{"id":1819,"date":"2019-10-23T11:47:10","date_gmt":"2019-10-23T09:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kindinmi.phwien.ac.at\/?p=1819"},"modified":"2019-10-24T18:16:43","modified_gmt":"2019-10-24T16:16:43","slug":"sarah-campbell-interviews-with-two-trainee-teachers-at-uppsala-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kindinmi.phwien.ac.at\/?p=1819","title":{"rendered":"Sarah Campbell interviews two trainee teachers at Uppsala University"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sarah Campbell (Team Sweden) interviewed two trainee teachers at Uppsala University about\u00a0working with plurilingual pupils in school. The interview was done in Swedish, below you can find a summary in English.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Sarah: Can you tell us a little bit about where you are at with your studies and what kind of practical experience you have of teaching and so on?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elsa<\/em><\/strong> I\u2019m in my first semester of teacher training for classes 4-6.\u00a0 Before starting my teacher training I worked in schools for two years, mainly in upper secondary, and mainly with Swedish as a Second Language classes.<\/p>\n

Evelina<\/em><\/strong> And I\u2019m also in my first semester, like Elsa, but I haven\u2019t worked in schools at all yet, but I realized that was something I\u2019d like to do.<\/p>\n

I first met Evelina and Elsa when I happened to be privy to a really fascinating and inspiring discussion they were having together about working with plurilingual children and their families, so I asked them a bit about that, but first I was interested in their own languages and languaging\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Evelina<\/em><\/strong> I have Swedish as my mother tongue, and I can speak fluent English.\u00a0 Then my partner is from Kurdistan, so we speak a lot of Kurdish at home.<\/p>\n

Elsa<\/em><\/strong> I speak Swedish and English fluently, and I can also speak Norwegian, and I\u2019ve tried to learn a bit of Arabic and Dari, but I\u2019ve kind of lost that now that I\u2019m not working with my pupils. I haven\u2019t got very far with it.\u00a0 It was because of them that I was trying to learn the language \u2013 I didn\u2019t take any course or anything, rather I was learning from my pupils.<\/p>\n

If we think a bit now about the experiences you\u2019ve had (both positive and challenging) with regard to plurilingual children, both on the teacher training programme, and out in schools, how has it been for you?\u00a0 What kinds of situations have you found yourself in, what did you do in those situations?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elsa<\/em><\/strong> The first time I was working in school was in 2015, when the refugee crisis came, and at that time we had so many pupils who didn\u2019t speak Swedish that they had a separate class of their own –\u00a0 a \u2018preparation class\u2019, which I thought worked relatively well. \u00a0But the problem was that it became very segregated, and it was, a bit like our lecturer also mentioned to us, the preparation class was hidden away in some corner of the building.\u00a0 So because of that, it was very segregated, but in terms of them actually getting into the Swedish language, it was really effective in preparing them for entering the mainstream classes.<\/p>\n

Then I moved to Norway for a period of time, and then when I moved back to Sweden I started working in schools again,\u00a0 and by that point, the number of pupils had gone right down, so there wasn\u2019t any preparation class for them, they were placed straight into the regular classes.\u00a0 I felt that was really problematic because it\u2019s not easy when you\u2019ve literally just arrived and don\u2019t even know the basics such as yes and no, or hello, and you\u2019re expected to take part in a history lesson about ancient Rome.<\/p>\n

Thinking about when you met those pupils, and you couldn\u2019t speak their languages and they couldn\u2019t speak so much of your languages, how did you make it work, practically speaking?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elsa<\/em><\/strong> There was a lot of body language, and imitating for example.\u00a0 But then really you just have to find ways of working around the issue \u2013 building up strategies as you go.\u00a0 And that was why I also started to try and learn a bit of Arabic too, and the students really appreciated that \u2013 they were learning Swedish but it was nice for them to be able to do some things in Arabic with me, and in that way it was a shared learning process, from both sides.<\/p>\n

