Transcript Empowering pupils language and identity

Magda and Albana becoming
biliterate with dual language
books and Shpresa
Raymonde Sneddon
and Luljeta Nuzi
The context
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Making and using dual language books
Developing a collection and a website at UEL
Action research at UEL 2002-2004
Redbridge Developing Reading Skills through
Home Languages 2008
• Subjects: children who have little opportunity to
learn the language of their home – working with
teachers who support bilingualism through dual
language books
www.uel.ac.uk/education/research/duallanguagebooks
The research context
• Cummins’ empowerment model
• Bialystok’s work on bilingual literacy
• Research on multiliteracies and bilingual
learning by Eve Gregory and Charmian
Kenner
• Learner and personal identity in
complementary schools of Peter Martin
and Angela Creese
An exploratory study
Research questions
• What can observation of children reading in 2
languages simultaneously reveal about the
transfer of concepts and skills?
• Does the relationship between English and the
home language affect the ease and nature of
transfer?
• Does reading 2 languages simultaneously have
an impact on children’s understanding of how
language works and on their comprehension of
a text?
• Impact on development of learner and personal
identities?
Methodology
• Ethnographic study
• Identification of children and interviews
with parents and teachers
• 4/6 observations and recordings
• Transcription and field notes
The children
• Magda and Albana reading Albanian with
their mothers
• Mydda reading Urdu with her mother
• Lek and Durkan reading Turkish with each
other
• Sarah reading French by herself
• Mohamed reading Gujerati with his mother
“She has learned words in Albanian that I don’t know!”
(Albana’s mother)
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Understanding the different phonics and word order
Transfer of strategies at decoding and context level
Using Albanian much more in the home
Reading at the top end of the class in English
Have now become fluent readers in Albanian – expanding learning new
vocabulary in both languages
Diaries in Albanian developed into dual language books
Girls are very proud and would like to sit exams in Albanian
Public poetry recitals in Albanian and dancing in traditional costume in
public events
Bilingual and bicultural identity
Both now attend Albanian classes and clubs on a Sunday
Both mothers’ English is improving and both are now closely involved with
the school. Magda’s mother is now working as a classroom assistant and
helping to run an Albanian club, Albana’s mother training as a nursery
assistant.
Magda and Albana’s
Albanian diaries
Magda’s story
Valuing real life multilingual experiences
in the classroom
• Role of the school in creating a language friendly
educational environment
• Role of the teacher in encouraging and supporting
parents to read in the home language with their children
and in valuing children’s progress and skills
• Importance of teacher knowing the language and literacy
background of families
• Awareness of the different challenges presented by
different languages and the need for targeted resources
• Availability of suitable resources, including bilingual staff
• Availability of resources that value children’s cultural
heritage and encourage exploring and sharing of
personal identities.
“we might want to be authors”
Albana , Magda and the connection
with the Shpresa Programme
• Shpresa Programme started working in
Redbridge in partnership with Mayfield School
from 2005
• Christchurch School got to know about
Shpresa’s work on refugee week and asked for
help, to get traditional costumes and we offered
support with dancing as well.
• Staff got to know the children and invited them to
come at Mayfield School as well as contining to
offer the lunch club on Albanian awareness to
the children in Christchurch.
Background
• Shpresa is a user –led organization
• Set up in 2003
• Users of the services provided - Albanian
speaking refugees, asylum seekers and
migrants from Albania, Kosova,
Macedonia
• Registered as Charitable Company
• Charity No.1110688
• Company No.4692860
Mission
• To enable the Albanian speaking
community in the UK to settle and fully
participate in society and realize their full
potential. We want to promote a positive
identity and recognition of our community’s
cultural and linguistic heritage, both
among Albanian speakers and the wider
society so that we can contribute to
community cohesion in the UK
Projects up and running
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Women’s Project
Children’s project
Youth project
Volunteering project
Advice and advocacy project
Cultural events
Education project
• The Project aims to:
• Improve children’s language and literacy skills in
Albanian
• Improve children’s attainment in their
mainstream school
• Improve parent/child communication within the
family
• Improve parent/teacher communication
• Raise awareness of Albanian culture in the
community
Working with mainstream schools
What was on offer at
Mayfield School
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Albanian language classes
Traditional dancing
Women’s support group
Parenting support group
Drama
Mentoring
Training
Self - defence
Cultural events
And every year a number of public performances were
held
Selecting schools
• Identify schools with high numbers of Albanian
speaking children
• Identify Albanian speaking families taking
children to these schools and talk about the
project or parents who have heard about the
service approach us.
