ICIS Newsletter - June 2011 (Plain Text Version)
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THE NORWEGIAN AMERICAN CLASSROOM CONNECTION
In an article printed in the February 2009 issue of the Norwegian American Weekly newspaper, Director of Education and Research at the Honorary Norwegian Consulate in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Ellen Ewald said; “It’s vital that we strengthen exchange and networking in research and education between the United States and Norway. . . . Young people studying abroad learn a lot about people, which adds a new dimension to their lives. They build phenomenal networks that will be useful throughout life.” The young people she refers to are most often teens and university-age students, but what about the elementary students with minds still like sponges, ready to soak up anything and everything they are exposed to? I have always thought that if we get them while they are young they are hooked for life, and if a connection between Norway and the United States is the goal, then getting young people excited about their international counterparts is essential and language skills are the key. THE PROGRAM The Norwegian-American Classroom Connection was designed as a means of connecting students and teachers in grades 4 through 7 (Norway) and grades 3 through 6 (U.S.) in order to share stories, learn about each other’s culture, and practice English language skills. Because of the 7-hour time difference between Minnesota (USA) and Nord-Trøndelag (Norway), communication between students primarily involved written correspondence through letters, Ning Web sites (password-protected interactive blog/WebPages), and e-mails. I provided direction to the teachers and visited the Norwegian classrooms three times throughout the year to inject some enthusiasm for English language learning, and also visited the American classrooms at the end of the program to talk a bit about Norway. Because this was a nonfunded experiment, I could not be as closely involved as I would have liked and the bulk of the responsibility fell to the teachers themselves. WHY THIS PROGRAM WAS RELEVANT
GETTING STARTED I provided the teachers with a list of general questions. Most chose to match up students, often with great success. “I live with sisters,” an American fourth grader told me. “It was so nice to talk to someone who understands and likes the same things I do.” He was talking about his Norwegian pen pal. Everyday subjects like what is eaten at school for lunch or the types of things that occupy free time were the most fascinating, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of the connections lasted even after the project was over. It also gave the Norwegian students a reason to write, so it made their English language learning relevant. “I have a seventh grader who never writes much, but when she knew she was writing to someone and that writing so she could be understood mattered, she took the time to do it right,” commented a Norwegian teacher participating in the program. THE CHALLENGES AND THINGS THAT WORKED Because this was an “extra thing” the teachers were inserting into their already overflowing curriculum, it took a while to get the program off and running. For the Norwegians, especially in the lower grades, time was also a factor; English lessons were limited each week, sometimes to only one class period, and they had other things they had to cover. But progress was still made and I saw in the Norwegian students a sense of pride knowing they had connected with someone their age in America. Even for the fourth graders, who had a basic knowledge of words but limited conversation skills, there were personal victories. “I met someone who didn’t know any Norwegian and I gave them directions, in English!” one young girl told me, bursting with a sense of accomplishment. Liz Carlson, a fourth-grade teacher in the United States, had this to say; “My students have truly enjoyed writing to their pen pals. They have enjoyed learning more about the cultures and sharing hobbies that are similar like reading and playing sports on the weekend. My students like a more purposeful reason for writing rather than for a grade; they are writing to learn from a friend. They look forward to the next letter and are eager to respond. As a classroom teacher, I like the idea of broadening the students’ scope of understanding of the world around them. At the fourth-grade age, they can be a little self-involved and this project gets them to think of others in a social and cultural way. It helps them to think beyond the boarders [sic]of the U.S. which is very important.” Hearing that Norwegian students their age put liver paste or fish in tomato sauce on their open-faced sandwiches instead of peanut butter on two slices of bread brings with it a tangible understanding of cultural differences, whereas hearing they play the same video games even if they don’t speak the same language highlights similarities for the students. Overall it was a positive experience and once I secure funding, am eager to try it again. Meanwhile, I will continue to explore opportunities that are already out there:
Heidi Håvan Grosch immigrated to Norway in 2007 and now uses the arts to inspire English language teaching for all ages (preK–adults). She also works as a writer for the Norwegian American Weekly newspaper and writes a weekly blog about English as a global language (www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/blog/wontok). |
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