working with diverse languages and cultures in reykjavik playschools (friða b. jónsdóttir)
TRANSCRIPT
One community many languagesWorking with diverse languages and cultures in
Reykjavík‘s preschools
Fríða Bjarney JónsdóttirProject manager/consultant
Reykjavík City Department of Education and Youth
∗ 64 Pre-schools∗ 5700 children – staff number 1.500 +
approximately 100 staff working with support for children with special needs
∗ Around 200 of those have another backround than icelandic.
∗ 19 private preschools – 1150 children∗ 220 child minders – 900 children
The Department of Preschool Education is in charge of:
Children with a diverse backround
∗ 1132 children with diverse background ∗ Thereof c.a. 700 with
immigrant parents∗ 80 different nationalities and
50 languages∗ Most of the children, 264 have
polish as a mother tongue∗ 99 children with filippino
backround∗ Ongoing project with a polish
speaking teacher to facilitate language, act as a cultural broker and work with parents and teachers.
∗ The Icelandic law for preschools:∗ Preschools are for all children regardless of physical or mental ability,
culture or religion∗ The preschool is the first school stage in the school system and is
intended for children under compulsory school age according to the act on preschools no. 90/2008.
∗ Preschools are inclusive and education and care is based on equality.
∗ The guidelines assume that each child should be cared for according to its own needs and in close cooperation with parents
∗ National Curriculum Guide for preschool published 2011 ∗ Each preschool is obliged to use the National Curriculum as a guiding
light but every preschool creates its own curriculum which demonstrates the main goals of each preschool.
Law and policy for preschools in Iceland
Policy for preschools in Reykjavík
∗ The City of Reykjavik’s Human Rights Policy∗ http://www.reykjavik.is/Portaldata/1/Resources/mannr_ttindaskrifstofa/__ensku_stefnan___heild.pdf
∗ Multicultural policy for Preschools in Reykjavík, first issued 2001, revised and republished 2006
∗ http://www.rvk.is/Portaldata/1/Resources/leikskolasvid/fjolmenningarste_lei_enska.pdf
∗ Multicultural policy for multicultural education and leisure for children age 2-16, issued 2014. ∗ Implemented into preschools, elementary schools and after school activities
from 2014-2017
∗ Reading and literacy policy, “Lesið í leik” ∗ published September 2013.∗ Implemented 2013-2015.
Máltaka og læsi ungra tví/fjöltyngdra barna
∗ Mál byrjar að þróast í frumbernsku og er náttúrulegt ferli∗ Máltaka barns er þroskaferli samofið öllum öðrum þroskaþáttum
∗ Það á bæði við um máltöku móðurmáls og íslensku sem annars máls
∗ Mál þróast yfir í læsi (Bernskulæsi) leikskólaárin mikilvægur grunnur ∗ Að læra að lesa er ekki náttúrulegt ferli/ We where never born to read∗ Til þess að barn þrói með sér tvítyngi/fjöltyngi þarf að vinna markvisst
með móðurmálið/in og íslensku (skólamálið)∗ Sameiginleg ábyrgð okkar allra að stuðla að virku tvítyngi
Hvernig læra ung börn tungumál?
∗ Í samskiptum við aðra ∗ Þar sem samræður leiða til skilnings∗ Í Raunverulegum aðstæðum t.d. útikennslu:
∗ þar sem tækifæri gefst til þess að eiga í samræðum um merkingu út frá viðfangsefninu (frá hönd til hugar)
∗ Þegar hægt er að nýta öll skynfærin (lykta, snerta, bragða, hlusta og sjá)
∗ Þar sem þau upplifa að kunnátta þeirra og þekking sé mikilvæg (á ekki síst við um tvítyngd börn sem eru með annað móðurmál)
∗ Með því að fá tækifæri til virkrar þátttöku í stað þess að vera óvirk – Muna blikið í augum barna!!!!
Hvernig læra ung börn tungumál?
∗ Þar sem mikið er lesið fyrir þau og spjallað við þau∗ Þar sem hinn fullorðni leggur sig eftir því að hlusta á börn og styður þau
við að koma merkingu sinni á framfæri ∗ Þar sem málörvun (og stuðningur við máltöku og læsi):
∗ Tengist því sem verið er að vinna í barnahópnum og þeim orðaforða sem nauðsynlegur er í þeim aðstæðum
∗ Felur í sér að börn fá að byggja á reynslu sinni, þau eru undirbúin fyrir þátttöku í verkefnum og fá stuðning við að vinna úr verkefnum
∗ Unnið er á dýptina með ákveðið þema eða viðfangsefni s.s. Eins og bækur texta í ákveðinn tíma og í tengslum við ólík viðfangsefni
∗ Presents an holistic approach to language and literacy learning∗ Emergent literacy – circuit from birth to fully literate∗ Highlights the importance of “Active bilingualism” sustaining mother
tongue while learning Icelandic as a second/third (additional) language. http://eldri.reykjavik.is/Portaldata/1/Resources/skola_og_fristundasvid/skjol/L_sisstefna.pdf
“Proactive cooperation between family and preschool enhances the opportunity to promote children’s
active bilingualism which is beneficial both for individual and the society” (Lesið í leik pg. 4).
