1 The Swedish education system meeting newly arrived pupils Ann-Christin Torpsten, 2017 Linnaeus University, Sweden
2 Attempting to leave behind war, poverty and persecutionAccording to Amnesty International (2014, p. 3) there were 45 million refugees in the world 2014 According to Swedish Migration Board (2016) there were 60 million refugees in the world 2016 During 2015 about 70,000 children, of whom were unaccompanied, came to Sweden Autumn 2016 the number was unaccompanied This is three times more than that came in the year 2014 (Swedish Migration Board, 2016)
3 Unaccompanied childrenyear 2014 2015 2016 number 7049 35369 1927
4 Who is unaccompained? Children separated from both parents upon arrival to Sweden Abandoned children Children younger than 18 years
5 Who is newly arrived? Newly arrived pupils:have arrived near the start of school or during their schooling in primary, upper secondary or special schools, do not have Swedish as their mother tongue, do have an inadequate or no command of the Swedish language
6 Children's right to attend school a step towards a social sustainable societyAsylum applicant young people have the right to education in primary, elementary and secondary school … if they start their schooling before the age of 18 years
7 The Swedish School System The Swedish National Agency for Education https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuEh95OjWa0&t=329s
8 Steering of preschools and schoolsIt is a national and goal steered system with a high degree of local responsibility. The Swedish Parliament and the Government draw up the overall national goals regarding: the Education Act the curricula the school ordinance, the upper secondary school ordinance, and the adult education ordinance the syllabuses for compulsory school the syllabuses for subjects that are common for all programmes at the upper secondary school the diploma goals for the upper secondary school.
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10 Top priority challengesNewly arrived pupils: Including all newly arrived pupils into ordinary education as soon as possible. Educational equity: All schools must be developed into good schools. The teachers: Ensure supply of competent teachers. Provide prerequisites for improved quality of teaching. Long-term conditions: Consistency and support for continued implementation of reforms and local development.
11 Preschool, Preschool class, Leisure-time centers, Compulsory school, Special school, Sami school, Children with disabilities school, Upper secondary school organizes … Introduction classes Tuition and guidance in mother tongue Mother tongue support in ordinary classes Mother tongue classes Swedish as a second language classes Language Introduction program in upper secondary schools
12 Swedish as a Second Language and Mother tongue, two subjectsMultilanguage pupils’ right to preserve and develop their first language, their mother tongue, and cultural identity is stated in the Education Act and the national curricula. For more than 40 years these two subjects has been specifically aimed to promote multilingual and newly arrived pupils in the Swedish education system. (Torpsten 2008)
13 Swedish as a Second Language and Mother tongueThe curriculum of 2011 (Ministry of Education 2011) stresses skills in mother tongue as linguistic richness, as important for pupils' learning, identity development, for success in school and life in a multicultural society.
14 Aim of this subjects, support and teaching program is …… to give multilingual and young people who have recently arrived in Sweden an education that allows them to go on to upper secondary school national programs or other schooling and training in Sweden.
15 Part of a research project: Interaction for language and identity development in multilingual classrooms The school: from preschool to 6th grade, about 250 students, 98 % multilingual The class: 79 students in grade 4-6 (11-12 years) in compulsory school newcomers and born in Sweden 2 teachers
16 Material and collecting methods of the materialObservations in the classrooms Recordings: video and audio The students’ texts and pictures Interviews with teachers and students Surveys on selfestimated linguistic competence by the students Material from cooperation between pupils and parents/guardians, and questionnaire responses
17 Flexible use of existing language resources Teachers teaching apporach in these multilingual classesTranslanguaging: a pedagogical practice which switches the language mode in bilingual classrooms are multiple discourse practices in which bilinguals engage in order to make sense of their bilingual worlds reading is done in one language and writing in another (Garcia 2009) Teachers’ started to use a pedagogy approach according to strategic principles for I. Social justice II. Social training (Garcia, 2012, 2014)
18 1. Social justice Teacher interactionNewlyarriwed are promoted to talk and write texts in mother tongue, L1, as they find it easier to express experiences, knowledge and thoughts in mother tongue Teachers’ aim: keep on their intelectual flow and then translate into Swedish, L2 Students who are born i Sweden are encouraged to write and talk in mother tongue, L1, as well as in Swedish, L2 Teachers’ aim: break former approaches in school that L2 is the only useful language in school contexts, to empower selfesteem and identity when L1 is regarded as a valuable and useful langauage in school contexts Teachers’ sayings: All my students’ languages are of the same value All my students’ experiences and languages are sources for knowledge Every student is like an iceberg, so much under the surface that we in school have to make use of Practical work with texts, students’ pictures and multimodality
19 II. Social training Distinct pedagogical strategies not to lower the cognitive level Distinct pedagogical strategies that are durable and meaningful Teachers’ sayings: When I introduce a new field I start in Swedish that is the language we all know and that I know the best The students’ work together in various ways and learn by each other The student’s do homeworks with their parents The parents get to know what is going on during the school year instead of just getting a book with all their papers in the end of the year.
