The Diplomat
The academic leaders of the Instituto Cervantes highlighted this week in Toledo the “essential nature” of digital transformation as a “driving element” of the teaching of Spanish.
A total of 110 professionals, including heads of studies from the Instituto Cervantes centers around the world and staff from the Academic Directorate, met from March 19 to 21 on the campus of the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) of Toledo to address the organization, objectives, teaching plan and improvements in the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language.
Throughout five discussion tables and three work groups, the participants and moderators addressed matters specific to the activity of Spanish as a foreign language teachers, such as the value of the Instituto Cervantes Center Accreditation System (SACIC), the needs training or the involvement of teaching teams in certification projects.
In any case, technological transformation was the transversal theme throughout the meeting due to “its essential character as a driving element of new teaching perspectives, methods and hybrid dynamics that combine face-to-face and digital classes,” as indicated by the Instituto Cervantes in a Press release.
“Understanding the specificity of our centers helps us continue moving forward,” declared the director of the Instituto Cervantes, Luis García Montero, during the closing ceremony. “At a time of technological transformation, it is essential to come together to analyze the issues that involve the entire network with concrete achievements, in reference to language and speech, theory and practice,” he added.
For his part, the vice-rector for Internationalization of the UCLM, Raúl Martín Martín, recalled his university’s commitment to “the teaching and dissemination of Spanish” and urged to maintain “the spirit of collaboration and commitment” between both entities. The academic director of the Cervantes Institute, Carmen Pastor, in charge of presenting the Action Plan of the Cervantes Institute 2024-2026 on the opening day, closed the work agenda with the conclusions of the meeting.
