Audiovisual Language Lab for Marginalized Youth
Escuela Ministro Zenteno & CIEE Study Center in Valparaiso, Chile
The Ministro Zenteno public school, located in Viña del Mar, Chile, provides free pre-school and elementary education (pre-school to grade 8), including English classes, to 960 marginalized local students. The school sought funding for the construction of a language laboratory enhance their students' success in learning English by providing access to such things as an electronic dictionary, music suitable for all grades, CDs, tape recorders, radio transmissions, stories, and more. These resources would help to motivate the students by allowing them to work with authentic and lively linguistic material, and would help the school meet their goal of having 70% of their students achieve a conversational ability in English.
CIEE students participated by helping set up the language laboratory and train staff and students in its use. They continued working with the students through workshops and informal teaching experiences that make use of the new resources.
Photo courtesy of Escuela Ministro Zenteno