Oman äidinkielen opettaja osana kouluyhteisöä

Tässä artikkelissa tarkastellaan oman äidinkielen (OÄK) opettajien kokemuksia osallisuudestaan työyhteisössä. Teoreettisena viitekehyksenä on kielellisesti ja kulttuurisesti vastuullinen pedagogiikka. Artikkeli perustuu kyselyaineistoon (N=47), joka on analysoitu laadullisen sisällönanalyysin keinoin hyödyntäen Atlas.ti-ohjelmaa. OÄK-opettajien osallisuus vaihtelee: jotkut kuuluvat työyhteisöönsä kiinteästi, kun taas toiset ovat ulkopuolisia, vieraita, joita yhteisö ei kutsu mukaan. Osallisuutta rakentavat myönteinen vuorovaikutus ja OÄK-opettajan ammattitaidon hyödyntäminen kouluyhteisön hyväksi. Osallisuutta heikentävät kielteinen tai olematon vuorovaikutus sekä OÄK-opettajan työn väheksyminen. Myös arjen rakenteet vaikeuttavat osallisuuden kehittymistä. Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat, että koulu-järjestelmämme julkilausuttu moninaisuuden tunnustamista ja hyödyntämistä painottava arvopohja ei välttämättä näy koulujen käytänteissä ja arjen vuorovaikutuksessa. Koulujen kieli- ja kulttuuritietoista toimintakulttuuria tulee tarkastella myös eri ammattiryhmien olemassaolon, näkymisen ja aseman näkökulmasta

Oman äidinkielen osaaminen – hyödyntämätön resurssi

Tässä artikkelissa tarkastelemme monikielisten oppilaiden oman äidinkielen merkitystä osana Suomen kansallista kielivarantoa, kuvaamme opettajan työtä ja arjen haasteita sekä pohdimme oman äidinkielen opetuksen tulevaisuutta erityisesti opettajien koulutuksen kannalta. Kysymme, olisiko jo aika luoda koulutuskokonaisuus, joka tuottaisi monipuolisesti kielididaktiikkaa ja monikielisyyttä tuntevia ammattilaisia. Samalla Suomeen muuttaneet opettajat voisivat käyttää osaamistaan ja toimia monikielisten oppilaiden ja perheiden tukena ja linkkinä kouluun.nonPeerReviewe

Elements of success : Finding good practices of integration for teachers with refugee backgrounds

In this paper we present some key results of our EU project EMERGenCeS Erasmus+ which aims to find best practices in helping teachers with refugee backgrounds integrate into European Union countries. We collected data about refugee-educational initiatives and media-reported success stories from seven EU countries, looking for factors in the data that help refugees make use of their previous knowledge and find meaningful careers in their host countries. The aim of this project is to contribute new perspectives to discussions about learning in refugee integration contexts.nonPeerReviewe

Migrants at the university doorstep : How we unfairly deny access and what we could (should) do now

The Finnish Government recently launched policies to meet labor shortage challenges, recruit highly skilled international workers. However, they overlook a skilled population already living in Finland, namely highly educated migrants. The problem is that migrants tend to be treated similarly, whether they are well-educated or not. This means that migrants are typically directed into low paying jobs. How is it possible to better develop this group with more effective career guidance? We believe an important answer lies in improved university education for migrants. This investigation is based on responses from surveys, interviews, and project evaluations. An analysis is made of three successful university-based short-term integration programs. The emerging questions include, to what extent are obstacles for migrants appropriately deliberated in universities? What can we learn from the three model programs? Should language learning be incorporated into advanced academic programs? The analysis includes how current practices constrain migrants’ access to university education. Even with positive intentions, the prevailing understanding of equality involves equal treatment for all, despite educational or other differences. In addition, simplistic understanding of language skills and learning appears to predominate how migrants are treated. Highly educated migrants face serious challenges when there is a disconnect between language training and one’s disciplinary studies. We surmise there are critical differences between general population language training programs and those situated within disciplinary departments. Analysis of the model programs reveals that a systematic and holistic approach for overcoming current challenges is possible but with an emphasis on sustainability.peerReviewe

Mother tongue education in four Nordic countries - problem, right or resource?

The Declaration of a Nordic Language Policy stipulates that all Nordic residents have the right to preserve and develop their mother tongue and their national minority languages. Hence, this article investigates the question of mother tongue education for linguistic minority students. Through four ‘telling cases’, the article explores how four Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, orient towards mother tongues, Indigenous and national minority languages in their educational policies. Drawing on Ruíz’ (1984) framework of orientations in language planning, we investigate the following question: In what ways are mother tongues framed as rights, resources, or problems in four telling cases of educational policy in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden? The analysis of the telling cases shows that although all four countries provide various forms of mother tongue education, thus apparently aligning with the intentions in the Declaration of a Nordic Language Policy, there are important differences between the provisions. Nevertheless, across the four countries, the official national languages are placed at the top of a language ideological hierarchy. The official national languages are followed by national minority languages as mother tongues. These languages are awarded rights but are not considered resources for the whole population (e.g., Ruíz, 1984). The Danish telling case inserts a supranational layer in the hierarchy, namely mother tongues with status as official languages in the European Union. The hierarchy of mother tongues thus reflects how some types of mother tongues are more readily granted rights and considered to be resources than others.