, among others.
In addition, culturally it is learned that a person who develops a manual trade is as professionally valuable as a person who studies a university degree.
For example, a barista can be as successful as a doctor and be recognized and respected socially, unlike our culture where we have to work much more academically in order to obtain a better quality of life.
Another aspect that I would rescue is the autonomy of the students, by the same system the students are responsible for their process and assume the consequences of carrying out their homework or not.