Learning Beyond the Classroom: Travel Course for the Pura Vida Educator Experience with Hummingbird Student Tours

$600.00

The Pura Vida Educator Experience offers world language teachers the ideal mix of language study, cultural immersion, and curriculum development. By pairing your travel with Idioma's Learning Beyond the Classroom: Pura Vida Educator Experience course, you’ll document your trip, create lessons you can use immediately in your classroom, and come home with 3 graduate-level credits ready to apply toward state licensing or salary step advancement (Master’s +15, Master’s +30, etc.).

This graduate-level course is exclusively for teachers traveling with Hummingbird Student Tours for the Pura Vida Educator Experience. Set in historic Heredia, Costa Rica, this 7-day (or optional 10-day) program combines professional language instruction with authentic cultural connection. Traveling teachers will earn 3 graduate-level credits from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) upon successful completion of the course and travel experience.

Program Highlights:

  • Authentic Homestay: Live with a welcoming Costa Rican host family with daily breakfast and dinner included.

  • Targeted Spanish Instruction: 16 hours of classes taught by native Costa Rican professors, complete with an oral assessment and graduation ceremony.

  • Cultural Excursions: Guided Heredia city tour, Central Market scavenger hunt, coffee farm visit, ropes course, and an educational trip to a wildlife rescue center.

  • Adventure Included: Full-day whitewater rafting in Sarapiquí with lunch provided.

  • Optional 3-Day Extension: Add Latin dance lessons and a full-day beach trip to Isla Tortuga.

Included in Package ($3,595): Local homestay accommodations, 16 hours of Spanish classes, daily breakfast/dinner + 5 lunches, all scheduled excursion admissions, and ground transfers (including SJO airport pickup/drop-off). (Note: Graduate-level credits, airfare and travel protection are not included.)

Travel Dates: February 19-25 (or 28 if purchasing the optional 3-Day Extension)

Click here to learn more and register for the trip with Hummingbird Student Tours.

Course Description

This Learning Beyond the Classroom: Pura Vida Educator Experience provides K-12 teachers and undergraduate students an opportunity to earn credit or professional development for the development of a travel program or personal travel. The purpose of this course is to document the process, reflect on the experience, gather authentic resources and develop curricula to integrate into the classroom in order to address problems that connect to important world issues including but not limited to, educational systems and practice; multi-cultural comparisons including food; perspectives on the social, historical, artistic, political, anthropological, health care, scientific or religious aspects in or about other countries.

Course Delivery

Self-Paced as part of travel with Hummingbird Student Tours, Pura Vida Educator Experience

  • Online asynchronous coursework: Complete assignments at your own pace during or after the trip with no required live sessions. Please note: While this coursework is distinct from the in-person Spanish classes in Costa Rica, all of your travel experiences can be integrated into your assignments.

  • Learning modules to complete at your own pace: Complete the coursework up to 3 months after the trip concludes.

  • Collaborative discussion boards: Share ideas and resources with teacher traveler colleagues during the trip and after via the discussion board assignments on the Schoology course platform.

Course Access Information

Your Idioma Schoology course invitation will be emailed within one business day for all self-paced courses. You may access the Idioma Schoology login from the Login > Idioma Schoology Login dropdown on www.idiomaconsulting.com. 

Required Text

There is no required textbook for this course. All materials are digital and will be provided in the online course.

About the Instructor

Elisa Kirschhoffer, Instructor. Read more about Elisa here.

Click here to request a syllabus.

The Pura Vida Educator Experience offers world language teachers the ideal mix of language study, cultural immersion, and curriculum development. By pairing your travel with Idioma's Learning Beyond the Classroom: Pura Vida Educator Experience course, you’ll document your trip, create lessons you can use immediately in your classroom, and come home with 3 graduate-level credits ready to apply toward state licensing or salary step advancement (Master’s +15, Master’s +30, etc.).

This graduate-level course is exclusively for teachers traveling with Hummingbird Student Tours for the Pura Vida Educator Experience. Set in historic Heredia, Costa Rica, this 7-day (or optional 10-day) program combines professional language instruction with authentic cultural connection. Traveling teachers will earn 3 graduate-level credits from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) upon successful completion of the course and travel experience.

Program Highlights:

  • Authentic Homestay: Live with a welcoming Costa Rican host family with daily breakfast and dinner included.

  • Targeted Spanish Instruction: 16 hours of classes taught by native Costa Rican professors, complete with an oral assessment and graduation ceremony.

  • Cultural Excursions: Guided Heredia city tour, Central Market scavenger hunt, coffee farm visit, ropes course, and an educational trip to a wildlife rescue center.

  • Adventure Included: Full-day whitewater rafting in Sarapiquí with lunch provided.

  • Optional 3-Day Extension: Add Latin dance lessons and a full-day beach trip to Isla Tortuga.

Included in Package ($3,595): Local homestay accommodations, 16 hours of Spanish classes, daily breakfast/dinner + 5 lunches, all scheduled excursion admissions, and ground transfers (including SJO airport pickup/drop-off). (Note: Graduate-level credits, airfare and travel protection are not included.)

Travel Dates: February 19-25 (or 28 if purchasing the optional 3-Day Extension)

Click here to learn more and register for the trip with Hummingbird Student Tours.

Course Description

This Learning Beyond the Classroom: Pura Vida Educator Experience provides K-12 teachers and undergraduate students an opportunity to earn credit or professional development for the development of a travel program or personal travel. The purpose of this course is to document the process, reflect on the experience, gather authentic resources and develop curricula to integrate into the classroom in order to address problems that connect to important world issues including but not limited to, educational systems and practice; multi-cultural comparisons including food; perspectives on the social, historical, artistic, political, anthropological, health care, scientific or religious aspects in or about other countries.

Course Delivery

Self-Paced as part of travel with Hummingbird Student Tours, Pura Vida Educator Experience

  • Online asynchronous coursework: Complete assignments at your own pace during or after the trip with no required live sessions. Please note: While this coursework is distinct from the in-person Spanish classes in Costa Rica, all of your travel experiences can be integrated into your assignments.

  • Learning modules to complete at your own pace: Complete the coursework up to 3 months after the trip concludes.

  • Collaborative discussion boards: Share ideas and resources with teacher traveler colleagues during the trip and after via the discussion board assignments on the Schoology course platform.

Course Access Information

Your Idioma Schoology course invitation will be emailed within one business day for all self-paced courses. You may access the Idioma Schoology login from the Login > Idioma Schoology Login dropdown on www.idiomaconsulting.com. 

Required Text

There is no required textbook for this course. All materials are digital and will be provided in the online course.

About the Instructor

Elisa Kirschhoffer, Instructor. Read more about Elisa here.

Click here to request a syllabus.

Credit Options

Learn more about each credit option here and review your state/district requirements.

  • PDGC 500ID: Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU): $600 

While the graduate credits and professional development hours earned may be used for salary advancement, degree completion and state licensing requirements, Idioma does not provide assurance that any state licensing board or school district will accept these credits or hours for those purposes. Participants are advised to check with the appropriate agencies and gain approval prior to registering. An official university transcript is available upon successful completion of coursework through the selected university from which the participant chooses to receive credit. Participants who complete the course for graduate-level credit will receive an email with instructions on how to request an official university transcript.