holte/røynestad, sept. 03 i can do it!. holte/røynestad, sept. 03 presentation 1 m. a. from the...

Holte/Røynestad, Sept. 03

I can do it!


Presentation 1

• M. A. from the University of Oslo, Norway, continuing education in counseling

• 10 years of experience in teaching adults• Project Coordinator/adviser at Vox since 2001• Teaching women classes in Furuset since ’99• Developing:

– Booklets in Norwegian and Social science for immigrants

– ”Can-do” method– Oral training for new beginners


Presentation 2

• M. A. from the University of Oslo, Norway ,continuing education in Norwegian as a second language

• 7 years of experience in teaching adults• Project Coordinator and adviser at Vox since 2001• Teaching women classes in Furuset since ’97• Developing:

– Booklets in Norwegian and Social science for immigrants

– ”Can-do” method– Study work-shop


What is Vox?

A national institute for adult education

Main purposes:• To initiate, coordinate and document

research and development projects about all aspects of adult education

• To facilitate contact and collaboration among all national actors in the field

• To spread knowledge about important developments in the field both national and international (www.vox.no)

http://www.vox.no/


Disposition

1) Projects in Furuset - a part of Oslo

2) Skoleverkstedet - an educational

training centre for immigrant women

3) Syllabus guidelines4) The target group5) Challenges6) Small aims – small steps!7) ”Can-do” statements8) Our ”Can-do” method9) One example - travelling


Disposition, cont.

10) Structured modules of ”Can-do”11) How to assess12) The purpose of our assessment13) Mastering and motivation14) Mastering and learning15) Conclusions16) Sources


District Furuset:

• Demography: 30 000 inhabitants, 26% with a non-Western background, large numbers of young people

• Many different nationalitiesProjects:• Skoleverkstedet - school and catering project• Tekstilverkstedet - production of clothes• Kvalifiseringssenteret - the qualifying center• Job searching center• Minority consultants


Skoleverkstedet – an educational training centre for immigrant women• A cooperation between Furuset district and Vox since

’96• 5 days a week, a low threshold project• 2 levels: basic and intermediate: 12 + 12 participants• Norwegian with Social science, practical everyday use

maths, health, gym and computer training• Public health nurse• Norwegian language training in combination with

catering practice• Fees from the Employment Authorities• Maximum 3 years, transfer to other courses/projects• The new Introductory Program for refugees and asylum

seekers


The target group

“Level B with 4 different skill levels is adjusted for course participants who have little or no basic education from their home country. Some of them are illiterate. Others have reading and writing skills, but they are not functional. They cannot use the written language as a tool for writing at school or in general.”


Target group, cont.

• Level B: very heterogeneous group• Participant’s background:

– wide age span: 19 – 60+– changes in the group composition

• Common denominations for our participants: – communicate orally– poor or no writing skills


Challenges

Level B:• A “neglected” group in the ed. system• Little teaching material/educational aid• The number of years at school

concerning our participants varies a great deal/different didactic traditions

• How to make participants with little schooling more autonomous


Small aims – small steps!

• David Little, Trinity College, Dublin:”If they [the refugees] are to become fully integrated members of their host society, they must profit from every language learning opportunity that presents itself, outside the classroom as well as inside; and the best way of equipping them to do this is by helping them to develop the capacity to set their own learning goals […] and evaluate their own progress”

”[…] responsibility for the learning process lies with the learner, there should be no barriers between formal learning and other areas of life; and this should allow learners to transfer their growing capacity for autonomous behaviour to other spheres of activity. In other words, language teaching that is intent on developing learner autonomy can give refugee learners a great deal more than proficiency in the language of their host society”


Small aims – small steps, cont.

• 3000 classes - “an unlimited” amount of time

• How?- through the ”Can-do” method- the goals must be realistic and

achievable for this particular group

- register progress


The ELP’s ”Can-do” statements

• Based upon ELP- European Language Portfolio

(Common European Framework of Reference: Learning, Teaching and Assessment, 2001)

• Describes different levels of language skills:- Basic (A1and A2)- Threshold (B1 and B2)- Advanced (C1 and C2)

• Self-assessment


Our ”Can-do” method

• Based on the work of R. Oanæs Andersen (Norwegian Language Assessment, University of Bergen)

• We are using the method, not the self-assessment grid

• The method must be adjusted to all targets groups, on all levels

• Our ”Can-do” – not a hierarchy of language levels• Threshold level• Assessment is made through simple “Can-do”

statements• The “Can-do” statements are thematically structured

for adult immigrant women


One example: Travelling

Yes No

• I can tell the time. • I can read and understand time tables. • I can read the time tables and

understand the duration of the trip. • I can read and understand a simple city

map. • I can buy tickets from a ticket machine. • I can buy tickets from the bus driver.


