Lifelong Learning Programme

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
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basic information

Title of the Project
Europaenheten - lär och utvecklas för framtiden/ Europaenheten - Educating for the Future
Brief description
This projects aim is to have a unified view on language learning from preschool to ninth grade. The participating schools are Askebyskolan och Rinkebyskolan. Another aim is to strengthen skills in the mother tongue and in Swedish. They collaborate between the different schools around this project to ensure a unified view on language learning.
Country
Sweden
Year
2003
Target Language
English, French, German, Swedish, Other
Sector
School Education
Further Information

THE INITIATIVE PROMOTER’S PERSPECTIVE

Background

In 1997 a survey was conducted in the municipality, which showed that youth in ninth class dared not apply to schools and work in the city. The main reason being that they felt uncertainty because they had not mastered the language and perhaps Swedish social skills. Students in the two schools Askebyskolan and Rinkeby school are predominantly immigrants. The management group together with parents formed a working group whose task was to find solutions to improve young people's language skills and at the same time could strengthen their self-confidence. The result was a focus on languages - Swedish, English and their mother tongue languages - social sciences and IT.

Objectives

The goal of the schools was to impower the students and give them a greater sense of self. This would be done by increasing their language skills in their native language, Swedish and English. It also prioritized social studies subjects and computer skills. The importance of learning several languages emphasized.

Approach

As a complement to mainstream education different workshops were created from kindergarten to year nine. All teachers in the English workshops are native English speakers. A consistent factor for all workshops is that learning should be fun. In preschool, they start to learn English from the age of 3, beginning with simple songs and rhymes. For 4-6 year olds one adds games, and read- along books using the educational material Big Books - Little Books from New Zealand. With this material children are encouraged to ”read” with the aid of colorful images and text, making it possible for them to create full sentences that they otherwise would have difficulty producing. Much of the material used is in English, Swedish and the children's native language creating support in understanding the text. To ensure the continuity the same teacher follows the preschool children to kindergarten and early school years. Working on the computer is introduced in nursery school where they use both web sites and PowerPoint presentations working with EU projects. As early as the forth grade, children who advanced in their language skills have the opportunity to choose another foreign language. Furthermore, it is possible to choose a subsequent foreign language in grade 6, which means that Rinkeby children can have five languages with them when they leave primary school.
The prioritized subjects and languages, Social sciences and computer skills are integrated into the subject matter to clarify context and social affiliation in Swedish society.

Results

Working with native speakers, Swedish and English inables language learning and helps the children / students see the connection linguistically, culturally and socially. The very early language learning has been shown to give children a better and more natural pronunciation.

Why the European Language Label?

We were proud of our language work and what we achieved. We also wanted to share our ideas and experience so that other schools could implement similar programs. We were one of the first pre-schools to introduce English at the pre-school level. Now, English at the pre-school level has become very popular.

Activities following the award of the European Language Label

Participation in a language conference in Poland.

Assessment of the Impact of the European Language Label

An important aspect was that the teachers were aware that their good work was recognized and appreciated, as well as the students felt proud of their school and activities.
As young people have acquired better language skills and social awareness Rinkeby school's reputation has been increased which is important due to the extremely high proportion of young people with immigrant backgrounds. Working with these students has been an exciting and engaging challenge for educators.

Recommendations for future applicants for the ELL

Applying for ELL as soon as you know that what you are working with is positive for students and learning. It is important that good teachers and teaching methods get confirmation and encouragement. It is also important that these methods are shared with others.

THE NELLIP NETWORK’S PERSPECTIVE

Consistency with European Policies in the field of Language Learning

The NELLIP Network selected the “Learn and develop for the future” project for its consistency with the priorities of the European Commission in the field of language learning. In particular, the project workshops focus on very early language learning and the learning of two or more foreign languages. Interdisciplinary learning improves understanding between cultures by promoting language skills. Furthermore the project promotes a new approach to language teaching and learning using modern technology as a tool to teaching activities. The workshop concept with fun and creative activities motivates and encourages the children/pupils to improve their language skills. The methodology can easily serve as a source of inspiration for other language teaching institutions.

THE NATIONAL AGENCY’S PERSPECTIVE

Motivations

The initiative “Learn and Develop for the future” works from a holistic perspective. Language education ranges from pre-school to year nine. The aim of the school is to improve young people's language skills and at the same time strengthen their self-confidence. The linguistic development is made a mutual goal throughout the school years.

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21 December 2014

Audio- video presentation of the NELLIP project

An audio- video presentation of the NELLIP project has been created and made available in the Information section of the NELLIP portal. To access the presentation please click here: http://nellip.pixel-online.org/IF_intro.php.