UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ Theory and practice of language education today Insights from teaching...

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ

Theory and practice of language education today Insights from teaching Finnish and beyond

PhD, Adjunct Prof.

Petteri Laihonen

The Jyväskylä Language Campus,

Centre for Applied Language Studies, University of Jyväskylä, Finland


Population of Finland (väestörekisterikeskus, 2014 Apr. 22) 5 458 123

First language:89 % FinnishFinnish5,4 % SwedishSwedish1.2 % Russian 4.1% Other

Municipalities with

a Swedish-speaking

majority or minority


The Constitution of Finland

Section 17 – Right to one's language and culture

The national languages of Finland are Finnish and Swedish. The right of everyone to use his or her own language, either Finnish or Swedish, before courts of law and other authorities, and to receive official documents in that language, shall be guaranteed by an Act. The public authorities shall provide for the cultural and societal needs of the Finnish-speaking and Swedish-speaking populations of the country on an equal basis…


Basic Education Act

Section 11

Content of education

1. The basic education syllabus shall contain […] the following core subjects: mother tongue and literature, the second national language, foreign languages, environmental studies, health education, religious education or ethics, history, social studies, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, physical education, music, art, crafts, and home economics.


Languages in Basic Education (2014)

grade 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

A1/NNcomp.

8 hours/ week 8 h/w

A2 volen.

12 h/w

B1 6h/w

B2 4h/w


Finns and Languages:

Besides their mother tongue, all pupils have to choose one language for at least 7 grades (”A1/NN”) and one at least for 3 grades (”B1”). One of these languages has to be the second national language (Swedish or Finnish) and the other a foreign language (typically English). In addition the school can offer different foreign languages on a voluntary bases (“A2”/”B2”) typically: German, French, Spanish, Russian.

My path was typical: English from grade 3, Swedish from 7 and German from 8

According to Eurobarometer (2012): 70% of Finnish adults have stated to speak English, 44% Swedish and 18% German as a L2


Education in ”the second national language” in practice

Swedish in Finnish (language of instruction) schools In practice most start from grade 7 (92,5%), when it is

compulsory and with minimal hours a week. Learning results in Swedish are poor, especially among

boys. The main problems are lack of motivation to study Swedish, lack of oral practice and the lack of opportunities to use Swedish. (Pohjala & Geber 2010.)

Projects to develop and enhance teaching and learning of Swedish (e.g. Immersion, Bilingual programs)


Teaching Finnish in Swedish Schools There are more pupils in Swedish Schools that there

are officially registered Swedish speakers in the age group: Heterogeneous competence in Finnish.

The motivation and the need to learn Finnish is high, in many cases two to four extra hours of teaching are adopted. Finnish is learnt widely also in the autonomous Åland islands, where it is voluntary.

Most Swedish speaking Finns learn Finnish as their A1/2 language.

1/3 have chosen to learn Finnish as a ”near-native” (“NN”) language. The Curriculum of this subject is written for “a bilingual pupil”.

Unlike for Swedish, the learning goals are largely reached, except in very heterogeneous groups.


Some conclusions so far

The motivation for the minority to learn the majority language in minority schools (where the language of instruction is not the majority language) is high, this asset should not be wasted.

The teaching of a national language is best organized in different groups according to the competence level of the pupils (beginners --- bilinguals).

Two examples from Hungarian schools in Slovakia


Curriculum for (Finnish as the second) national language: aims and contents

Aim: To learn to appreciate linguistic and cultural diversity and to raise linguistic awareness

Content: Pupils are encouraged to appreciate their linguistic background and learn about language rights and the statuses of different languages. Pupils explore the Finnish language used in the school and environment and understand where and why Finnish is used. Similarities and differences between languages are discussed, pupils learn how languages are in contact and how hybrid forms are part of everyday communication.

-


Learning to appreciate cultural and linguistic diversity

Photo ©

T.P. Szabó


Aims and content 2

Aim: To learn co-operative and individual language learning skills

Content: - Learning how to work with others, to give and receive

feedback and take responsibility of learning.- The pupils are taught to notice Finnish language use in

their environment and to find and evaluate information- The pupils learn to evaluate their language skills- The European language portfolio can be use as a

learning aid


Co-operative learning

Photo © T.P. Szabó


Aims and content 3

Aims: To practice oral and written interaction, and to produce different texts in and outside the classroom and also with digital means

Content: - Texts are chosen on the basis of topicality, and

relevance for the pupils and the community.- Interaction is practiced through different modes and

channels, e.g. with the help of games and plays- Vocabulary and structure is practiced in context, also

compensatory strategies and interactional routines (e.g. discourse particles) are practiced

- > Grammar taught and learnt according to the Functional Paradigm


The Functional Paradigm in FSL

“Descriptions of linguistic structures and the order in which these structures are taught should focus on language use and on the models and patterns that recur most frequently in common usage. The student should be taught to make his / her own observations in a communicative environment in such a way that [focus on] form, meaning and use of the language are properly balanced. Ideally, learning situations should be constructed around authentic actions that will be of relevance to the student. Only then can they provide students with the tools that enable them to communicate and interact in a linguistic community”

(Aalto, Mustonen & Tukia, 2009: abstract)


And beyond: Communicative competence 2.0 (Lotherington 2014)


Communicative competence 2.0


Language teachers and teacher education in Finland

All qualified teachers in Finland have a MA degree The goal of language teacher education is to educate

”reflective practitioners who can reflect, plan, and assess their work from both the theoretical and practical points of view and thus make educational decisions that are based on both rational theoretical argumentation and intuitive pedagogical insight and reflection” (Toomar, Salo & Pollari 2011: 119)

Reflection also on the teachers as language learners (learning portofolio).

Teacher autonomy is a basic pedagogical principle in education, no school inspectorate or compulsory national exams.


Sources•Basic Education Act, 628/1998, http://www.finlex.fi/en/laki/kaannokset/1998/en19980628.pdf•The Constitution of Finland, 11 June 1999, Unofficial translation http://www.finlex.fi/en/laki/kaannokset/1999/en19990731.pdf•Eurobarometer 2012 (Europeans and their Languages) http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_en.pdf•European Language Portfolio•http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/education/elp/•Tilastokeskus: http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_vaesto.html•Väestörekisterikeskus: http://vrk.fi/•Toomar, Jaana, O.-P. Salo & P. Pollari 2011. What are Finnish language teachers made of? In. Kontoniemi, Marita & O.-P. Salo. Educating teachers in the PISA paradise. Perspectives on teacher education at a Finnish university. Jyväskylä Teacher Training School: Jyväskylä, 105-122.

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ Theory and practice of language education today Insights from teaching...

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