guide_for_an_initial_assessment_of_new_arrival_students - Spice

Title: Guide for an Initial Assessment of New Arrival Students Authorship: Ana Roces Suárez Carlos Fernández Massé Concepción Francos Maldonado Covadonga Menéndez Suárez Elena Muruáis García Encarnación González Herrero Isabel Hompanera Lanzos Javier Duarte Jódar Juan Luis Fernández Gallo Lydia Granda Rodríguez Mª Dolores Pevida Llamazares

Mª Dominica Bartolomé Antón Mª Jesús Llorente Puerta Mª Piedad Avello Fernández Mª Natividad Fernández Iglesias Mª Neri Fandos Rodríguez Mª Teresa Menendez Seigas Mª Yolanda García Argüelles Myriam de la Concepción García Mdez Paloma Castro Durá Raquel Menéndez Menéndez Rosa María Lastra Santamarina

Coordination: Ana Turiel Pintado Montserrat Sánchez Pérez Illustration: Elena Fernández Sánchez Aranzazu Iglesias Sierra Paula Izquierdo Muruáis Editor: Centro del Profesorado y de Recursos de Oviedo Promoter: Consejería de Educación y Ciencia. Centro del Profesorado y de Recursos de Oviedo Printing: I. Narcea, S.L. Legal Deposit: As-2.258/2011 Copyright: 2010 Consejería de Educación y Ciencia. Dirección General de Políticas Educativas, Ordenación Académica y Formación Profesional. Centro del Profesorado y de Recursos de Oviedo La reproducción de fragmentos de las obras escritas que se emplean en los diferentes documentos de esta publicación se acogen a lo establecido en el artículo 32 (citas y reseñas) del Real Decreto Legislativo 1/1.996, de 12 de abril, modificado por la Ley 23/2006, de 7 de julio, “Cita e ilustración de la enseñanza”, puesto que “se trata de obras de naturaleza escrita, sonora o audiovisual que han sido extraídas de documentos ya divulgados por vía comercial o por internet, se hace a título de cita, análisis o comentario crítico, y se utilizan solamente con fines docentes”. Esta publicación tiene fines exclusivamente educativos, se realiza sin ánimo de lucro, y se distribuye gratuitamente a todos los centros educativos del Principado de Asturias. Queda prohibida la venta de este material a terceros, así como la reproducción total o parcial de sus contenidos sin autorización expresa de los autores y del Copyright. Todos los derechos reservados

El presente proyecto ha sido financiado con el apoyo de la Comisión Europea. Esta publicación es responsabilidad exclusiva de sus autores. La Comisión no es responsable del uso que pueda hacerse de la información aquí difundida.

INDEX

INTRODUCTION ................................................................. 5 FOREIGN STUDENTS IN SCHOOLS.................................... 7 INITIAL ASSESSMENT: DESCRIPTION AND PROCEDURES ................................................................... 10 SPECIFIC STUDENT NEEDS: DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND LINGUISTIC NEEDS ............................................................... 17 FOREIGN LANGUAGE SPEAKING STUDENTS: LEARNING A SECOND LANGUAGE, BENEFITS AND DIFFICULTIES OF BILINGUALISM ........................................... 19 FOREIGN LANGUAGE SPEAKING STUDENTS IN PRESCHOOL ........................................................................... 23 CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF CHINESE STUDENTS .................................................. 29 CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF MOROCCAN STUDENTS .............................................. 34 CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF SUB-SAHARAN STUDENTS ......................................... 37 CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF EASTERN EUROPEAN STUDENTS ............................... 38 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................ 40

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his document is a result of the work done by the Intervention and Resources for Foreign Student Services work group which was established via the CPR (Centre for Teachers and Resources) of Oviedo, within the framework of the Comenius Regio Association (Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Autonomous Organisation for Educational Programmes) set up between the Regional Ministry of Education and Science of Asturias and the region of Reykjavik in Iceland. The main objective of the project is to improve educational practices to integrate foreign students and their families into the education system and to promote social and cultural integration. Both regions aim to: • Share examples of best practices in approaches, resources and support for foreign students and their families. • Analyse specific needs these students may have during the integration process into the host country’s culture (language, cultural differences, social isolation, etc.) and come up with solutions from both societies. • Develop effective tools for carrying out an initial assessment of students’ needs. • Create guidelines for schools that motivate foreign families to get involved in the education of their children. • Identify and start to respond to the in-service training needs teach-

ers may have in this area when it comes to adapting to the cultural complexity of their classrooms. • Promote an inclusive education policy. • Initiate future links between both regions. • Disseminate project results in both regions and on a national level. This document aims to provide schools with a support tool for determining the curricular and sociolinguistic competence of new arrival students arriving from other countries. It is rooted in three basic principles of educational inclusion: • Respect for the diversity of needs the students may have • Set suitable and motivating objectives • Eliminate possible learning barriers Teachers using this material should adapt it to the reality and characteristics of the newly arrived students so that it suits the needs and expectations of each and every one. It doesn’t intend to create a personalised education but rather to build independence through interaction, intervention, stimulation and collaboration. Taking these actions can accelerate a student’s academic progress towards educational success. The primordial objective is for students to improve their skills, regardless of the initial level they have at the time of arrival.

6 · guide for an initial assessment The guide consists of the following subjects: CD-ROM: Assessment tools 1. Primary Education 1.1 School habits and socialisation 1.2 Students from Latin America: • Curricular skill tests in language and mathematics 1.3 Foreign language speaking students: • 1st interview – Assessment of Spanish basic level • Assessment tests in reading/writing and knowledge of the Latin alphabet imparted in the student’s native language • Assessment tests in basic knowledge of mathematics imparted in the student’s mother language • Initial assessment tests in Castilian language covering four skills: - Listening comprehension - Speaking - Reading comprehension - Writing 1.4. Assessment of silent period 1.5. Assessment of possible special educational needs 1.6. Model for collecting data from the initial assessment 2. Secondary Education 2.1. School habits and socialisation 2.2. Students from Latin America: • Curricular skill tests in language and mathematics 2.3. Foreign language speaking students: • 1st interview – Assessment of Spanish basic level • Assessment tests in reading/writing and knowledge of

the Latin alphabet imparted in the student’s native language • Assessment tests in basic knowledge of mathematics imparted in the student’s mother language • Initial assessment tests in Castilian language covering four areas: - Listening comprehension - Speaking - Reading comprehension - Writing 2.4. Assessment of possible special educational needs 2.5. Model for collecting data from the initial assessment NOTEBOOK • Introduction • Foreign students in schools • Initial assessment: Description and procedure • Specific student needs: Differentiating between special educational needs and linguistic needs. • Foreign language speaking students: Learning a second language, benefits and difficulties of bilingualism • Foreign language speaking students in pre-school • Considerations for the initial assessment of Chinese students • Considerations for the initial assessment of Moroccan students • Considerations for the initial assessment of Sub-Saharan students • Considerations for the initial assessment of Eastern European students • Summary of education systems in Ecuador, Colombia and the Dominican Republic (Spanish version) • Bibliography