20 2. Social training Teacher strategiesPreparatory work mostly in groups with the same or various first languages Students are requested to cooperate in first and second languages Cooperation with parents on homeworks in first langauge Working with translations of concepts and texts in the classroom from mother tongue into Swedish, from Swedish into mother tongue Working with both mother tongue and Swedish in cooperation with the students’ parents Teachers’ sayings: When I introduce a new field I start in Swedish that is the language we all know and that I know the best The students’ work together in various ways and learn by each other The student’s do homeworks with their parents – the students learn a lot and learn study strategies from their parents . The parents get to know what is going on during the school year instead of just getting a book with papers in the end of the year.
21 One classroom: 19 languages and 11 L1 What languages do you know?
22 Language ledders How do you talk, write and readLanguage ledders How do you talk, write and read? (subjektive assessment by the students themselves) Level Talking ledder Writing ledder Reading ledder 5 4 3 2 1
23 What do you know? 1. Write in the heart the language you like the best2. Write in the star the language you know best 3. Write in the bubble the language you talk most easily 4. Write on the paper the language you write most easily 5. Write in the arrow the language you considre as your first language, your mother tongue
24 Language, use and location in the body
25 Writing post cards
26 Encourage of newcomer to write in L1- How fantastical that you know so many languages
27 Encouraging the use of both L1 and L2 - Just think if you could theach me some thai! How fantastic to know so many languages
28 Writing in two languages in preschool class
29 Translation of text, L2/L1
30 Translations of concepts, L2/L1
31 Working together smartboard, laptops and I-pads
32 Cooperation between students with the same language
33 Cooperation in between languages Swedish – Somalian – Kurdish – Makedonian - Arabic
34 Every day practicies, handicraft
35 Simple every day practicies to make student´s language visible and audible within the schoolEach day, one or two students bring a word into the classroom and explain why they chose that word and what it means. All students and teacher learn that word. All students including the teacher learn simple greetings (hello, thank you ..) in the languages of classroom. Student´s who speak the language are the ”teachers”. The ”teachers” can show their peers and teacher how to write a few simple expressions in different scripts (Arabic, Chinese, Greek…).
36 Aisha describes her language picture like this“The yellow represents the brain with Swedish as the language for thinking and talking. The red rosette and hands represent German as my sister is half German and sometimes sends me messages. In the forehead is a little green bit of Arabic and Ethiopian a language I sometimes use for thinking and counting. The feet are dark blue, representing English, because English carries me up. The heart is light blue an represents Somali: The language I speak at home. I am that language”.
37 In the beginning of the multilingual turn… the introduction of translanguaging has meant that she regards her competence in both first and second language to be improved. When the pupils get a task to write about things they are good at, she highlights her ability to learn languages so easily. She has an outlook over her possibilities in the world, and in her diary she writes that in the future she wants to live with her family in a big villa in Dubai and take care of her aging parents.
38 Somsak and a script he doesn’t knowIn the classroom Somsak Was very reluctant to try to write in Thai, a script he doesn’t know. But he got interested when he saw his class-mates writing in their first Languages, discussing the languages with each other and saw them writing words on the backboard. Finally he writes a short text in his diary.