Travelling, cont.

Yes No

• I can check time validity of tickets. • I can travel to and from the city

center on my own. • I can ask somebody for the right

direction. • I can explain the right direction to

others. • I can tell the difference between right

and left. • I can phone the Traffic Information Center

for time for departures and arrivals.


Structured modules of “Can-do”

• Travelling• Catering practice• Children and school• Health• House management and home• Public services• Adult in a modern society


How to assess

• In small homogenous language groups• Preferably with a two teacher system

(financially demanding)• We explain what “I can do” really means• The teacher reads the statements out loud• Difficult words are explained• We use concrete/real examples (which we

have catalogued)• Assessment without making the participants

nervous• All No-answers are noted and used to create

individualized curriculums


The purpose of our assessment

• To discover about their real skills• To underline that all experience/knowledge

counts!• To create a positive feeling of mastering

skills• To create further motivation for learning• To reveal what skills they are still lacking• To give insight into their own learning

process• To create a feeling of making progress

(through assessment)


Study work-shop

• 3 days a week after the lunch break• All part. have individualized curriculums• E.g. exercises in reading, writing or oral

training at different levels, in addition to “I can do”-exercises

• Teachers have an advisory role, give students help to find suitable material at their own level

• Students work independently by focusing on what they need to learn most

• Structures and makes the learning more efficient


Mastering and motivation

• Motivation is created, but must be maintained throughout the learning process

• “Motivation” comes from lat. motivus: ”put something into motion”

• Motivation– the most important factor for all learning:

- Instrumental motivation: reward motivation- Integrative motivation: genuine thirst for

knowledge• The ”Can-do” method begins at the level the

pupils are at, based on the skills and knowledge from their backgrounds.

• The method offers good experience and conditions to master more skills – more motivation for further learning.


Mastering and learning

•Adults strengthen their self esteem through mastering experiences which are important to them

• Our task is to make sure that positive mastering is experienced at the very beginning of a new course


Traveling: How to understand a bus ticket

• Day?• Month?• Time?


Bus No. 20 from Galgeberg til Skøyen (Oslo)

• L?

• N?

• left -

right

• top - down


An example: Time table

Bus No 20 from Galgeberg to Skøyen station

• When does the first bus depart from Galgeberg?• When does the first bus depart from Carl Berner?• When does the last bus depart from Galgeberg?• What’s the name of the next bus stop after Ullevål

hospital?• How long does the bus take from Tøyen to the hospital? (N

– normal traffic conditions)?• How long does the bus take from Tøyen to the hospital? (L

– little traffic)• You take the 8.53 A.M. bus from Galgeberg. What is the

time when you arrive at the hospital?• You live at Torshov. You have an appointment at Majorstua

at2 P.M. When do you have to take the bus in order to be there on time?


Conclusions:The “Can-do” method:

• Based on positive learning experiences• Strengthens the participants’ self esteem• Makes it possible for a greater responsibility

for one’s own learning• Opens up for flexible learning• Makes it easy to plan individualized exercises• Focuses on participant activity• Suitable for counseling activities• Secures teaching structure• Enhances the quality of class room activities


Sources:

• Berggren og Tenfjord: Andrespråkslæring, Gyldendal 1999• Bråten, Ivar (red): Vygotskij och pedagogiken (Cappelen

1996)• Common European Framework of Reference: Learning,

Teaching and Assessment, EU 2001• Handal og Lauvås: Veiledning og praktisk yrkesteori

(Cappelen, 1994)• Haugerud og Kvam: (red) Livslang læring, (Skaalvik &

Skaalviks artikkel, NVI 1993)• Little, David: ”Meeting the English Language Needs of

Refugees in Ireland” (Trinity College, Dublin)• Norberg, Perly Folstad: Sluttrapport fra prosjektet

Norskopplæring for voksne innvandrere (Vox 2002)• Norsk språktest: ”Jeg kan”-utsagn. Beskrivelser av

språkferdighet, UiB 1998

holte/røynestad, sept. 03 i can do it!. holte/røynestad, sept. 03 presentation 1 m. a. from the...

Documents

participants norwegian

basic education

continuing education

district furuset

furuset district

teaching women classes

social science

immigrant women