FOREIGN STUDENTS IN SCHOOLS

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oreign students who arrive at our schools have different cultural and linguistic origins; however, we should not summarise the different realities of these collectives as we may fall into stereotypes when it comes to their behaviours, attitudes and characteristics. To avoid doing this, you should keep in mind that all students are different and it’s erroneous to attribute the same profile to all the members of a collective. However, being familiar with the characteristic traits shared by a large part of the group can help you carry out the educational integration process. The presence of students from other cultures and languages in our classrooms poses some educational challenges. In order to face these challenges, it is necessary to develop new resources, didactic material and organisational structures in schools and adapt new teaching profiles and skills to this new reality. It is also essential to establish relationships with immigrant families and communities. Often, students who arrive late at the education system are looked upon negatively: They are indentified with insufficient schooling levels, low education rates and high levels of school

dropouts. If our schools can manage to respond to their needs, then young people from other countries will most likely have increased opportunities to properly integrate themselves into the workforce when they are older. In addition, they will become citizens with full rights in our society, thus achieving a social cohesion that is essential in our society. If, however, their schooling fails and they become segregated as early as in their school years, then we run the risk of carrying the situation over into future generations. They are many reasons why the children of immigrants may present educational disadvantages:

8 · guide for an initial assessment • Language, above all, is a key factor. Teaching and acquiring knowledge occurs with language, and not knowing the working language of schooling makes school success difficult and even slows it down. Additionally, this often creates a barrier between families and schools as it impedes families from helping their children with their homework.

• Generally, immigration in Asturias is of social nature. People join our society in the attempt to flee from poverty. Therefore, one of the main disadvantages from the start is the socioeconomic situation of the families. Undoubtedly, a close correlation exists between school results and the socioeconomic situation, and this is not only the case of foreign students. • Students as well as their families who leave behind their native countries and cultures may feel as if their knowledge has lost value, such as the knowledge of their native language or their understanding of how schools work, as it is useful in other cultural settings. Adding to this is the fact that their academic records may not even be valid here or just simply can’t be understood.

• The educational culture is also very important. Placing importance on education contributes to better results. In addition, many women who come to our country have not had the opportunity to receive a proper education and, therefore, it is difficult for them to collaborate with the school in terms of their children’s education. • The education systems of their native countries can also be quite different from ours. Often we find students who received good marks in their countries but once in our schools, the shock of having a different curriculum and a different schedule of contents extremely conditions their results. • Personal coping with migratory mourning: Mourning is a normal process that is dynamic and active. As professionals, we should be familiar with the process that our students and their families are going through and consider mourning as a process in which emotional factors influence the teachinglearning processes. We, as teach-

guide for an initial assessment · 9 ers, can intervene by forging good social relationships and helping them to cope with these feelings of loneliness and fear through the construction of a positive self-esteem. If we strengthen their desire to learn, their level of motivation and their degree of responsibility in the educational community, then we contribute to making the mourning process less painful for them. We are also enabling them to increase their capacity to learn a second language and acquire habits and values that will help them to actively participate in our society. Aimed at obtaining educational equity, the Asturian educational administration is making significant efforts towards achieving a successful schooling for all students and properly meet-

ing their specific needs upon entering our schools. Schools should take steps to welcome students and their families and create possibilities for them to be included into school life. This requires a series of actions aimed at working with the students. Other actions should also be incorporated into the culture of the school itself since it is the responsibility of the entire community to receive new students. On the Welcome Website, you can find a protocol for schools with suggestions and materials for the first few days: http://web.educastur.princast.es/ proyectos/acogida/acogida.htm

INITIAL ASSESSMENT: DESCRIPTION AND PROCEDURES

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tudents from other countries bring with them a variety of prior experiences: Spanish may be their native language, they may never have had contact with our language, they may have had access to Spanish classes in other communities, they may or may not be literate in their native language, and they may have had an irregular schooling. However, they do share some specific common needs:

To fulfil these objectives, the following measures should be taken:

• A school atmosphere that provides a warm, safe and tension-free welcome where they feel valued.

• Plan support for students with insufficient schooling.

• Bilingualism needs to be recognised as a positive factor for their intellectual development. • Feel a part of the group and the school environment as soon as they enter the school. • Perform learning activities that are relevant, accessible and in context with the ordinary curriculum. • See themselves and their language, culture and identity reflected in the classroom and the school in an inclusive environment.

• Plan activities to welcome new arrivals such as initial interviews with the students and their families. • Initial assessment: Curricular and Spanish as a second language. • Flexibility and adaptation of curriculum.

• Pedagogical adaptation and adaptation of teaching practices. • Assessment of native language and culture and previously acquired knowledge. • Work together with the families. Given the variety of personal situations the students face, welcoming measures can not be generalised and neither can the initial assessment. You should also keep in mind that during the school enrolment process, the students or their families may be going through hard times thus causing them

guide for an initial assessment · 11

anxiety, such as finding proper housing, economic problems or simply, in the case of teenagers, suffering from what is known as migratory mourning. In some cases, the problem may be even more serious such as minors who are alone and don’t rely on a family environment to support them.

Assessment procedure

Therefore, it’s vital that we carry out welcoming measures with sensibility, using personal support whenever possible, such as interpreters or people from their language and culture who have been living here some time and can help with the language barrier.

It is recommended you give new students time to settle in and feel comfortable in the school for a couple of days before starting the assessment. It is also advisable to make it clear to them (with the help of translators if necessary) that the assessment is not an exam and it doesn’t matter if their skills in Spanish are low or even non-existent. In certain cases, someone they trust should accompany them since in some cultures teachers are not people with whom you should discuss personal matters.

On the other hand, classroom activities must also be within reach and accessible to them. In order for this to be possible, an initial assessment must be carried out to provide teachers with the information they need to determine what kind of support (if applicable) is needed to actively engage students in classroom activities.

The objective of the initial assessment should not be limited to determining the student’s level of Spanish. It is also important to find out if, for example, whether or not they have a good command of their native language on a oral and written level, if they know the Latin alphabet, if their level of mathematics is equivalent to students in Spain,

12 · guide for an initial assessment

etc. All the information we obtain from this initial assessment will be useful in planning which steps to take and the support needed as well as determining the starting point for the intervention. Furthermore, you should gather information about their school background and social, linguistic and cultural origins in order to put data from the initial assessment into context. There may be some information missing, even basic information such as date of birth. When determining a student’s skill level in Spanish, it’s essential to figure out how they use a second language, how they understand and how they communicate since the requirements and difficulties of a social and communicative level of Spanish are lower than those of an academic Spanish which is used in the classroom. In addition, you should keep in mind the differences between spoken and written language skills. The initial assessment should: • Establish the academic level of the new student, including information on their level of reading and writing in their mother tongue and, for foreign

language speaking students, their knowledge of the Latin alphabet. • Establish their linguistic skills in Spanish. • Facilitate a structure and a starting point to evaluate their progress in Spanish. • Facilitate all necessary information to the teachers so they can plan suitable learning activities that are also motivating. • Provide information that will help determine what kind of support will be necessary so that the students can have access to the curriculum and are able to develop their Spanish skills. The initial assessment should not be rushed and given the first day the child arrives at the school but rather after a period of time. It should be carried out with sensitivity and in a quiet manner and environment. Avoid putting excessive pressure on the student and instead try to create a relaxed and inviting environment. Specially with small children, a person they trust should be present, for example, their tutor or

guide for an initial assessment · 13 class teacher, if they’ve already met them, or the welcome teacher or support teacher with whom they have spent some time. When it comes to very small children who may not have had any previous school experience, special attention should be given to them in order to make activities suitable for their age. Give priority to activities based on games and try to seek the help of professionals who have experience in pre-school education. The assessment should be done in the classroom and, in the event it is carried out oneon-one with the students, their mother or father should be present so the children don’t feel overwhelmed. Activities include: • Informal assessment by chatting with the student: talk about what they did at the weekend or a picture they’ve drawn, read a book with them or ask them to write about something, etc. • Observe the student in different environments and situations (classroom, playground, dining hall, corridors, etc.) which will provide very valuable information about their school habits, their ability to socialise and communicate in Spanish in both formal and informal situations, their degree of comfort in the school, etc. • Collect information from documents or interviews with the students and their families concerning their school background: years of schooling, curriculum subjects covered, favourite activities or

