Pullouts characterize the program, meaning SNL students take Spanish classes outside their regular classroom.

All the students in this program are expatriates. Still, not all expatriate students in primary school are in the program because some kids are involved with the Spanish context since they are babies or acquire the language very quickly and fluently. Most of these families are employed at embassies, military areas, school staff, or other international-related workplaces and are in the possibility of relocation at any time. Moreover, the class meets ten nationalities and five languages these last ones are Mandarin, German, English, French, and Korean; for this reason, all the students are bilingual or trilingual. 

SNL (Spanish as a new language)It is a programme for primary school students (k-2nd grade) which is part of the world languages programme, therefore it is not a regular Spanish course and is guided by the objectives of international programmes for the acquisition of foreign languages.

All are international students temporarily residing in Colombia for their families' work. They do not speak Spanish, in most cases their mother tongue is English, with the exception of some students that speack Mandarin, portuguese, korean and three French students.

It is important to add that we also have some inclution students. In the current group we have students diagnosed with Down's syndrome and another student with non-verbal autism.

Following an observation of the cultural representations and approaches in the school, there may be room for improvement in the following areas:

- It would be beneficial to encourage greater participation from primary school students.

- There is an opportunity to diversify the cultural representation beyond traditional, museographic ways that focus on folklore, tourist places, food and crafting without a background.

- There is potential to make these expositions more welcoming to intercultural interaction, perhaps by making them more engaging and inclusive for students.

The research was conducted with the aim of exploring and documenting the impact of the Artful Thinking programme, which was designed with the intention of integrating works of art into the educational curriculum with a view to enhancing students' thinking and learning disposition.

In light of this, the proposal is to present the experiences given in a SNL class with this artful thinking approach, with a particular focus on the benefits it offers to a multicultural classroom and on how this approach could potentially contribute to the improvement of intercultural relations, not only between SNL students but also within the wider academic community.

• Questioning & Investigating

• Observing & Describing

• Reasoning

• Exploring Viewpoints

• Comparing & Connecting

• Finding Complexity

In the SNL class, students have the opportunity to practise these abilities using Visible Thinking. This allows them to identify the patterns of thinking that influence their finished products, which in turn helps them to appreciate the creative process as well as the end result.

These interviews were carried out with the aim of understanding and analysing the point of view of the teachers regarding concepts such as interculturality and how they apply these dynamics in their classrooms.

In my observations I have highlighted two manifestations in the students about their relationships and impressions about their new contexts and the relationships in them.

The first of an verbal explicit nature where their comments reflect their relationship with the cultural changes they are facing, for example “I don't like to speak Spanish, I don't understand anything, I don't like it here” “My mom doesn't like Colombia, she went back to China and I miss her” Although these are negative statements, they are unusual, the students who have made them usually come from very distant sociocultural contexts and therefore, their adaptation process is usually more difficult or delayed.

It would seem that both kinds of observation reflect on academic achievements and difficulties. In most cases, students are able to overcome these challenges when parents and teachers are aware and informed about them. However, there are instances where this is not the case. It has been demonstrated that an intercultural, integrative and representative approach, as well as the development of thinking skills, can have a positive influence on students.

Communication Barriers:

• A significant challenge identified is communication, particularly when teaching students who may struggle with the language. The educators emphasizes the need for sensitivity in topic selection and discussion methods to facilitate understanding.

  Training and Continuous Education:

  • The interview stresses the necessity of ongoing training for educators in interculturality, suggesting that this can help them effectively convey these values in their teaching.

  • Cultural Events and Activities:

    • The educators advocates for the organization of cultural events and activities that promote respect and tolerance.

Observing & Describing

Reasoning

Fundamental in the application of the dispositional approach, through shared readings, research of bibliographic sources and the call of experts in different areas, SNL students are invited to explore topics of their own interest, investigate them and are offered different creative tools for the development of individual and group products.