When Catalan does come out into the yard: the transformation of CEIP Ses Rotes Velles

PalmaDuring recess, amidst running, games, and improvised conversations, the teachers at CEIP Ses Rotes Velles have begun to notice a scene that just a few years ago would have seemed improbable. Some children who usually speak Spanish or who come from families where Catalan is not spoken have started to interact with each other in this language. "In the playground, we've heard children from Early Childhood Education speaking Mallorcan amongst themselves," explains the school's director, Joana Maria Mas. This image summarizes the essence of the project How do we learn to be capable of explaining what we do, think, and feel?, which has made language a central focus of the school and which has been recognized with the Bartomeu Picornell Education award.

The centre, located in Santa Ponça, works in a complex sociolinguistic context, where Catalan has minimal presence outside of school and where students from very diverse backgrounds coexist. In many cases, Spanish is the usual language and, in others, the family language is another, so Catalan is restricted to the academic sphere. In this scenario, achieving it to become a language of relationship among equals is a constant challenge shared by the faculty.

The project was born out of a growing concern for the results and the real use of the language. "We detected that it was becoming increasingly difficult to achieve linguistic competence in Catalan," recalls Mas. This perception was confirmed by the results of the IAQSE Catalan tests. "The final blow was seeing that the results had been very low two courses ago." The internal diagnosis coincided: some students were losing oral competence as they advanced through the course. "We observed that students who, when they started, had more ease speaking in Mallorcan, as they advanced towards the third cycle were losing skills and, when they left, they had a poor vocabulary full of barbarisms".

Complete renovation

With participation in the Improvement and Transformation Program (PMT), the center decided to act. "Since we were within the PMT and had to define which project we would dedicate more energy to, we decided to prototype an intervention in the way teachers taught Catalan". The internal review showed that the activities already existed, but they were not always applied coherently. "When we reviewed the strategies for working on the language, we saw that all the usual things were being done. So, what was failing?".

The answer was a lack of systematization. "The implementation was failing and we decided to systematize these practices to ensure that everyone followed the same script". The objective was to ensure that all students had similar experiences regardless of the teacher. "All students had to have the same way of learning certain things because the teachers act in the same way".

The project reinforces the role of the teacher as a linguistic reference. "We have a well-defined linguistic project that talks about linguistic references", explains Mas. "Great importance is given to the fact that the teacher is fundamental to achieving the objectives from any area". One of the main changes has been to promote oral language in the classroom. "We decided to prioritize oral presentations, dialogue and dialogue circles, which are practices that are carried out in classrooms to make decisions, and also narrations". The difference is clear: "It is not the same to read a story as to tell it, justify it and have the students participate in it".

To guarantee this coherence, the center has created common tools such as orientation bases and shared criteria. "Orientation bases were designed that stated when a student could be considered to have achieved the competence, and they were adapted for levels". The model has been applied progressively from Early Childhood Education to Primary Education and will be extended to the entire stage.

Rita's dynamization

One of the most outstanding initiatives is Rita, an imaginary student who connects language and imagination. "Rita represents the student we want," says the director. This character sends letters and challenges to the students. "Rita travels the world and sends a letter with work proposals adapted to different levels". The activities include vocabulary, sayings, and clues to discover where she is. "To the youngest she sends photographs and, to the older ones, coordinates, mysteries, and temperatures of the country where she is". The project also involves families. "The vocabulary is shared with the families so they know what is being worked on".

The center complements this work with other consolidated initiatives. The literary competition encourages students to write in Catalan. "From third to sixth grade, they write a story," explains Mas, before it is reviewed and evaluated by a jury. There are also the "Cafès en Català" (Catalan Cafes), meetings with families to practice the language in a relaxed environment. "We get together, chat in Mallorcan, and work on traditions and where they come from".

Beyond concrete projects, the most profound change is cultural. "One thing that teachers have become aware of is not abandoning their role as linguistic reference points". They now have a common guide that ensures coherence in all classrooms. "Teachers can ensure that a story includes open-ended questions, that everyone participates, and that there is dynamism".

The effects are already visible in daily life. Students show more confidence and spontaneous use of Catalan. But the most significant change occurs in informal spaces like the playground, where the language ceases to be an obligation and becomes a choice. In an environment where Catalan is often excluded from daily life, this transformation represents a relevant advance.

The Bartomeu Picornell Education Award precisely recognizes this evolution: a school's ability to turn a difficulty into an opportunity and to demonstrate that language can grow when worked on in a sustained, shared manner and with a common vision. In the case of CEIP Ses Rotes Velles, Catalan has ceased to be merely a subject to become a lived experience both inside and outside the classroom.