•

•

•

• •

those in which the student performs outstanding work or has difficulties, etc. Interviews with the support teachers or other types of teachers (support teacher, welcome teachers, teachers from the Linguistic Immersion Classroom, etc.) who have been working with the child since the very first day and can give you a lot of information about their learning style, level in Spanish and/or curricular level. Initial assessment of skills in Spanish language and literature and mathematics for students with a good command of Spanish. For foreign language speaking students, an assessment of their level of competence in reading and writing in their mother tongue. This is fundamental information for determining the students’ intellectual development and to compare them to skill levels of the same age group. Aside from being important itself, mother tongue skills are also crucially important when it comes to learning Spanish as a second language. Assessment of mathematic skills in the student’s native language. Assessment of skills in Spanish as a second language.

Information on the student’s origins A complete assessment of new students should take into account their social, cultural, linguistic and academic origins. One of the first tasks in the initial assessment is to gather as

14 · guide for an initial assessment much information as possible about where the student comes from. This information is fundamental for creating a complete picture of the child which will help teachers contextualise future steps to be taken. Most of this information can be obtained from the first interviews with the parents or family. It can also be obtained from the students themselves, especially if they are older. With small children, it’s important to interview them with their families always when possible because this context provides much more information. Keep in mind that expectations in terms of behaviour and skill development can be influenced by cultural characteristics: For example, in certain cultures children are not encouraged to talk in the presence of adults. It is assumed they must listen and learn from adults and speaking will come later. Therefore, their speaking level will be lower than in cultures where the normal practice is to encourage children to speak from infancy. Other children may never have had access to books or stories and therefore do not even know how to handle them or open them. It’s important to consider this information during the initial assessment process as an opportunity to get to know as much as possible about their previous education (in school as well as at home). In order to do this, you can ask question such as the following:

Did you attend school in your country? How many years have you been going to school? What was your school like? Do you read books at home? Does your family read books? What are your favourite subjects at school? Why? How long have you been studying Spanish? Have you taken Spanish classes before? Where? Did you have friends in your old school? What is your favourite thing to do? Do you still have family members in your country, such as your father, mother or siblings? Do you like your new school?

Assessment of Spanish level Skill levels in Spanish can differ in the four areas. Some students may have higher levels in reading and writing than in listening and speaking. However, others may not have reached reading and writing levels but are skilled when it comes to understanding and expressing themselves orally. Some students, especially the younger ones, may experience a silent period during which they listen and absorb all the Spanish they are exposed to within a certain period of time without hardly saying or expressing anything until the moment they are ready to speak. This phase should be interpreted as part of the learning pro-

guide for an initial assessment · 15 cess and not as a limitation of skills. Students who go through this phase must be treated with patience and in assurance that with time, they will start responding.

Mathematics The tests we give students may indicate that they still don’t have a handle over certain areas, but this may be due simply to the fact that their countries have different mathematic curriculums or distribution of certain aspects of the mathematic curriculum by age.

Standardised tests You should interpret the results of standardised tests very carefully. Some may contain cultural bias in terms of content and in the way they are administered. Since information obtained from these tests is standard for monolingual students, they should be analysed with caution because for many students, the margin of error is much greater than for their monolingual classmates.

Material presented in the CDROM 1. Primary Education 1.1 Test on school habits and socialisation 1.2 Students from Latin America: • Protocols of initial assessment in language and mathematics elaborated by the Department of Education of

the Government of Navarre: They cover from 2nd year of primary school to 3rd year of secondary school. General Office of School and Professional Education – Government of Navarre http://educacion.pnte.cfnavarra. es/portal/Informacion+de+Interes/ M u l t i c u l t u r a l i d a d / Publicaciones+Propias 1.3 Foreign language speaking students: • 1st interview – Assessment of Spanish basic level • Tests in reading/writing and knowledge of the Latin alphabet administered in the student’s native language, adapted from the Department of Education of the Government of Catalonia. Original tests in Catalan: http://www.xtec.es/lic/nouvingut/professorat/prof_aval_instruments.htm • Basic mathematic tests administered in the student’s native language adapted from the Department of Education of the Govern-

16 · guide for an initial assessment ment of Catalonia. Original tests in Catalan: http://www.xtec.es/lic/nouvingut/professorat/prof_aval_instruments.htm • Initial assessment tests in Castilian language skills covering four areas, classified according to levels A1, A2 and B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. - Listening comprehension - Speaking - Reading comprehension - Writing 1.4. Tools for assessing the silent period 1.5. Model for collecting data from the initial assessment 2. SECONDARY EDUCATION 2.1. Tests on school habits and socialisation 2.2. Students from Latin America: • Protocols of initial assessment in language and mathematics elaborated by the Department of Education of the Government of Navarre: They cover from 2nd year of primary school to 3rd year of secondary school. General Office of School and Professional Education. Department of Education – Government of Navarre http://educacion.pnte.cfnavarra. es/portal/Informacion+de+Interes/ M u l t i c u l t u r a l i d a d / Publicaciones+Propias

2.3. Foreign language speaking students: • 1st interview – Assessment of Spanish basic level • Tests in reading/writing and knowledge of the Latin alphabet administered in the student’s native language, adapted from the Department of Education of the Government of Catalonia. Original tests in Catalan: http://www.xtec.es/lic/nouvingut/professorat/prof_aval_instruments.htm • Basic mathematic tests administered in student’s native language, adapted from the Department of Education of the Government of Catalonia. Original tests in Catalan: http://www.xtec.es/lic/nouvingut/professorat/prof_aval_instruments.htm • Initial assessment tests in Castilian language skills covering four areas, classified according to levels A1, A2 and B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. - Listening comprehension - Speaking - Reading comprehension - Writing 2.4. Model for collecting data from the initial assessment 3. Special educational needs or linguistic difficulties Tools to help teachers observe and evaluate students who may have special educational needs.

SPECIFIC STUDENT

NEEDS: DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND

LINGUISTIC NEEDS

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relatively important number of foreign students who arrive in our classrooms have learning difficulties or special educational needs. In the case of students who are learning Spanish as a second language, if a slow educational development is observed in them, it’s difficult to differentiate whether it’s due to the lack of linguistic skills in the new language or if they have “real” learning difficulties. In some cases, we suspect students have difficulties if they show certain conducts, work and behavioural manners. However, keep in mind that the adaptation period for students to get used to another reality, culture or edu-

cation system could be influencing their development. For example, poor performance could be simply a result of different curriculum planning in different countries. Children could also have had irregular schooling or even no previous schooling. In this case, because of the lack of schooling, educational support measures need to be taken and students need a longer period of adaptation. Therefore, you can’t consider these students as having learning difficulties; rather they need specific educational support as a result of their personal history.

