1. Two years studies at a teacher training programme that are completed.
2. The equivalent of English B in Swedish secondary school.
No main field.
The course is offered both as a single subject course and as part of a study programme to students in teacher education, preschool, primary and/or secondary education. According to the Swedish higher education system, a student may either follow a fixed study programme or combine different single subject courses leading towards an individually designed degree.
The aim of the course is to prepare student teachers for their professional task of working with children in culturally diverse pre-schools and schools.
The course is organised around four themes, including both theoretical studies and school experiences:
Theme 1. Personal and professional self-awareness
Theme 2. Comparative studies of educational systems
Theme 3a. Strategies and methods for teaching/learning in multiethnic and multilingual settings
Theme 3b. Language and concept development
Theme 4a. Migration and national and minority group identity
Theme 4b. World philosophies, religions, ideologies and value systems as seen in the Swedish classroom.
After having completed the course the student should be able to
- present basic skills in teaching and organising learning processes within a context of diversity
- compare and analyse educational systems in different countries and demonstrate an understanding of the influence of historical, political and economic factors
- identify and explain theories of Second Language Acquisition and apply this knowledge to the process of teaching/learning
- reflect on teaching and learning with regard to the perspectives of ethnicity, gender and social class and to display skill in integrating these concepts in the process of creating the democratic class-room
- analyse world migration and its consequences, particularly for the teaching and learning process and in this context recognise the development and functions of ethnic and racial prejudice and stereotypes and further to show proficiency in utilising this knowledge in the class-room practice
- define basic value systems based on religions and ideologies and their relationship to the formulation of educational objectives and to personal identity and group behaviour.
The course will take into consideration and take advantage of the international composition of the student body. Early in the course there will be a practical exposure
in a school/pre-school setting. Simultaneously there will be exercises and reflections on students’ own cultural experiences and assumptions. After this a period of theoretical studies will follow, which in turn will be followed by a longer period of school experiences (practical work in school). Finally, the students will complete their portfolio, which will be presented and discussed in seminars during the final week of the course. Lectures, seminars, literature-seminars, group work, school experiences are part of the teaching and learning methods. Since the process within the group is an important part of the course most of the program is mandatory.
During the course students will be able to evaluate and influence/plan the teaching and learning methods used.
The students will be assessed by
1. individual written examination on the course literature
2. project work focused on world migration and its consequences seen in society and in the classroom
3. presentation of an individual portfolio with reflections on the course themes
4. seminars on educational systems and the value systems in different countries.
Reading list
Andersson-Levitt, Kathryn (2005) The Schoolyard Gate: Schooling and Childhood in Global Perspective. Journal of Social History, summer 2005
Banks, A. James. (1999) An Introduction to Multicultural Education. (Second Edition) Boston: Allyn and Bacon,.(176 p.)
Bouakaz, L. (2007). Parental involvement in school. What hinders and what promotes parental involvement in an urban school. Malmö Studies in Educational Scienses, nr 30. Malmö: Högskolan, lärarutbildningen.
Bunar, N. (2010b). The geographies of education and relationships in a multicultural city – enrolling in a high-poverty, low-achieving school and choosing to stay there, Acta Sociologica, 5(2). 141-159.
Castles, Stephan & Miller, Mark J. The age of migration. International Population Movements in the modern world Third edition 2003, Palgrave Macmillan, Chapter 1-6, 8, 10-12 (222p)
Cummins, J. (1996). Negotiating Identities: Education for Empowerment in a Diverse Society. Ontario: California Association for Bilingual Education
Eriksen,Thomas Hylland (2002) Ethnicity and Nationalism Pluto Press (208 p) Gibbons, Pauline, (2002), Scaffolding Language, scaffolding learning - Teaching Second Language Learners in the Mainstream Classroom, Heinemann
Liljefors Persson, Bodil: “Religious Studies and Learning - and Beyond! Grasping the Global Field of Religious Education Research from a Local Perspective”, publicerad i: Towards a European Perspective on Religious Education, Bibliotheca Theologiae Practicae 74, Uppsala Universitet, Rune Larsson; Caroline Gustafson,(Ed), Denmark 2004.( p 212-222).
Nilsson, J. & Axelsson, M. (2013). “Welcome to Sweden…”: Newly Arrived Students’
Experiences of Pedagogical and Social provision in Introductory and regular Classes.
International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 6 (1), 137-164.
Nilsson, J. & Bunar, N. (2015). Educational responses to newly arrived students in Sweden. Understanding the structure and influence of post-migration ecology. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research
Jönsson, Rune; Bodil Liljefors Persson: “Love, Peace and Understanding - Life-Vital Questions and Borders of Solidarity among 16-year-old pupils in Swedish Compulsory School” I Nordic Perspectives on Religion, Spirituality and Identity (red) Kirsi Tirri, conference volume from 8th Nordic Conference in Religious Education, Religion, Spirituality and Identity, Helsingfors university, Helsingfors 2005. (12 p.).
Sandström Kjellin, Margareta; Stier, Jonas:.(2008) Citizenship Education- Forming Cultural Identities in Five European Countries Gleerups (120p.)
Evaluation is an integral part of the course. A final written evaluation based on the course aims and objectives is done at the end of the course. This evaluation is used as a starting point for a concluding oral course evaluation which must include measures that need to be taken up to develop the course. The result of the evaluation is summarised and made available in a report to be used as a basis for future courses.