What is CIEE?
The Council on International Educational Exchange, or CIEE, is a nonprofit organization that focuses on global exchange and education initiatives around the world. Since its establishment in the United States in 1947, CIEE has grown to become one of the biggest and most established international education organizations in existence.
Through this organization, students are able to not only visit other countries but experience different aspects of life that create learning opportunities in culture, language, and more. In learning directly hands on from those who live their day to day lives within a specific culture, CIEE ensures that the learner receives an immersive hands-on learning experience.
Why Did I Select CIEE?
I chose CIEE because of the opportunity it offers students around the globe. It fosters an environment internationally for students to connect with one another, with distinct cultures, learn languages, establish connections and broaden their horizons of the world they live in. The opportunity to study abroad is a privilege that students and educators alike should take advantage of more frequently. Organizations like CIEE create an open classroom where the material is readily available in daily lives of others around the globe. Interactive learning can make the difference between whether learners are able to walk away with something from the experience or not, and offering a hands-on experience is often times the best way to learn. Especially in subject matters such as languages, practice is the most effective tool to ensuring a good grasp on the language. Traveling to another country where one might need to use the language being learned is a phenomenal way to practice. CIEE offers these opportunities through their exchange programs, study abroad programs and more.
How Will I Use CIEE?
As a future Spanish language educator, it has become crucial to me already the importance of practice, but even more so the opportunity to practice. As a teacher, being able to inform my students about the opportunities that are available to them through organizations such as CIEE will provide to them a great resource. Often times traveling to a foreign country is intimidating and difficult to organize, but by organizing educational trips to Spanish-speaking nations through organizations like CIEE it becomes less and less of something to worry about, and more and more of a great chance for students to expand their knowledge and increase their practice in the language.