18 · guide for an initial assessment These individualised circumstances together with not knowing the language (which shouldn’t be confused with learning difficulties or special educational needs) can cause the student to have a slow progress at school.

the family in order to obtain as much information as possible about the case. Some important information is:

If we suspect a student really has special educational needs, we must asses them in order to decide on the most appropriate way to teach them a second language and give them extra help in the curriculum.

The assessment and diagnostic process tends to be long especially in cases where they don’t speak the language and a quick progress is not made in this area. Since the majority of standard assessment tools contain a large linguistic load, it’s essential to have an interprofessional collaboration (guidance counsellors, therapeutic pedagogues and audition/language teachers, linguistic immersion teachers) together with the cooperation of the family. A systematic observation of each student’s difficulties is the basis for elaborating a personalised work plan adapted to the characteristics of each student. The school must provide students with an educational response, relying on available and suitable resources for the needs of each case.

In these cases, once the initial period of adaptation is over, it’s important to closely collaborate with educational guidance professionals as well as with

On the CD-ROM, you can find tools to help teachers in the observation and assessment of students who may have special educational needs.

It’s important to distinguish the root of the problem as some new arrival students really do have learning difficulties and/or special educational needs. Remember that the latter refers to students who require certain support and specific educational attention for a period of their schooling or throughout their entire schooling because of disabilities or serious behavioural disorders.

Was a learning difficulty detected in their home country?

Doesn’t the student make progress in Spanish language studies even with specific support?

Does the student show literacy difficulties in his/her own language even though he/she has had proper schooling? Does the student show difficulties in logical reasoning in day to day tasks which teachers consider feasible?

FOREIGN LANGUAGE SPEAKING STUDENTS: LEARNING A SECOND

LANGUAGE, BENEFITS AND DIFFICULTIES OF BILINGUALISM

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n Asturias, around 3,700 students receive schooling whose mother tongue is not Castilian and who speak more than 80 different languages or dialects at home. Some have never had contact with the Castilian language while others are familiar with it but use other dialects at home. There are also some students who don’t know the Latin alphabet and others who are literate in up to three different languages. Keeping this information in mind, the role of teaching Spanish as a second language seems to be essential in order to obtain an inclusive curriculum. In fact, the implications of teaching the language used in education goes beyond the classroom: they affect and are affected by attitudes towards cultural and ethnic diversity in the whole of society.

school l’école schule 學校 escola


It’s important for all these students to have access to the curriculum properly and as soon as possible

as they are progressing in their new language

Nowadays it is proven that being bilingual gives a person many advantages. According to an explanation given by the UNESCO, “during the last twenty years of research in psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics, studies have proven, with no ambiguities, that children who acquire and learn various languages, regardless of the sociocultural means or languages in question, will not experience difficulties of any kind in their cognitive development. On the contrary, in studies on certain disciplines, bilingual children showed greater speed and flexibility and develop better communication skills. If they manifest a slight insufficiency in the second language (which is most often temporary), they make up for it with a richer mental system, cognitive skills that are often more efficient and a more fertile world vision”. It’s important for all these students to have access to the curriculum properly and as soon as possible as they are progressing in their new language.

Instead of just teaching them Spanish as a separate curricular subject, you should develop and make the most of linguistic potential that education facilitates. Thus, learning a new language is incorporated as just one more objective in the curricular areas and subjects. Our foreign language speaking students also learn Spanish in Physical Education, Environmental Awareness and Citizen Education classes. The curriculum offers an ideal platform for learning the language: It gives students the opportunity to listen, speak, read and write in Spanish, using the language with children their own age. It’s also essential that we clearly differentiate between special educational needs and linguistic needs. If you believe a student, who is learning Spanish as a second language, to have other special needs, you should closely work in collaboration with therapeutic pedagogy teachers in order to make a quick assessment of the difficulties that may arise. Furthermore, you must try to detect a foreign language speaking student’s high skills so that they can also develop their potential in that area. A multitude of research has been carried out over the last decades from which a specific pedagogy has been created concerning students who are learning second languages. The works of Cummins or Collier and Thomas have particularly determined improvements made to this pedagogy. Collier, for example, points out that the social and cultural experience

guide for an initial assessment · 21 of the student has a large impact on acquiring a second language as well as their cognitive and academic development. Cummins, a Canadian researcher and pedagogue, has created theories and models to help us asses the interaction between linguistic development and the cognitive and academic environment. He has adopted the iceberg metaphor to distinguish between basic communicative skills and cognitive and academic linguistic competence: • The communicative language (conversational fluency) is developed first, face to face, mainly in highly contextualised situations. • The cognitive language is developed by investigating, exploring ideas and resolving problems. Cognitive development goes hand in hand with the use of language for activities such as classifying, analysing, generalising or establishing hypotheses and with the ability to use abstract language. • The academic language is characterised by the use of more complex and impersonal grammatical structures, specific vocabulary, the use of metaphors and personification and, more importantly still, nominalisation. The ability to use a language for academic ends as well as cognitive development (development of thought and learning skills) are the keys to achieving a maximum educational potential.

All children acquire communicative ability in a language first, but they need more time to develop a level in a new language that will give them academic success. Cummins points out that they generally achieve conversational fluency in two or three years. However, it takes them between five and seven years, sometimes longer, to reach a level in the second language that would place them on an equal footing with their monolingual classmates in terms of cognitive and academic skills. In his research, the author also stresses the important role the native language plays in the acquisition of second languages: people who have acquired good linguistic skills in their native language can easily transfer those skills to additional languages they learn. As children delve deeper into their native language and learn how to use it for skills with an increasingly more cognitive demand, they also develop a linguistic competence in all other languages. It has been proven that children who move at an early age to an environment with a new language enormously benefit if they are given the opportunity to continue developing their first language along with the new one, especially if they can use them at the same time in intellectually demanding tasks. You should encourage families to support students in developing and maintaining optimal levels of their native language. The same author also points out that the way children feel about the new

22 · guide for an initial assessment language and a teacher’s attitude towards their native language is also very significant. It’s important to recognise and value the native language.

Key factors • Emotional and socio-cultural factors are very important. Children who learn a second language in the host society will be affected by the attitudes in their surroundings: - They need to feel safe, appreciated and understood. - They need to know that their native language is important and valued. - You must try to avoid creating anxiety which comes from not knowing a language. - The progress they make should be valued and appreciated. - Classroom activities should be motivating. • Children who seemingly have a good command of the communicative language may be hiding a lack of skills in the academic and cognitive languages. • A native language has an extremely important and continuous role in the acquisition of an additional language: knowledge, concepts and intellectual skills acquired in one language are transferred without much difficulty to another. • School tasks are easier if they are based on a student’s previous experiences and if they facilitate listening and speaking in the new

language in a wide range of situations in curricular subjects and areas.