How did you find that the pupils you worked with viewed their own languages?\u00a0 And what did they all make of each other\u2019s languages and languaging?\u00a0 What about the pupils with Swedish as a first language?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elsa<\/em><\/strong> The place I was working was a very small community, and rather isolated, so unfortunately there was quite a bit of xenophobia.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t say that the Swedish pupils were particularly interested in making contact with the other pupils, but within the Swedish as a Second Language group, they were very interested in each other\u2019s language, and what things were called in the different languages.<\/p>\n

Do you think that that helped them in their learning?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elsa<\/em><\/strong> Yes, but above all it helped them to make contact with one another, be comfortable talking with one another, and in that sense it helped them with their Swedish learning.<\/p>\n

Evelina, you\u2019ve just started your teacher training programme \u2013 how do you feel that it is preparing you for working with plurilingual children?\u00a0 Is it something which has been brought up explicitly?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Evelina<\/em><\/strong> So we\u2019ve just been looking at it recently, as we\u2019re taking a course in Swedish, and we\u2019ve just had a whole seminar on Swedish as a Second Language learners, and how they write texts, what can be developed and so on.<\/p>\n

Do you think that trainee teachers generally need more course content related to working plurilingually, or different types of input on the subject? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Evelina<\/em><\/strong> Yes, it\u2019s so important because it\u2019s something we\u2019re going to face when we are out working in schools \u2013 it\u2019s not just something which can be swept aside, and we have to be inclusive as teachers.\u00a0 And so I think it\u2019s really important that our training gives us the right tools to be able to do that in the best way possible.<\/p>\n

Is it theory you think will be needed? Or practical tips?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Evelina<\/em><\/strong> Both, definitely.<\/p>\n

Thinking about language and identity, Evelina, how do you view that?\u00a0 Are they related to one another for you?\u00a0 How do you think you will work with language and identity matters with the pupils you will work with?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Evelina<\/em><\/strong> Absolutely, they are definitely related, of course.\u00a0 And as I say, my partner speaks Kurdish and so there\u2019s a lot of Kurdish when we visit his parents, and it\u2019s something which is part of ones identity. It\u2019s not just the case that you lose it just because you move to another country \u2013 you don\u2019t simply lose who you are.\u00a0 I think that for a lot of Swedes, it\u2019s hard to put themselves in that position, and they can misunderstand the situation.<\/p>\n

Indeed, and I think it\u2019s really interesting that you bring up the point about immigrants not simply exchanging one language for another.\u00a0 May I ask, how did you learn Kurdish?\u00a0 Was it from talking with your partner, or did you take a course?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was planning to take a course, in fact I am going to, but for the moment we learn a lot just by being with his parents, sitting and chatting together, and I\u2019m able to practice different sounds which we Swedes aren\u2019t so used to\u00a0 – the [\u0127] sound which we don\u2019t use in the same way.\u00a0 An then my partner puts up lots of post-it notes at home, lots of different words related to the home, different phrases (for example how you say thank you in different ways), which I think is really fun.<\/p>\n

Do you think that your own experiences of having been in a different language environment will help you as a teacher?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Evelina<\/em><\/strong> Absolutely.\u00a0 Because I think that if you haven\u2019t had that experience, it\u2019s almost impossible to understand it.\u00a0 If you\u2019re only speaking Swedish with Swedes all the time, you haven\u2019t got much diversity in your social circle, so it\u2019s hard to have an understanding of how it is to come here with a different language \u2013 the kind of difficulties they can experience.\u00a0 So yes, I think it\u2019s really important.<\/p>\n

Elsa, you\u2019ve worked with slightly older pupils, but have you had any contact with their parents \/ guardians?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elsa<\/em><\/strong> Yes a little bit.\u00a0 Through the church I\u2019ve actually worked at an evening \u2018language caf\u00e9\u2019, and it tends to be the same families coming, so I get to meet them.\u00a0 And the idea is that Swedes and new Swedes can have a fika together, get a dialogue going, so that the new Swedes can become part of the society.<\/p>\n

