Describe the home-school connection in Germany.
For all I know there is a good cooperation between schools and parents´ homes in Germany. At the beginning of a new school year there is a parents´evening within the first two weeks. In this evening the parents are getting informed about the upcoming school year and which exams or projects the students are going to join.
Furthermore all teachers of the different subjects are introducing themselves to the parents and give them their contact details at this first meeting. In this evening the parents also get the chance to ask questions about the topics and projects in relation to the whole school year. This kind of "parents evening" take place twice in the whole school year.
School festivals are typical occasions where parents and school have to work together. Usually parents prepare and offer meals and help to construct the stage and seat area. Besides the parents tailor costumes for their children if they are going to act or have another performances on stage.
There are another different areas where parents and school work togehter voluntarily. For example, I had an internship at a school where parents voluntarily prepared healthy breakfast for the students. By doing this, they offered their children the opportunity to get healthy breakfast at school. The school administration supported this offer and provided them the premises and the equipment.
Montag, 10. August 2009
Donnerstag, 30. Juli 2009
Homework 2
How have schools in Germany responded to minority cultures and languages? How could this be improved?
Since the 1950s the population of Germany has become more diverse. In Germany there are millions of immigrants, for example people from Turkey, Italy, Greece or Asia. For a long time, Germany has not considered itself as a country of immigration. Foreigners or "guest workers" and their children have been regarded as temporary workers and residents who would return after a few years of work to their country of origin.
That´s why the politicians didn´t initiate special politics concerning education of children from different cultural backgrounds and minorities.But nowadays politicians have realized that almost nineteen percent of the German population are either foreign citizens or have a migration background. Consequently, the integration of immigrants and the education of their children have received increasing attention in the political debate and thus at schools, too. The new education policy towards minorities and students with migration background contains several special programs .
The state where I live is in the South part of Germany and has one of the highest rate of students with migration background. Therefore have schools due to political changes adjusted their curriculum. For example, there are lots of new names of different minorities mentioned in school books. In former times there were no use of foreign names in textbooks.Furthermore there are special tutoring programs in the afternoon to help students with migration background to improve their school performances. I´m a part of a special program called "big sister /big brother" which is supported by education authority. In the context of this program I provide tutoring to turkish children and help them to do their homework at a primary and secondary school.
I think that different cultures and students from different cultures should be supported stronger than it is done now. Diversity and other cultures enrich a country and it´s desirable that students from different minorities get more and more the chance to keep their own language and culture at school and in private life.
Since the 1950s the population of Germany has become more diverse. In Germany there are millions of immigrants, for example people from Turkey, Italy, Greece or Asia. For a long time, Germany has not considered itself as a country of immigration. Foreigners or "guest workers" and their children have been regarded as temporary workers and residents who would return after a few years of work to their country of origin.
That´s why the politicians didn´t initiate special politics concerning education of children from different cultural backgrounds and minorities.But nowadays politicians have realized that almost nineteen percent of the German population are either foreign citizens or have a migration background. Consequently, the integration of immigrants and the education of their children have received increasing attention in the political debate and thus at schools, too. The new education policy towards minorities and students with migration background contains several special programs .
The state where I live is in the South part of Germany and has one of the highest rate of students with migration background. Therefore have schools due to political changes adjusted their curriculum. For example, there are lots of new names of different minorities mentioned in school books. In former times there were no use of foreign names in textbooks.Furthermore there are special tutoring programs in the afternoon to help students with migration background to improve their school performances. I´m a part of a special program called "big sister /big brother" which is supported by education authority. In the context of this program I provide tutoring to turkish children and help them to do their homework at a primary and secondary school.
I think that different cultures and students from different cultures should be supported stronger than it is done now. Diversity and other cultures enrich a country and it´s desirable that students from different minorities get more and more the chance to keep their own language and culture at school and in private life.
Freitag, 24. Juli 2009
Homework 1
Describe your own language learning experience and knowledge using the terms BICS and CALPS
My parents are from Turkey. They immigrated to Germany 40 years ago. Therefore my first language is Turkish. I learned Turkish by BICS and was able to use my mother tongue for oral communication with my parents and my brothers. I have three brothers and could only communicate with them in Turkish because they are older than me and they could actually talk German.
My second language is German. When I went to the kindergarten with 4 years I learnt German by BICS. At the beginning I learnt how to say things like "I´m hungry" or I "want to play". Later I observed my friends and learnt more and more to communicate with them. When I went to primary school I learnt German by CALP. I was taught reading and writing in German so that I used increasingly German and couldn´t improve my language abilities in Turkish. But when I was 8 years old I went additionally to a turkish school twice a week and thus learnt Turkish by CALP, too.
When I was in 5th grade I learnt English by CALP. At that time my English teacher taught me grammar and vocabulary but he didn´t teach us useful and conventional expressions. That´s why I had problems to make sentences in the English language. Later I tried to improve my oral and writing skills by listening and reading to English music and literature. At university I didn´t attend many English lectures yet so that I had not the opportunity to push my language skills in English.
My fourth language is French. I learnt in 7th grade French by CALP and had lessons for 6 years. I had a French neighbor and relatives in France so that I improved my French by BICS, too. Now I´m out of school for more than 8 years and more and more realize that I´m forgetting lots of my vocabulary and try to preserve my French skills by BICS (talking with relatives in France).
My parents are from Turkey. They immigrated to Germany 40 years ago. Therefore my first language is Turkish. I learned Turkish by BICS and was able to use my mother tongue for oral communication with my parents and my brothers. I have three brothers and could only communicate with them in Turkish because they are older than me and they could actually talk German.
My second language is German. When I went to the kindergarten with 4 years I learnt German by BICS. At the beginning I learnt how to say things like "I´m hungry" or I "want to play". Later I observed my friends and learnt more and more to communicate with them. When I went to primary school I learnt German by CALP. I was taught reading and writing in German so that I used increasingly German and couldn´t improve my language abilities in Turkish. But when I was 8 years old I went additionally to a turkish school twice a week and thus learnt Turkish by CALP, too.
When I was in 5th grade I learnt English by CALP. At that time my English teacher taught me grammar and vocabulary but he didn´t teach us useful and conventional expressions. That´s why I had problems to make sentences in the English language. Later I tried to improve my oral and writing skills by listening and reading to English music and literature. At university I didn´t attend many English lectures yet so that I had not the opportunity to push my language skills in English.
My fourth language is French. I learnt in 7th grade French by CALP and had lessons for 6 years. I had a French neighbor and relatives in France so that I improved my French by BICS, too. Now I´m out of school for more than 8 years and more and more realize that I´m forgetting lots of my vocabulary and try to preserve my French skills by BICS (talking with relatives in France).
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