Learning the language through the curriculum Learning Spanish should not be approached as a static and separate activity in schools. Children learn Spanish in all curricular subjects. Even though learning Spanish as a second language has a lot to do with the Spanish language and foreign language areas, it is not a curricular subject. It is included in the didactics of all curricular subjects which all contribute to learning Spanish as a foreign language. Each one of the areas or subjects poses difficulties and at the same time a specific challenge for children who are learning Spanish as a second language. However, the curriculum also provides an ideal context in which to learn Spanish, not only because each subject has its own vocabulary, but also because the subjects facilitate the opportunity to use proper and rich linguistic structures in each context. New students learn academic Spanish along with their native classmates, but they need much more time. In order to succeed in this, children need to be in a linguistically rich and motivating environment where cultural and linguistic diversity is positively looked upon, where teachers keep in mind that students need help in acquiring new vocabulary and where realistic and attainable objectives are set.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE SPEAKING STUDENTS IN PRE-SCHOOL

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he amount of students who join our pre-school centres with no knowledge of Spanish is increasingly higher. Some classes receive children with one or two different languages. In others, highly diversified groups in terms of culture and language are observed. For many schools this is a new experience that requires a quality solution in order to tend to the needs of these students. Best practices principles for all the students are also the same principles for students whose native language is not Spanish. However, frequently the needs of foreign language speaking students are minimised which may contribute to them not being able to meet the stage objectives. In some cases, they are not able to fully incorporate themselves into the ordinary curriculum when they change stages and start primary school. The Organic Law on Education is based on the principles of educational equity and inclusion for all students. This means that schools must be

places where new families and their children feel comfortable, respected and valued. In some cases, specific support is needed to make up for any insufficiencies that stand in the way of full school integration. You should keep in mind that preschool students can be in any stage of the acquisition process of their native language and Spanish as a second language.

24 · guide for an initial assessment The importance of the native language

exchange ideas and thoughts with their children will probably feel their ability to shape, guide and influence their lives has diminished.

Basic principle: Bilingualism is always an advantage and the native language has a very significant importance on personal identity and learning and acquiring other languages.

To this end, teachers have a very important role in making family members of the foreign language speaking student see that maintaining and developing linguistic skills in the native language enormously benefits the children and helps them acquire good skills in a new language.

Prior considerations It is widely accepted that bilingualism confers many intellectual advantages and the role that the native language plays in the child’s learning process is extremely important. They need to develop a solid base in the predominant language in the family environment where they spend most of their time. This competence in the mother tongue can be transferred to other languages they learn and, in turn, these languages strengthen the use of their native language. Thus, the development and maintenance of the mother tongue will facilitate learning Spanish. You should not insist on giving priority to Spanish in the family environment because this may impede children from developing proper linguistic skills in their mother tongue. Ideally, children and their families should have the opportunity to become real bilinguals, with all the benefits that entails. Furthermore, using the native language is vital in order to maintain positive family ties. Parents who can’t

Upon arriving in a pre-school classroom, foreign language speaking children may experience problems similar to those of their Spanish classmates: • They may feel shy and they often can’t stand being separated from their family environment. To that extent, they will need the same support as the rest of the preschool students. • Their learning needs of “educational Spanish” will not be much different from the rest of their classmates. They should develop a specific linguistic repertory for socialisation and participation in school activities. • The main part of learning the language in this stage is done through games and interaction with the other children and the teacher. • Children who are in the process of immersing themselves in a differ-

guide for an initial assessment · 25 ent language other than their maternal one can go through a silent period; however, this should not be identified with difficulties in learning the language. They will overcome this period when they are ready to talk, and this will occur with a very significant and intense learning progress that will only be made evident when they start to speak.

Acquisition of basic linguistic skills in Spanish The entire language learning process in the pre-school classroom must be principally aimed at fulfilling the real needs of these children when they join the educational system.

Goals must be based on listening comprehension and speaking. The most important topics in this stage are: • Me • My school • Food and clothes • Colours, shapes and opposites • The weather and climate • Seasons and traditional holi-

days

• Time

Stages in the acquisition of a second language in bilingual students 1. Recycling: In the beginning, bilingual children need to understand the new linguistic environment and familiarise themselves with the sounds, rhythms, inflection, cadence and shapes of Spanish. They do this by observing and listening, then later they internalise and process what they’ve heard and seen. Young children often go through this stage without verbally communicating which we call the silent period or muteness. They may even use only gestures or their native language with Spanish speakers. This period is normal and may last to up to six months. 2. Echo: After the recycling process of the new language, they will take a step towards using it. Their first attempts will consist of simply repeating words or sentences they hear in their surroundings. Some of these may come from songs or repetitive responses to class activities and then they will make progress towards understanding the meaning. 3. Basic phrases/prompts: Children start to use words or short sentences that are useful in different social situations or in the classroom. 4. Development of a functional language: They start to broaden their repertory of vocabulary and to use

26 · guide for an initial assessment it for developing different linguistic functions. For example “book” may mean “Where is the book?” or “I have a book”, depending on the context.

• Include other children in the conversation.

5. Use of basic sentences: They start to organise their own sentences comprised of two or three words with a verb and a subject and/or a complement.

• Praise their accomplishments or efforts even though they may be small.

6. Construction of more complex structures: In this stage, they construct longer or more complex basic sentences by substituting words or adding adjectives, prepositional phrases or pronouns. They will inevitably make mistakes when using plurals, gender, verb tenses and pronouns, depending on the structure of their native language.

The silent period Many children whose native language is not Spanish go through a silent period when they start school. This can last up to some months but, in the end, they do finally start to talk. To help them during this process, here are a few basic guidelines we suggest for the classroom: • Continue to speak to them even if you don’t get a response. • Insist on grouping them with other children. • Use questions and vary vocabulary.

• Always accept the non-verbal response.

• Structure classroom activities so as to encourage equal communication.

How can we help them? Even though they don’t understand us, the tone of our voice, gestures and facial expressions can be calming and comforting factors and, in addition, they transmit meaning and communication. If they don’t speak Spanish in the family environment, it’s important we become familiar with the linguistic experience the children have been exposed to and their skills in their mother tongue. Small children who spend hours at school listening to sounds in a completely unknown language may feel anxiety and cry in class. They can be calmed down if they listen to stories or songs recorded in their native language, especially if they are read or sung by their mother. We should not stop children who speak the same language from getting together and using their language while playing or working. This can help them a lot, especially in the first few days.

guide for an initial assessment · 27

Children will acquire the majority of their first words in Spanish through the relationships and communication with their classmates and us. We should observe them during moments of social communication because it will help us find out what aspects of the language we need to insist on more. Knowing something about their native languages will help us understand some of the typical mistakes they make when learning Spanish. Teachers should serve as a linguistic model for introducing new vocabulary and structures. They need to hear the language in a meaningful context in order to practice and reproduce it themselves. It’s important to praise

them and correct their mistakes by encouraging them to listen and repeat. We should avoid overusing questions such as “What is this?” or “What colour is this?” If they don’t know the answer, we increase their feeling of failure. It’s better to use the language while they are doing classroom activities or playing. For example, say, “Can you please give me the scissors?”, “Yes, these are the ones I need.”, or “Well this is the stapler. I don’t need it now. Here are the scissors”. This language is more suitable and it also tells us whether or not they understood or know the word. It is also a way to provide them with the information they may not know.

