Trilingual Education in Friesland: Challenges & Developments Alex M.J. Riemersma & Reitze J. Jonkman Lector Frisian & Multilingualism in Education ICLASP, 23th JUNE, 2012
Feb 13, 2016
Trilingual Education in Friesland: Challenges & Developments
Alex M.J. Riemersma & Reitze J. Jonkman
Lector Frisian & Multilingualism in EducationICLASP, 23th JUNE, 2012
Frisian in Fryslân (Netherlands)• Autochthonous minority language• Western Germanic language• Spoken in one province (of 12) of the Netherlands: Fryslân • Fryslân has 640,000 inhabitants • 55% has Frisian as mother tongue (= 350.000 speakers) • BUT: Frisian is successful as a second language:• 65% can read Frisian; 74% can speak Frisian; • 94% comprehends Frisian.
Multilingual Primary Education in Fryslân
• Main stream primary education (500 schools): (a) 400 schools: limited multilingual education: mainly Dutch + English as a subject; limited use of Frisian as a medium; (b) 100 schools: semi-multilingual education: mainly Dutch + English as a subject; Frisian medium for (half) school day
• Trilingual primary education (about 45 schools): - Dutch, Frisian and English as subject and medium - aiming at integrated language learning
Reitze Jonkman en Alex Riemersma
Trilingual education in Fryslân
· Model: Frisian, Dutch and English as subject & medium of instruction- Grade 1-6: 50 % Frisian, 50 % Dutch- Grade 7-8: 40 % Frisian, 40 % Dutch, 20% English
· Early start English
· Consciously separated use of languages: person / time / themes
Trilingual education in Fryslân
Developments:2012 > 50 primary schools (= 10%)
Continuity to secondary education:2012: 3 pilot schools with the concept of multilingual clil (= medium of instruction)
Teacher training:2011: Trilingual stream 2011: Minor (30 ECTS)
Multilingual Secondary Education in Fryslân
• Main stream secondary education: - Dutch dominant- English and Frisian as a subject only- limited use of Frisian as a medium in oral use only
• Experiments in progress:• 3 CLIL-schools: Dutch (obligatory for exams!);
English medium (30%-50%); Frisian as a subject only• 3 Trilingual schools: Dutch, English and Frisian both as a
subject and a medium
Reitze Jonkman en Alex Riemersma
Common Underlying Proficiency(Cummins)
Reitze Jonkman en Alex Riemersma Lectoraat Fries & Meertaligheid in Onderwijs en Opvoeding
Synergy of trilingual educationthrough Common Underlying Proficiency
Reitze Jonkman en Alex Riemersma Lectoraat Fries & Meertaligheid in Onderwijs en Opvoeding
Synergy of multilingual education?
Reitze Jonkman en Alex Riemersma Lectoraat Fries & Meertaligheid in Onderwijs en Opvoeding
On base of the CUP-model / ice mountain (Cummins) students are expected to acquire more languages in relationship with each other: constructs / significants; and simultaneously.
Problem 1: in school practice the watershed is persistent.
Problem 2: comparability of different target languages with regard to levels of command and the measurement.
Conflicting policies• Ideal: EU- & CoE-policy: mother tongue + 2 languages –
multilingualism as an asset • National: stress on national language + foreign languages
– discouraging regional and migrant languages• School level: reflects those conflicting policies
• Solution: Concept of Multilingual Education (ME) fits better to EU- & CoE-policy CLIL
Reitze Jonkman en Alex Riemersma
School & class room• CLIL should be reflected in didactics:• Teamwork is conditio sine qua non:
- teachers of subjects and medium of instruction aiming at integral approach- common target levels of language command in the target languages
• Learning strategies of pupils based on translanguaging and language use
Reitze Jonkman en Alex Riemersma
Task/ambition of lector• Continuity of ME from primary to secondary
education; adequate teacher training• Didactic approach for teacher training:
- effective & integrated learning- aiming at results
• Development of measurement tool for comparable results of language command;Reference levels: CEFR and Anglia (and the Dutch levels)
Reitze Jonkman en Alex Riemersma
Comparison of CEFR and Anglia levels
Reitze Jonkman en Alex Riemersma Lectoraat Fries & Meertaligheid in Onderwijs en opvoeding
Reitze Jonkman en Alex Riemersma
CEFR AngliaC2 MastersC1 Accept proficiencyB2 AdvancedB1 IntermediateA2 Pre-intermediate
ElementaryA1 Preliminary Primary
JuniorFirst step
Comparison CEFR-Anglia levels of language proficiency
Example of CEFR levels for verb in English (Van Dale)
Reitze Jonkman en Alex Riemersma Lectoraat Fries & Meertaligheid in Onderwijs en opvoeding
Achievable goals
• What is the most important goal for the learner?
Communicative language use• But what can be measured on base of the
CEFR and Anglia levels? Vocabulary, syntax, morphology, …..
Uptil now multiple choice vocabulary
1. What is the translation of paard
ko
hynder
peerd
fôle
Example of English test
• I _____________ the paper at the moment.
- read- am reading- to read- have read
Example of related Frisian test
• Ik bin de krante _____________ .
- te lêzen- oan it lêzen- lêzende- lêze
Synergy of ME and the comparable measurement of target languages
Reitze Jonkman en Alex Riemersma Lectoraat Fries & Meertaligheid in Onderwijs en opvoeding
- To what extent can different testing systems show validated results concernig reference levels in the target languages?
- To what extent can the common practice in didactics be applied towards integrated language learning?
Conclusion• Comparability of achievable levels of language
command is related to:(a) the mother tongue of the student(b) complexity of target language(c) language rich input / quality of education
• Registration of progress of language command:(a) language portfolio of student(b) student monitoring system (c) language portfolio of teacher & school (d) class / school monitoring system
Reitze Jonkman en Alex Riemersma
Conclusion
• Teacher and pupil want to see progress in their results of language learning
• Schools need to show “hard” comparable results of teaching
• Validated tests necessary / Synergy of several tests
Reitze Jonkman en Alex Riemersma Lectoraat Fries & Meertaligheid in Onderwijs en opvoeding
Thank you for your attention!
Bedankt voor de belangstelling!
Tige tank foar jim omtinken!
Trilingual Education in Friesland: Challenges & Developments