Language and Literacy Policy for preschools (Lesið í leik)
∗ The policy adresses preschools, compulsory schools and after school activities
∗ The guiding light of the policy stresses the importance of:
Policy for Multicultural /Intercultural Education and Play (Heimurinn er hér).
Educational and Social Success for all children and youth along with the
opportunity to become proud of their identity, background and culture
Policy for Multicultural /Intercultural Education and Play (Heimurinn er hér) cont.
• Three main goals of the policy:• Proactive and varied
teaching strategies - Multicultural Education
• Icelandic as a second language and active bilingualism
• Working with families
∗ The Policy adresses the importance of quality in language learning and literacy both in regard to Icelandic and the possibility to sustain mother language
∗ All teachers and staff are responsible for building positive attitudes and respect towards ALL MOTHER LANGUAGES ∗ „It is not the job of the special teaching teacher“
∗ All aspects of language learning should be taken into account∗ Social and cognitive - Cummins BISC/CALP
∗ Language and literacy learning should be a part of the whole curriculum both in preschool and elementary school ∗ This is the first policy that focuses on the whole learning of the child also in
regard to after school activities
∗ Stresses the importance of cooperation (families – Ngo‘s – Library - other)
Icelandic as a second language and active bilingualism
∗ Interview with parents before the child starts preschool, with a interpreter if needed at home or in the preschool. The preschool teacher and parents share information on:∗ Issues regarding the child and families∗ Issues regarding the preschool and the adjustment period
∗ importance of maintaining mother tongue, parents meeting and other things in 10 languages∗ Preschools welcome parents to cooperate
http://www.reykjavik.is/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-3806/6354_view-2290/∗ In the preschool a great emphasis is put on building good cooperation with
all parents with the welfare of the child and the group of children as guidance. Parent cooperation is founded on the basis of equality whereas the parents are specialists in issues regarding their children and preschool teachers specialists in the educational environment of young children. The strength of each preschool community is found in a diverse group of parents but there are many ways to activate that force in cooperation of preschools and families.
Cooperation with parents
∗ Information for parents of children in 10 languages:∗ Ages 0-3∗ Ages 3-6∗ Ages 6-10∗ Ages 10-16
∗ http://www.aarhus.dk/da/borger/familie-boern-og-unge/Pasning/Dit-barns-sprog-og-laesning/Pjecer-til-foraeldre.aspx
Linguistic development – A Joint Responsibility
Resources for teachers and parents – available in 10 languages
∗ Questions and answears for multilingual families http://reykjavik.is/baeklingar-fyrir-foreldra-brochures-parents
∗ Vocabulary lists∗ http://reykjavik.is/ordalistar-eydublod-og-fleira-hagnytt
∗ Messages from preschool to parents∗ http://reykjavik.is/skilabod-fra-skola-0
∗ Roma Chumak-Horbatch Language appropriate practices http://kritin.is/2014/08/28/tungumalateiti-i-toronto/
∗ Thinging of language and linguistic activities as a research project ∗ Make children interested and curious for languages and literacy
LAP
Assimilative Supportive Inclusive
∗ Translanguaging∗ Norwegian preschool teacher:
∗ „Many of them are very interested (in languages) and this has developed to be more or less like a language play. They want to know „what‘s that called“ all the time. The monolingual children are interested in learning for example Somali. Amal (Somali girl) didn‘t want to say anything in Somali, but now this has suddenly changed, so now they think it‘s fun. Myn intention was to strengthen their self image and pride of their own culture and identity and their status in the group of children“. (Gunhild Tomter Alstad (2014).
Creating room for languagesGunhild Tomter Alstad (2014)
∗ Book of communication between preschool and family∗ To make the adjustment period easier for children and parents∗ Better access into Icelandic∗ Build respect and knowledge for diverse mother languages
Starting preschool – preserving languages
∗ Identity texts (skráningar, leiðarbækur)∗ Book bags∗ Star of the week∗ Families engaged in literacy project‘s∗ Event book∗ Polish speaking facilitator/bridge∗ Icelandic courses for parents∗ International day of heritage languages
Examples of working with children and families with linguistic and cultural treasures