28 · guide for an initial assessment Repeating and imitating the language is a positive way to manage the mistakes they make when they try to produce new words or structures. If a child makes a mistake, you should respond by repeating the sentence correctly. Emphasise the word they said wrong so they hear it properly but don’t stress the mistake. You should use a correct intonation and pronunciation but without exaggerating or shouting. Speak at a normal speed but not too fast and use expressions and gestures to facilitate comprehension. It’s important to repeat as it shows interest and keeps them motivated to talk. In addition, by repeating and adding information, we strengthen the language they have already acquired and consolidate difficult structures.

we should talk about sand, water or a puzzle piece if we are looking at it, touching it or playing with it. For children who are just starting to communicate in a new language, talking about things out of context may be too difficult for them, such as talking about what they did at home, even if it’s common practice with children of this age

It’s also advisable to orally explain the activities they do so that we comment on their actions, for example: “Very good, you placed the green piece in the right spot”, or you can comment out loud on the activities we do. Both strategies are useful for short periods of time but don’t overdo it so as not to tire the child out.

All subjects of learning and development in pre-school are interrelated and interdependent and they all make excellent opportunities for learning a second language. Ordinary activities in pre-school don’t require much adaptation on behalf of children learning the language. All activities are based on language and benefit everyone equally, for example, outings in the surrounding areas, cooking activities, routine classroom activities such as talking about the weather, games, songs, stories, rhymes. All this will help them speak Spanish.

Children need time to think, internalise and soak up the language spoken around them. We should always be ready to respond at the time they try to start a conversation or any type of oral transmission, helping them and praising their communication, in addition to responding to their needs. Remember that language should always be used and learned in a meaningful context. In other words,

You should always group them with other children of the same age and when possible with native children who have developed good linguistic skills for their age. They should not be separated from the group to help them acquire Spanish as a second language. They will learn more in the classroom with their classmates.

If we give them time, help and are patient and value their mother tongue and native culture, they will become real bilinguals with all the intellectual and social benefits that come with it.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF CHINESE STUDENTS EDUCATION SYSTEM • Primary School (7 to 12 years) with subjects similar to the ones here • Middle School (13 to 15 years) • Secondary School (16 to 18 years) which will lead them to university or technical studies to enter the professional or vocational world • Schooling is mandatory for 9 years: primary, middle and the first year of secondary school. • The shortage of spots in universities encourages competition. • Basic subjects are reading, writing and mathematics.

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• Efforts, discipline, self-commitment, dedication and, above all, attitude in class is the way to show respect.

SCHOOLING OF CHINESE STUDENTS Three types of students depending on when they joined the education system: • First schooling - Their only problem is the language. - They integrate into the system after one year. • Second schooling

• The methodology is based on memorisation and assessment is done through written tests to check if they have met the objectives.

- These students come from other parts of Spain and have already received schooling in Spanish.

30 · guide for an initial assessment - They tend to have had a high level of individual attention due to their characteristics. • New arrival - Tends to coincide with the start of adolescence. - These students are diverse because they depend on family expectations (the fundamental objective tends to be to learn Spanish and become the ones who have to relate with the native community). - They integrate correctly into activities that don’t require a high level of communication.

• Acquiring literacy: They have a lot of difficulties, especially older children. • Family support is limited because of the different values advocated by the school and families (different efforts are required of them, different types of discipline, lack of demand from our students, etc.) and because of language difficulties.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE CHINESE LANGUAGE • The knowledge we have of their linguistic scheme could benefit the learning of the language. • They have more difficulties learning Spanish than other students.

- They excel in mathematics. - In addition to their schooling, they carry out domestic and/or labour tasks.

ASPECTS TO KEEP IN MIND IN TERMS OF THEIR SCHOOLING • The language: Mandarin Chinese is the official language. It carries prestige and serves as the foundation of education. The rest of the languages are for informal or local use and have less prestige. • Homework: Take advantage of their habit of doing schoolwork at home, which is deeply rooted in the Chinese culture.

• They are bilingual students: They know a dialect and the official language or Mandarin which they learned at school or from official means of communication (radio and television). • Upon arriving here, their bilingualism is confronted with a “strange” situation: The official language of the Spanish state, the “standard” language, is not the language used at schools. • Chinese students are used to memory exercises. This is very important when it comes to learning new languages. • Chinese is fundamentally a bisyllable language even though there

guide for an initial assessment · 31 are also words with one, three and up to four or more syllables (basically loan words from other languages or transliteration of proper nouns from other languages). • They don’t understand our expressions, they need our attention and they need to relate more with their classmates in order to learn. • They speak only when they believe they can and they do it in quite a correct manner. They also have a good level of listening and reading comprehension. • Their language doesn’t have an alphabet. Each character or symbol has a concrete meaning. • They have to learn between 2000 and 3000 characters to be able to read and write. • Some students know the Latin alphabet because since the beginning of their schooling they have worked with transcription

into “pinyin” (transcription of Chinese characters into the Latin alphabet), which is wide spread in Chinese schools (children’s books contain both versions of characters and pinyin). It’s not especially difficult for them to copy and even decode the alphabet when reading out loud. The real problem lies in understanding what they read. In the Spanish version of the publication you will also find the specific difficulties Chinese students encounter when learning Spanish.


CHINESE NAMES The order is different when compared to Western names. A typical Chinese name first indicates the family name or surname, then a generational name or given name followed by an additional name. Let’s take a look at an example: Chen Da-ming • Chen: The family name is similar to what we call in the West a surname. It always forms part

of the first half of the name and comes before the given name. Other common family names include Zhang, Li, Zhao, Liu, Wang, etc. Most consist of only one word, but there are exceptions such as SiTu or OuYang. • Da: The second word is similar to what we call in the West a first name or given name. It can be an imposed name or a generational indicator. Many Chinese families use the same word for the second name to indicate the same family generation. In some cases,

guide for an initial assessment · 33 the parents do without this second name; therefore, some people only have two words in their name. • Ming: The third word in the name is similar to what we use in the West as a middle name or second first name. It tends to be a word that harmonically matches with the second word in terms of sound or meaning. Most of them have something to do with the person’s gender. Men often have names that mean strength, power, wealth, patriotism or prosperity. Women have names that mean beauty, elegance and grace. Women may also have names that repeat the same character such as Xiuxiu or Lili. When babies are born, the family normally gives them an affectionate or abbreviated name and the first or given name is chosen later. Chinese families have one month to register the baby and, in some cases, they continue to use the nickname even after giving the baby his/her real name. Because Chinese surnames are scarce, the difference depends mainly on the given name. Any character with meaning is usually chosen and it’s not considered correct to give a child someone else’s name, even if it’s a family member or a famous person. In some families, one of the two characters making up the given name is repeated in all members of the same generation (for example, the character that represents a tree). In addition,

siblings often have related names. For example, a boy may be named pinetree because it’s considered masculine while his sister may be plum tree because it’s feminine. Chinese names may also reflect periods in history. For example, many Chinese born during the Cultural Revolution have “revolutionary” names such as strong country or east wind. Nowadays some business men have the custom of inverting the family name and the given name to adapt it to the Western custom of putting the name before the surname. When talking to an adult Chinese person, we should avoid using their first name or surname without a title in front. This privilege is limited to family members or very close friendships. If a Chinese person insists on someone calling them by their first name, it’s a sign of trust and friendship. Among acquaintances, prefixes such as Lao or Xiao are often used before the family name. Lao means elder or old and is used to address elderly people and show respect while Xiao means small or young and is used with young people. Up to a few years ago, it was common in China to address other people by calling them “Tong_zhi” (comrade) which was used to show trust or that one shared similar political ideas. Now, however, they use more often Xian Sheng (Mr.), Un Shi (Mrs.) and Xiao Jie (Miss).

