Our ApproachAlegría is a Spanish word that means happiness and joy, a word we believe should describe any learning experience. The arts and language are both ways of making and communicating meaning. At Habla, we believe that an arts- and language-rich environment provides a space for students to reach a deeper understanding of a new culture while finding words to express themselves and to contribute to the world in meaningful ways.Although Habla does offer explicit teaching of grammatical structures, the primary emphasis of Habla’s approach is to provide a space for students to refine their own voice in a new language. You will learn grammatical concepts—past tense for instance—by actually using them in conversations and by writing stories. At Habla, students become aware of how language is embedded in a cultural context. Our students have the opportunity to encounter the literature, art, and photography of a culture, and to use these experiences to generate language in a creative and improvisational way. Habla is not contained within its walls. It is a transregional center that builds partnerships between the local and international community. Through exhibits, performances, and workshops, our teachers and students, in Mexico and around the world, share their work and participate in community events. |
