English as a third language

Throughout his high school years, Mateo Restrepo Pedroza was a member of the Colombian squash team. When he was playing in a US Open, a recruiter saw him and made him an offer he could not refuse: he offered him a scholarship to study at Trinity College, in Hartford, Connecticut. One of the requirements was, he had to speak English. From Klasse 5, students at Deutsche Schule Medellín study English as a third language. “It is very important for them to learn this language because it will open a lot of doors for them in this globalized world”, says, Carolyn Marín, Head of the English Department at the School. Mateo, who was also taking English classes in other institutions in our city, got the scholarship because he was well prepared, and because he had a high English level.

Today, Deutsche Schule Medellín has a high English level. In accordance to the results from the last IB tests, we are above the global average. To a large extent, learning German as a second language from a young age has helped our students learn a third language more easily. “It makes it easier for them to learn any other language”, Carolyn Marín explains. “Besides, German and English are very similar. And the fact that they have similar words makes it even easier”, she adds. In Mateo’s case, this was one of the factors that made it easier for him to learn English, and to speak more confidently: “being exposed to different languages makes you think that learning another language is not so hard”, he adds.

Carolyn Marín says that creating real situations in which students can talk, write or listen to the language is fundamental for a successful learning process at Deutsche Schule Medellín. “We practice by writing letters, interviewing people, and talking about current topics”, she says. They also use these examples to stimulate critical thinking. “We often ask our students to picture themselves in the middle of a problem that affects the world, and to think about their reaction to that problem. For example, if we talk about migrations, we create journalists or migrants’ roles so that they can interact and talk. That way, apart from practicing English, they also need to do some research to understand these real situations”. Carolyn Marín explains that students from Klasse 5 experience master classes with reading and writing exercises. As they improve their language skills, they get introduced to daily life activities. On the other hand, we use mobile experiences and gamification to make their learning experience more interactive.

Our school’s methodologies have yielded results. The tests results speak for themselves. “We are above the IB global average. And, we need to bear in mind, that, at Deutsche Schule Medellín, our students learn English as a third language”, Carolyn Marín says.