CONSIDERATIONS FOR

THE INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF MOROCCAN STUDENTS

‫ﻣﺮﺣﺒﺎ ﺑﻜﻢ‬ STAGES OF PUBLIC EDUCATION • Pre-school education: Two types of schools: - Nursery schools are for children 2-6 years of age. - Koran schools: 4 to 6-7 years of age. • Mandatory fundamental education consisting of 9 years: - First cycle: six years (6-12 years of age) in primary school. First foreign language (French) starting in the 3rd year. - Second cycle: three years (1215) in school. Upon completion: First Orientation (Vocational School or Secondary School)

• Secondary school education consisting of 3 years. - Three years (15-18) in secondary school. Upon completion, students are awarded a General Certificate of Secondary Education or High School diploma. Second foreign language (Spanish, English, German or Italian). - Two Modules: 1.-General: Arts, experimental sciences and exact sciences. 2.-Technical: Economic engineering, mechanics, electricity, chemistry, agriculture. • Second Orientation: (University, Academies, Superior Vocational Schools or join the working world)

guide for an initial assessment · 35 LANGUAGES IN MOROCCO • The language used at home by our students is generally Dariya (Moroccan dialect of Arabic) or some variety of Berber, a no literate language transmitted orally. • In the education system, oral teaching is imparted in the Arabic dialect or Moroccan language while documents, school materials and students’ work are produced in classic Arabic. • They are well capable of acquiring good communicative skills fairly quickly. • In terms of reading and writing, they have more difficulties especially with the strokes and handwriting which comes from the obvious differences between their language and ours. Arabic • Standard modern Arabic is common to all countries that identify themselves as Arabs. It is a formal language: it is the language taught at school, used in religion or for formal documents, diffused in means of communication. It is the language used in televised news reports, the press, courts and all written statements. It is not used in any cafe, street or market in the Arab world. Dariya or Darija • Arabic dialect is the daily language used on the streets, in markets and in the oral communication

of citizens with the government. The fundamental difference between the two systems is: speaking/writing. Dariya is an oral language while Arabic is a written language. When a person addresses a government worker behind a counter to request a certificate, he speaks in Dariya and the government official issues the document in Classic Arabic. A crucial fact is the role of television. In Morocco there is a certain “invasion” of films coming from the Eastern Arab world, mainly Egypt, Syria and Lebanon. On the other hand, exporting Moroccan films to the Eastern Arab countries makes no sense. Moroccans, especially women, are more familiar with Eastern Arabic “dialects” than they are of the Moroccan dialect. Berber • Language(s) of the Afro Asian family that don’t belong to the Semitic group. • Morocco (12 million speakers, 40% of the country’s population). • Algeria (7 million, 25% of the country’s population). • Tunisia, Mauritania, Libya, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Mali (where it is the official language) • Under this concept we can include: - Riff (Tarifit) - Berber or Tamazight (global name of the language) - Taclhit (known by their Arabic

36 · guide for an initial assessment and French names Shella and Chleuh), - In Algeria, they speak Kabyle (Taqbaylit), Tashawit and Tamzabit. The language of the Tuaregs is knows as Tamasheq the only variety that has preserved the ancient writing system (Tifinagh). Not only Dariya is spoken in Morocco. Berber, a completely different language from the previous two and its three varieties - Tarifit, Tamazight and Taclhit– are common and are spoken along with Dariya in Morocco. In this case, we are dealing with bilingualism that is found as much in individuals as it is in the society.

Berber is the language that was spoken before the Arabs arrived. To a certain extent, it is the language of the first residents of this North African country. Berbers call their language Tamazight. In Morocco, there are zones that are exclusively Berber such as Rif, Atlas and Sus so we can talk about social bilingualism in the entire country. Imazighen Moroccans are everywhere and speak both Tamazight and Dariya. In the Spanish version of the guide you will find the specific difficulties Moroccan students encounter when learning Spanish.

CONSIDERATIONS

FOR THE INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF

SUB-SAHARAN STUDENTS

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STUDENTS OF WOLOF ORIGIN

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he Wolof people are the most important ethnic group in Senegal. They have a huge political as well as cultural influence. They are spread out over the most western part of Africa and make up about 40% of the population in Senegal. Wolof is also the name of the dominant language in Senegal, although French is the official language. The majority of radio and television programmes are in French; however, Wolof is also used. Around two and a half million people in Senegal speak this language which accounts for one third of the population. In addition, it is also spoken in other African countries such as Mauritania and Mali. Around 40% of Wolof speakers are literate. Soninke is spoken in Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania and Mali. It is a NigerCongo language from the Mande fami-

ly. In Wolof, they call it “sorakollé” and in Mandingo or Bambara they call it “maraca”. It is spoken by 1,210,000 people in a territory of scarce wealth between Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia. It is not a highly studied language. It used to be written in Arabic but today the Latin alphabet is used. The majority religion is Muslim, belonging to the Sunni branch, and they practice the Maliki rite. 10% are Catholics and about 1% Protestants. The majority of African languages are oral and no literate. This means that writing will be a completely new concept for our students who will have to think about, for the very first time, the correspondence between sound and writing. In the Spanish version of the guide you will find the specific difficulties Sub-Saharan students encounter when learning Spanish.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF EASTERN EUROPEAN STUDENTS

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Adapted from: • Els sistemes educatius als països d’origen de l’alumnat immigrat. Una aproximación (An approach to the education systems in our immigrant students’ countries of origin) Miquel Àngel Alegre, Ricard Benito and Sheila González • El sistema educativo polaco (The Polish education system) (Ministry of Education – Ministry of Education in Poland)

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W i t aj c ie Eastern European education systems have inherited the communist education system implanted in all the Soviet republics during the better part of the 20th century. Still today, many of the characteristics of this education system can be seen in the organisational structure and the pedagogical dynamics of these countries.

Structure • CREI (resource centre for intercultural education) of Castilla and León - Manuel Pinos: Características de las lenguas de origen del alumnado (Characteristics of students’ native languages)

Eastern European education systems have a mandatory education stage which lasts from 8 to 9 years, starting schooling at 6 or 7 years of age and finishing between 15 and 16 years.

guide for an initial assessment · 39 sibility of being expelled from the education system even though they are not old enough to drop out of school. In general, passing basic secondary education does not mean students automatically go on to postobligatory secondary education; rather they gain access by taking skill tests.