When you meet children\u2019s parents, have you been able to learn anything about how they see their children\u2019s language practices?\u00a0 What do they think about their children learning Swedish, for example? And do they see the importance of the children keeping hold of their mother tongue?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elsa<\/em><\/strong> The parents I\u2019ve spoken to when I was there, they were really very positive towards the idea that their children should learn Swedish quickly, and become part of the society and \u2018earn their place\u2019 for want of a better word \u2013 their feeling is that the children need Swedish so they can get a job, and be independent.\u00a0 So yes, definitely, very positive towards the children learning Swedish.\u00a0 That said, I\u2019ve also seen how the women often tend to end up being a little on the fringes, unfortunately.<\/p>\n

The mothers, do you mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elsa<\/em><\/strong> Yes, unfortunately, mainly the mothers.\u00a0 The children at these language cafes are very engaged, and the dads also come forward and talk, whereas the mums are rather at the sides.\u00a0 And it can tend to be the same in the job world too \u2013 it\u2019s often the men who get work first, and the women end up at home, which can lead to them becoming segregated.\u00a0 They spend a lot of time with one another, and then, quite understandably, they want to speak their own language together.<\/p>\n

Exactly, and this \u2018being an outsider\u2019 is something the government are also trying to address with their initiatives to bring language learning into open preschools (playgroups) and so on.\u00a0 So it\u2019s a very important topic.\u00a0 Do you think that as a teacher, or a future teacher, there is anything you can do to support mothers in the situation you describe, or is that not really your role? How do you view your teacher role in relation to the whole family?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Evelina<\/em><\/strong> I think it\u2019s definitely important to be inclusive, and to be clear that all caregivers can come into school, not just the dad if he\u2019s the one who is furthest ahead with his Swedish.\u00a0 We must make sure that we are inviting and welcoming both parents to parent-teacher-meetings, not just one.<\/p>\n

Is there anything else you\u2019d like to take up here? Or is there something you hope will be part of your teacher training related to these issues?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elsa<\/em><\/strong> I really hope that we will get practical tips.\u00a0 Having worked in schools, I\u2019ve found myself feeling in adequate if I\u2019ve had a whole class to whom I have to teach History, and I know that I have three pupils who don\u2019t understand what I\u2019m saying\u00a0 – but I also know that I have 22 other pupils who I also have to teach!\u00a0 How do I reach them all?\u00a0 It\u2019s so hard because you\u2019re working so hard to give everyone the time they need and deserve, but sometimes there just isn\u2019t time. So I hope we will receive concrete tips on how to manage this kind of situation.<\/p>\n

Indeed and this is something that research is showing also \u2013 even if teachers have a very positive mindset towards working with plurilingual students, it is the question of how it will work in practice which is so crucial for trainee teachers and teachers to get an answer to.\u00a0 But nonetheless, I\u2019d love to ask you two now, what tips do you have already for other trainees or existing teachers?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Evelina<\/em><\/strong> I think the main thing is to have an open mind and open attitude, and to try and show an interest for these pupils and their languages \u2013 (some of them) have been through awful things, and need the security which comes from someone being interested in them.\u00a0 I think that\u2019s the first thing.<\/p>\n

Elsa<\/em><\/strong> I agree, I think the most important thing is to see pupils as individuals, not just to say \u2018Oh yes, here comes a pupil from Syria\u2019 and assume that all pupils from Syria have the same background, because of course, they don\u2019t.\u00a0 When I\u2019ve worked with pupils, they\u2019ve really appreciated it when I\u2019ve talked to them personally, found out about who they are as a person, what kind of background they have, for example.<\/p>\n

Thank you so much for talking to me today!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sarah Campbell (Team Sweden) interviewed two trainee teachers at Uppsala University about\u00a0working with plurilingual pupils in school. The interview was done in Swedish, below you can find a summary in English.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-podcasts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kindinmi.phwien.ac.at\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kindinmi.phwien.ac.at\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kindinmi.phwien.ac.at\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kindinmi.phwien.ac.at\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kindinmi.phwien.ac.at\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1819"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/kindinmi.phwien.ac.at\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1824,"href":"https:\/\/kindinmi.phwien.ac.at\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1819\/revisions\/1824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kindinmi.phwien.ac.at\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kindinmi.phwien.ac.at\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kindinmi.phwien.ac.at\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}