INSTRUCTOR FILLS NEED FOR SPANISH INSTITUTE HELPS TEACHERS, MEDICAL WORKERS, STUDENTS.

Byline: Nathan Kurz Staff Writer

VALENCIA - The year was 1999, and Claudia Acosta was becoming increasingly dismayed.

As a Spanish expert and head of the College of the Canyons Foreign Language department, she was seeing firsthand the need in the community for a comprehensive Spanish language and culture program.

Teachers were having to drive a minimum of 90 miles to take courses in Spanish to fulfill the Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development portion of recertification in California. Others would be struggling to deal with Spanish-speaking students who knew very little English.

These problems arose because there was no time-friendly class available in the Santa Clarita Valley for those who wanted to become fluent in Spanish and learn about the culture.

But instead of adopting a blase attitude, Acosta decided to take some initiative. She talked with teachers, principals and superintendents to gauge interest, and decided that she would set out to design a program of her own.

``I realized there was a need in the community,'' she said.

As soon as she started creating the program for teachers, she noticed there was also a desire in the medical community for mental health and emergency personnel to learn Spanish for on-the-job situations.

So she tried to fuse these two needs with an annual Intensive Spanish Institute, hosted at the college, which would provide the very opportunities for learning Spanish sought by so many in Southern California.

Now in its fifth year, the institute, led by Acosta, is an annual staple for teachers, medical workers and students hoping to hone their knowledge of the Spanish language and culture. While Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development has been integrated into preparation for teachers in California since 2002, many still flock to the college to pick up new skills.

The institute will run from Monday through Aug. 6 and will include daily conversation groups, cultural and practical workshops, faculty lectures, technology activities, dance lessons, film viewings and special presentations.

``I try to offer a little bit of everything,'' Acosta said.

The institute, which can bring as many as 300 students, capped its space earlier in the summer in order to provide small classes and, thus, better language instruction. This year's theme will be the people, history, language, education and economy of Latin America in the 21st century.

With the longevity of the program, Acosta has been able to add a new integrative component this year: a nine-day trip to Costa Rica for 50 students, teachers and principals beginning one day after the institute ends.

The trip has been so popular that space filled up within a month of sign-ups. And Acosta also decided to offer some new courses - namely a biology class on environmental issues and classes focused primarily on the unique culture of Costa Rica - as preparation for the excursion.

The trip will have instructors in Spanish (Acosta), history and biology. Students will spend time in the capital, San Jose, as well as at the northwestern tip, visiting, among other sites, a rain forest and an active volcano.

The daily structure of the institute, though, remains relatively intact. The general programming, which will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., includes two hours of intensive language instruction as well as two hours of workshops and lectures.

At lunchtime, Acosta encourages students of the institute to sit with native speakers and converse in an effort to strengthen the language experience.

For the students of the college, the week can be crucial to their mastery of the language in a low-pressure environment.

``It's a credit, no-credit situation, so the fear and panic of grades are no longer a concern,'' Acosta said.

Students may earn up to 3.25 units of credit if they participate in the general program as well as both a cultural seminar in the early evenings and the lunchtime conversations.

Specialized courses for teachers and medical professionals are also offered in the later afternoon.

For more information about the program, visit the institute's Web site at www.canyons.edu/isi.

Nathan Kurz(661) 257-5255

nathan.kurz(at)dailynews.com