The pre-school stage (from 3 to 6/7 years of age) is in a stage of expansion and normalisation so that, for example, 65% of children in Romania attend nursery schools while in Ukraine the figure is around 50%. Mandatory education in Eastern Europe provides education to between 85% and 100% of the population within the ages of schooling, depending on the country. It is organised according to a comprehensive and highly competitive model. At the age of 10, students finish primary education and are automatically promoted to basic or lower secondary education. At this educational level, no itineraries are offered but the differentiation among levels is highly emphasised. At the end of each school year and stage, students are subject to very complex tests and exams. There are even systems, such as in Russia, in which students who don’t pass exams in their last years of mandatory education face the pos-

Mandatory education is mainly offered in public institutions although since the 1990’s there has been an increase in the amount of private education available. Class schedules vary according to the country but the general rule is to attend school full time. Students are also demanded to participate in intense study activities after school. In the majority of cases, post-obligatory education leads in two directions: the first has a more academic character and gives students access to the university. The second has a more professional profile, and in very few cases, continues on to institutions of superior education. In the Spanish version of the guide you will find a summary of the education systems in Romania, Ukraine, Russia and Poland as well as the specific difficulties Slavic students encounter when learning Spanish.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Cummins, J. (2001) Negotiating identities: Education for empowerment in a diverse society 2nd Edition. Los Angeles: California Association for Bilingual Education (ISBN: 1-889094-01-3). Gibbons, P., (2002) Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning: Teaching Second Language Learners in the Mainstream Classroom. Heinemann Books. Excellence and Enjoyment: learning and teaching in the primary years, Creating a learning culture: Classroom, community, collaborative and personalised learning (DfES 0518-2004 G) United Kingdom: National Assessment Agency http://naa.org.uk/ The Intercultural Centre (Southampton) www.hants.gov.uk/education/ ngfl/intercultural/index.html Thomas, W.P. and Collier, V.P. (1997) School effectiveness for language minority students. Resource collection series no.9 December 1997. National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education, Washington, DC. www.ncela.gwu.edu/pubs/resource/effectiveness/ Thomas, W. P. and Collier, V. (2002). A National Study of School Effectiveness for Language Minority Students’ Long-Term Academic Achievement. Centre for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence (CREDE).

European Agency for the Development of Education for Students with Special Educational Needs (2009) Multiculutralidad y necesidades educativas especiales (Multiculturality and special educational needs) ISBN: 978-87-92387-53-0 http:// www.european-agency.org/publications/ereports/multicultural-diversity-and-special-needs-education/ Multicultural-Diversity-ES.pdf Shaw, Susan (1995) Bilingual Pupils and Special Educational NeedsA Teacher’s Guide to Appropriate Support and Referral - Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames Supporting children learning English as an additional language. Guidance for practitioners in the Early years Foundation Stage. DCSF, 2007. (Ref. 00683-2007BKT-EN) Migratory mourning: http://cvc.cervantes.es/ensenanza/biblioteca_ ele/asele/pdf/15/15_0131.pdf Naldic: Supporting bilingual children in the early years http://www. naldic.org.uk/ITTSEAL2/teaching/Supportingbilingualchildrenintheearlyyears.cfm Council of Europe: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: learning, teaching, assessment. http://cvc.cervantes.es/ ensenanza/biblioteca_ele/marco/ General Management of School and Professional Education. Department of Education – Government of Nav-

guide for an initial assessment · 41 arre http://educacion.pnte.cfnavarra. es/portal/Informacion+de+Interes/ Multiculturalidad/

Native Languages – Servei de lengües http://blocs.xtec.cat/llenguadorigen/

Alumnat nouvingut (New Arrival Students) - Espai Lic - Department of Education of the Government of Catalonia http://www.xtec.es/lic/ nouvingut/index.htm

Meixia Lu - Cultural Reality of our Oriental Students http://www. educarm.es/torre-intercultural/ docums/comunic10.pdf

Cline, T. and Shamsie, T. (2000) Language needs or special needs? The assessment of learning difficulties in literacy among children learning English as an additional language: a literature review [RR 184] London: DfES. Retrieved on 3rd April, 2009 from: http://www. dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RR184.doc Hall, D. (2001). Assessing the Needs of Bilingual Pupils. Living in Two Languages Second Edition. London: David Fulton Rogers, U. and Pratten, A.R. (1996). The Cummins Framework as a Decision Making Aid for Special Education Professionals Working with Bilingual Children. In Cline, T. and Frederickson, N. Curriculum Related Assessment, Cummins and Bilingual Children. (pp. 77 87). Clevedon, Avon: Multilingual Matters Ltd. Welcome Page from Educastur Website: http://web.educastur.princast. es/proyectos/acogida Teaching languages to non-Romance language speaking students (Chinese 中文) http://ensenyarllengualumnatnoromanic.blogspot.com/

Specific Aspects to Keep in Mind when Working with Arabic and Chinese Students http://www. unizar.es/practicas/integracion/ arabechino.html#chino Miquel, l (1999) - El choque intercultural: reflexiones y recursos para el trabajo en el aula: en Lengua y Cultura en el aula (The intercultural collision: reflections and resources for working in the classroom: in Language and Culture in the classroom) E/LE Carabela, nº 45, Madrid, SGEL, pages. 27-46 Oliveras, À (2000) - Hacia la competencia intercultural en el aprendizaje de una lengua extranjera. Estudio del choque cultural y los malentendidos (Towards intercultural competence in learning a foreign language. Study on cultural shock and misunderstandings) Madrid, Edinumen Contributions for the integration of Moroccan students www.edu.juntaex.es/dgcyee/recdidac/Textos/ Marroqui.pdf Includes general aspects of the Moroccan culture, methodology, resources, curricular adaptations, assessment, information on the Arabic languages, etc.

42 · guide for an initial assessment C.P. Work Group “Gonzalo Encabo” of Talayuela (Cáceres) The Moroccan linguistic-educational map and its influence on acquiring Spanish as an educational language http://www.um.es/tonosdigital/znum5/estudios/F-mapalin.htm El-Madkouri Maataoui, Mohamed (2003), Revista de Estudios Filológicos (Philological Studies Magazine), number 5, Madrid, Autonomous University of Madrid.

ment of Regulation, Update and Centres - Mérida, 2002 http://www. edu.juntaex.es/dgcyee/recdidac/ Textos/Marroqui.pdf CREADE – Information on the different education systems in countries of origin https://www.educacion.es/creade/IrASeccionFront. do?id=132 CAREI – Immigration Countries and Languages http://www.carei.es/ page.php?/LenguasOrigen/Paises

Outline of frequent errors made by Arabic speakers when learning Spanish http://www.cuadernoscervantes.com/lc_arabe.html

Miquel Àngel Alegre, Ricard Benito and Sheila González - An approach to the education systems in the students’ country of origin

Influential factors on the acquisition of Spanish in Mahgrebi children http://www.aulaintercultural.org/article.php3?id_article=351

The Polish education system (Ministry of Education – Ministry of Education in Poland) http://www.educacion.es/exterior/pl/es/home/index. shtml

Author: Mohamed El-Madkouri Maataoui . Dpt. of Linguistics / UAM Raúl Fernández Jódar - Analysis of lexical, morphosyntactic and graphic errors in the written language of Polish students learning Spanish http://www.mec.es/redele/Biblioteca2007/RaulFernandez.shtml Website with information on the Romanian language: http://www. proel.org/mundo/rumano.htm Contributions to the integration of Moroccan students – Board of Extremadura Ministry of Education, Science and Technology – General Manage-

CREI (centre for intercultural education resources) of Castilla and León - Manuel Pinos: Características de las lenguas de origen del alumnado (Characteristics of students’ native languages) Ll. Gràcia and Joan M. Contreras (2001) - El soninké i el mandinga (Soninke and Mandingo) Government of Catalonia Marcos Orozco and Francesc Roca (2002) - El fula i el wòlof (Fula and Wolof) Government of Catalonia Reports on education systems – OEI (Organisation of Ibero-American States): http://www.oei.es/quipu/ informes.htm