The cross-cultural teacher’s adaptations for student’s learning and development in a diverse classroom

Knowledge

The student has knowledge about

• Learning and development in a multi-linguistic and multicultural context
• Adapted teaching for multi-linguistic pupils
• Socialisation and motivation as factors for learning and development
• Reading and writing in all subjects
• Analysis and assessment of pupils’ texts
• The use of literature in multi-linguistic classes
• Communication and trust-building relations between school and pupils and between school and home
• The National Curriculum for children/pupils with Norwegian as the second language
• The schools’ stakeholders

Skills

The student is able to

• Assess connections between identity, socialisation and motivation, where the student’s own experiences and knowledge forms the basis for a comparative perspective
• Apply, plan and communicate learning processes in different cultural and pedagogical contexts
• Plan and implement adapted teaching
• Show the ability to assess and lead development processes based on the culture and language of children and youth, and digital media
• Assess and reflect on different connections between language, identity and socialisation
• Support multilingual pupils in reading and writing in all subjects
• Apply literature when planning and implementing teaching
• Use a variety of assessment forms
• Meet children, youth and adults with various challenges in an appropriate way

General competence

The student

• Is able to implement teaching and facilitate good development for children, youth and adults with a multilinguistic and multicultural background in the light of the perspectives of different learning theories
• Is able to assess how a multilinguistic and multicultural background can influence the development of identity, socialisation and motivation for learning
• Is able to have a reflected and professionally based dialogue with pupils, their parents and other stakeholders about the pupils’ learning and development
• Is able to discuss ethical aspects, didactical consequences, challenges and possibilities in a school characterised by linguistic, cultural and religious diversity

The main focus of this course is learning and learning processes in a multicultural and multilinguistic context. The course shall enable the student to adapt teaching to a classroom with pupils with diverse backgrounds. The relation between language, identity and culture is central, and particular emphasis is placed on minority pupils’ development of self-confidence and identity related to language and culture. The course will give the student insight into the school’s importance for creating motivation to learn, especially for pupils with challenges. Knowledge about the school’s stakeholders and the purpose of the ability to interact with other central stakeholders is important. In schools with minority pupils, it is important to have the ability to relate to the National Curriculum and the mapping tools that have been developed for this group. This will be emphasised. Emphasis will also be placed on the students’ professional digital skills.

The course will include various approaches and possibilities for students to reflect on individual life experiences related to subject literature and practice. The course’s approach will, therefore, emphasise dialogue and personal engagement in relation to the themes that are discussed. This includes bilingual competence and cross-cultural experiences related to social interaction crossing different linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

The teaching will be based on course sessions, four in the autumn semester and four in the spring semester. Between course sessions at UiA the students will work with subject matter individually and in groups. Central work methods are lectures, seminars, oral presentations, self-study, group discussions, teaching practice and documentation of completed practice activities. Students will use digital tools in teaching and when following up practice. A period professional, supervised training of 20 days is included in the course.

Assignments and approval of three work tasks, one of which must be related to the practice period. There is a mandatory oral presentation after the practice has been completed. A practice report must be submitted.

The workload is estimated at about 800 hours.

• Three mandatory assignments and a practice report must be approved
• Attendance requirement: 75% at mandatory meetings
• Completed and passed 20 days of professional, supervised and assessed training

Further information will be published on Canvas when the semester starts.

• Individual oral examination, counts 60%
• Individual home examination, 2 days, counts 40%

Graded assessment