• Arrange for a meeting with school
representatives and discuss the possibility of
working in partnership
• Offer a three month pilot project
Reasons why schools trust us
• Track record
• Successfully run at other schools
• Safeguarding children policy in place (CRB
checks for all staff and volunteers)
• Clear target group
• Clear aims and outcomes
• Community back up
• References/good track record
• Offer solution for a number of school targets
How schools benefit from our
work
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Activities in line with school’s aims
Raising attainment
Improving attendance and punctuality
Student voice
Helping the school to engage with parents
Offering training and Albanian cultural
awareness for teachers and pupils
• Organizing assemblies at the school
• Helping the school to meet the Community
Cohesion Agenda and parental engagement
Children’s involvement
• Albana and Magda settled very quickly
• They really enjoyed themselves and made new
friends.
• Their confidence increased and they become
role models within the group very quickly
• They loved performing and public speaking at
different audiences
• They helped greatly to improve the quality of
services at Mayfield
In class at Mayfield
Children’s voices
• Shpresa is a user led organization and makes
sure that at all times the users contribute to its
development and governance
• Under the children and young people’s project
we have quarterly planning and evaluation
meetings as well as holding the yearly Children’s
Congress. Based on the children’s expressed
needs we then develop the project further and
improve our services as well as electing the
chair of the Albanian Young people’s forum.
Key factors in Shpresa’s
success
• Inclusiveness – Shpresa has a very strong
culture of family, friendship, solidarity and
warmth which gives rise to high levels of
trust and openness. It also sends out
messages of inclusiveness to newcomers,
so that they can take full advantage of the
opportunities as quickly as possible
• Cultural Identity – Shpresa’s programme of
activities, and provision of a ‘space’ for the
Albanian-speaking community provides a clear
reinforcement of identity of what it means to be
Albanian through language, dances and cultural
climate and activities. This reinforces family ties
by giving better means of communication
between parents and children and building new
links to grandparents. This clarity of identity is
experienced as providing a way of finding one’s
place in British society and giving rise to respect
from others outside the Albanian community
• Problem Solving Know-How – In Shpresa it is
clear that the staff act as role models to service
users and volunteers, and demonstrate
consistent patterns of behaviour
• Focus on women and young people – The
Shpresa Programme provides a range of
specific projects for children, young people and
women. Hence, there appears to be a focus on
these groups. Although this focus was probably
not intentional, it has had the effect of reaching
those who are the most significant holders and
transmitters of cultural values.
• Progressive Steps – Participants reported how they have
continued to take on progressively greater challenges to
suit their stage of development both within Shpresa,
such as in the volunteering programme, or outside, such
as in courses to further their career aspirations. It is clear
that the staff take an active hand in encouraging and
supporting this climate of self-development. There is a
strong feeling amongst women who are current and exservice users that by being in the UK and in contact with
Shpresa, that they can achieve things that would not
have been possible at home in their personal
development and careers. This is partly because they
can access courses and training; partly due to
encouragement from staff members; and partly because
of the increase in confidence that contact with Shpresa
and use of its services, offers
• Understanding the UK & Getting the UK to
Understand Albanians – Many people reported
how the Shpresa Programme had fostered
integration rather than separation. Many
commented on the programmes, visits and
activities that provide insight and understanding
and encourage appropriate involvement with UK
society. There was evidence that the Shpresa
Programme helps service users of all ages to
understand and feel comfortable with British
culture.
Teacher’s comment
• “I felt a great sense of achievement working with the group- they
were so proud to put on the traditional costumes and perform. The
children in school who watched the performance were also very
impressed, and had more respect for those pupils after the event.
I'm not sure about the effect it had on the children's work in class as
I do not teach any of the older ones, but it has had a big impact on
self esteem and pride in cultural heritage. This year in Yr 1 several
friends of the Albanian pupils have asked to join the club- it now has
a higher status. The children are proud to be able to speak Albanian,
which is great. So often peer pressure takes over and so many
parents say their children will only speak to them in English once
they start school. I was also delighted when so many parents,
aunties, baby brothers etc turned up laden with food for the end of
term party- it felt like a real community event, and the parents were
so pleased with what had taken place. It has given the parents an
opportunity to get to know each other better too.
Parents’ Comments
• “Shpresa has become my extended family that i don’t
have here in UK, is the place where I go with my
problems and I will not only be supported but
encouraged and trained to learn how to solve them by
myself”.
• “I have had the chance to learn from others, exposed to
so many opportunities and supported to overcome
difficulties, do volunteer work with in Shpresa and then to
a number of other institution, such as other volunteer
organization and school. They have helped me to decide
what I want to do in the future. I would like to become a
teacher and currently I am doing TA NVQ level 3 course
working as volunteer at Shpresa and at mainstream
school.”