Thank you so much for your input, Christa. I find this extremely interesting and will forward your information to Norwegian colleagues who I know are very interested! You may be hearing from us soon! :-)

This is indeed a very interesting model and we will be looking forward to hearing much more about it in Sandefjord! 

For those of you who will be unable to join us there: continue to follow this discussion in the weeks to come. We will post here links to documentation from the conference. As Ingrid says, the Sandefjord model will also be presented here on Epale very shortly.

Thank you for your input, Carlos! I like the concept of ecosystem in this context! In Norway we talk about an integrated approach, and I think we mean the same thing. One of the interesting recent developments at policy level in this country has been the opening up of the national program for basic skills at the work place (Skills Plus), so that now it also involves volunteering associations. Many of these have now got project grants and are using them to train migrants in all basic skills, including of course also the second language. I don't think, however, that we should completely turn away from the formal system. What we need is to make it so flexible that it can take in the need for contextualisation and provide individual paths, so that each adult can be empowered to fully participate in society and working life while at the same time acquiring formal qualifications which will make integration all the more efficient.

I agree that our formal systems often fail to meet the needs of migrants, but I do think that any ecosystem to support adult migrants in learning the host language and integrating into their new society would be strionger if it also incorporates the formal system. One of the problems we have in England (and other countries) is that formal / non-formal / informal parts of the system do not work in a coherent way together.

I like your focus on 'adaptation to the subject' (learner-centred) and the fact that you recognise how importnaqt 'practical aspects of the Process of integration' are to migrants.

Could you say a bit more about each of your bullet points? Or point us to any resources that discuss these?

• What is the People's Power to Act?
• Does an 'operational relationship with the world of organizations' refer to empowering learners to engage with government services, employers, retailers etc?
• I'm quite sceptical about Second Chance Schools - what is it about the pedagogy used there that you feel is appropriate? I think your first point (acquired knowledge) is 'building on what adults know', but I am not sure what 'the logic of the project and the work to be done.'

Thanks

David

This is a good example Graciela. This sort of self-learning is of great value, but many learners will need support 1. with the concept of self-learning 2. to find solutions to the difficult linguistic situations that they encounter and record. Connecting this sort of initiative to the resources of formal learning (principally qualified teachers, but also learning resources) would seem to be a god way of maximising the benefit it brings. Yet, in teh VIME study we have seen very little of this sort of 'joined-up' working woth collaboration between informal/non-formal and formal sectors.

David, first of all you are of course permitted to teach in an integration course if you have a university degree in German as a second/foreign language. The rest ist a bit more complicated. Just to give you a rough idea: If you have a university degree in German philology or another modern philology or you are a school teacher for a different subject than German, you have to participate in aditional training that is defined by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees and consists of 70 lessons (the shortened aditional training). If you have a university degree in pedagogy, andragogy or social work and you have only small experience as a language teacher you need to take 140 lessons of further training as defined by the Federal Office. On the other hand if you have at least 500 lessons of teaching experience and the same qualification you can participate in the shortened training.

These criteria are defined in a matrix http://www.bamf.de/SharedDocs/Anlagen/DE/Downloads/Infothek/Integration…;

In the last two years the Federal Office reduced the amount of teaching experience necessary to participate in the additional training. And as more and more teachers for integration courses with alphabetization were needed, they decided that you could teach in those courses even if you only had the permission for the regular integration course. Furthermore, today you can teach in integration courses without any experience or qualification in adult education - if you are a school teacher in German or a different modern language.

Thank you for your comment, David! I hope Celia will comment as well, but here is my view:

Yes, definitely. We need to include A LOT of digital training in both the initial and continuous training of staff. They not only need to develop a good level of digital competence - they also need training in developing didactically sound models. And the best way to do that is by making abundant use of digital tools in the teacher training itself. Which means of course that we also need to re-train the trainers of trainers...

Does anybody here know of countries/regions where this is already in function?

David thanks for your suggestion about authors' and others' views on the question of teacher knowledge: should we include teachers’ digital skills development in initial teacher training?  And their use of digital resources to support learning?

In my view to include teachers’ digital skills development in initial teacher training is not the answer because, at least in Portugal and other EU countries that are doing that for some years last didn´t reach relevant results from that. Teachers must learn how to improve their students learning BY Doing it at their initial training as well as along their lives as teachers but than rather in collaboration with their peers and students (projects for own learning). 

If we claim for a (re) volution in our schools/training centers we have to change methodologies, contexts and content. 

Language socialization: interesting blog, in which three points trigger my response: 1) differentiation 2) everyday communication 3) volunteers. I fully ascribe to those points, however, in my view there is one other option which is not considered enough: the role of non-formal education. 

This type of education is very important for migrants without formal education experience and without work/active participation in the host society.

The Unesco figures of out of school children worldwide (www.allinschool.org) show that migrants from certain regions do not have basic education or little experience with non-comparable types of education. For them, classical language courses in L2 (chalk and talk) often lead to stagnation and failure. It is very demanding to learn a language without your own mother tongue as a reference (try learning Chinese without reference to your L1!). However, learning at the workplace is not an option either, because they are unemployed and have low employability.

So what to do? 

We take non-formal learning as the best way to support these migrants in their efforts to integrate in the host society. The facilitator is a social worker. The lessons are in the neighbourhood of the participants (many don't know how to use public transport). The content is based on highly relevant daily life issues: health, family communication, social skills, emotional well-being and building self-confidence, parenting. The facilitator is a role model in all aspects. Conversations are in L1 (it takes 7 years for a well-educated person to adequately express feelings and nuances in a foreign language). Excercizes are in L2 (for instance: talks with a teacher).

So, yes, it is expensive in terms of contact-time with a skilled facilitator: € 2.500 per person (groups of 15, 325 contact hours). But consider the results: less stress, less tensions in the family, more self-confidence, more understanding of the host society, more active participation. And also, through this approach: the participants' language proficiency rises one level from A0 to A1 or A1 to A2 CEFR.

More (animation/research/publications/handbook) on:

www.ideal-participation.eu

Hi Celia, David and others, really enjoyed the digital literacy discussion. For some tips on using technology when you have limited equipment and or connectivity, have a look at Julie Goreham's tips. Julie is the Digital Engagement Team Leader with the Campaign for Learning in the UK. We videod her at a NALA conference: https://www.nala.ie/content/julie-goreham