39 In the beginning of the multilingual turnSomsak has started to learn the Thai script so late in life and is still on the way of learning how to write it.He can hardly use the script all the time for effective learning at the advanced year 5 level in school as it takes much energy and great efforts just to write the letters. When working with the more complex social and science subjects he only writes a few words and never complete a whole translation of the texts. His initial step to learn the script of his first language can have great importance in his feelings of identity of being a competent writer in his first language (Manyak 2004). In his diary he writes that he might want to live in Thaiand in the future.
40 Vanja is writing in her diary about her languagesMy languages. I know 5 languages, Russian, Swedish, English, Chechen, and Ukrainian. Some of them I can write but not read, understand but not write, read but not talk, i.e. Chechen I can talk but nor write or read. What is good about knowing much language is when you go to another country i.e. US you can speak English. In my class we speak 10 languages altogether.
41 In the beginning of the multilingual turnWhen Vanja writes in her diary what she is good at she mentions math and drawing. She doesn’t note that her multilinguistic competence also is quite a skill. When talking about her future she doesn’t mention that she can have good use of all her languages. She wants to live in a flat in Stockholm with a large family and work as an artist.
42 Validation. Linda Leonhardt Qualified administrator. lindaValidation Linda Leonhardt Qualified administrator I’m in charge of the administration for validation – recognition of prior learning. Which means the mapping out and assessment of an individual's competence and qualifications. What is validation about- recognition of prior learning? Recognition of prior learning means the mapping out and assessment of an individual's competence and qualifications, regardless of how, where and when these have been acquired – through the formal education system in Sweden or abroad, just recently or a long time ago. When carrying out a validation, the knowledge and experience of an individual is compared to the objectives stated for a subject, course or programme. The aim is to make an assessment of what parts can be given credit for, alternatively what parts are missing, in order to highlight what supplementary examination is to be taken.
43 Who can apply? If you are interested in Linnaeus University’s coursers or programs If you have a foreign education and wish to complement for the Swedish labour market If you are an employee and are determined to advancing at your workplace If you have work-experiences but no formal certificate What’s the purpose? You receive formal proof of your skills You can start your studies at the right level You have the possibility to shorten the time of your study You can gain your competitiveness at the labour market You can increase your ability to work in your area of competence If you are interested in validation, contact Linda Leonhardt, in charge of validation of actual competence, office of student affairs.
44 Sustainable development"Our creative knowledge environment is permeated by Global values – internationalization, Equal opportunity, and sustainable development – in research, education, and administration. Linnaeus University promotes an international environment where people from different backgrounds with different experiences can meet, and where all students and members of staff subscribe to the notion of equal opportunity and sustainable development. All our activities are to be carried out in a way that promotes equality of opportunity, economic and social well-being, justice, and a good working environment. Working methods at the university, both internal and external, are to be characterized by respect and democracy" (Vision and strategy: A creative knowledge environment in the spirit of Linnaeus )
45 Sustainable developmentThrough our courses and programs, our research and our collaborations, Linnaeus University strives to be an important driving force and inspiration in the work for a sustainable society. Our objective is that both members of staff and students should have a good knowledge about sustainable development, as well as the ability to critically examine these principles, and the ability to apply them in real life. Our work with sustainable development is based on people's participation, knowledge and understanding, and always takes into consideration the limitations set up by nature.
46 Validation Qualified administrator Linda LeonhardtI’m in charge of the administration for validation - recognition of prior learning. Which means the mapping out and assessment of an individual's competence and qualifications. What is validation about- recognition of prior learning? Recognition of prior learning means the mapping out and assessment of an individual's competence and qualifications, regardless of how, where and when these have been acquired – through the formal education system in Sweden or abroad, just recently or a long time ago. When carrying out a validation, the knowledge and experience of an individual is compared to the objectives stated for a subject, course or programme. The aim is to make an assessment of what parts can be given credit for, alternatively what parts are missing, in order to highlight what supplementary examination is to be taken.
47 Validation Who can apply? If you are interested in Linnaeus University’s coursers or programs If you have a foreign education and wish to complement for the Swedish labour market If you are an employee and are determined to advancing at your workplace If you have work-experiences but no formal certificate What’s the purpose? You receive formal proof of your skills You can start your studies at the right level You have the possibility to shorten the time of your study You can gain your competitiveness at the labour market You can increase your ability to work in your area of competence If you are interested in validation, contact Linda Leonhardt, in charge of validation of actual competence, office of student affairs.