TANDEM Escuela Internacional Madrid history

Tandem bike: Symbol of Tandem Madrid

The word TANDEM implies a duality: two languages, two people, two cultures, two learning experiences, two lives. The history of the school dates back to 1982, when it was founded in Madrid with the symbol of a bicycle has proved to be a marvellous vehicle for exchange, contact, dialogue, work, discussion and fun.

In 1982 the Goethe-Institut in Madrid experienced enormous growth in terms of the number of students and people interested in the German language and culture. As a result, the TANDEM courses were created based on an idea by Jürgen Wolff, whereby a group of Spaniards and Germans would meet to learn together on their own. At the time, it was a revolutionary approach to the traditional student/teacher relationship.

Indeed, the courses were revolutionary in many ways: firstly, they pioneered the practice of a concept that emerged later on –self-learning- and, secondly, they paved the way for the creation of awareness and the development of intercultural competence, and the introduction of the TANDEM method in Spain.

In 1982, we became independent of the Goethe-Institut and founded TANDEM MADRID, but continued to have the former’s full support and endorsement; and we also created the TANDEM Spanish-German Cultural Centre learning cooperative. We started from very humble beginnings: premises of approximately 120 square metres in the Chueca district, furniture we had made ourselves, and a staff of 8 cooperative members engaged in the most varied tasks.

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