Danish preparation course for teachers’ mobility
All training schools of Skårup Seminarium (Skårup College of Education)
received the invitation below in November 2007. Letters were sent both
to the head of schools and to teachers of maths. Furthermore the course
was advertised on the web-page of the college. Student teachers with
maths as a main subject were approached personally and on the intranet
of the college.
Course: The international math teacher
Many math teachers would like to
participate in teacher exchange in Europe as well as having their
pupils participate in e.g. COMENIUS-projects. However, our research
seems to indicate that many teachers refrain from international
activities because they think that they lack the necessary linguistic
and possibly intercultural competences.
As part of an international in-service project for teachers, in which
University College Lillebælt, Skårup Seminarium, participates, we now
offer a course which presumably will make it possible for math teachers
in the future to get an international dimension into their teaching and
to participate in teacher and pupil exchange.
Aim:
To further the participants’
possibilities of participating in international projects.
Content:
- Intensive course in English focusing on classroom language and
mathematical terminology.
- Mathematical topics suitable to be taught internationally, e.g.
essential parts within numbers and algebra, geometry and mathematics in
use.
- Planning a number of math lessons in English, equivalent to a
week’s teaching in a class.
- This is the way math is taught in other countries. Examples (on
video) of teaching units and math curricula.
- Intercultural (communicative) competence – what is it? In theory
and practice.
- How to finance international activities?
Teaching and learning:
The course will focus on the
participants’ active contributions e.g. by videoing parts of the course
and parts of their own lessons. The teaching will be both in Danish and
English.
Participants:
Math teachers in years 6 – 10 and
student teachers with math as a main subject.
Teachers:
Sen. lecturer Annette Jäpelt (math)
and sen. lecturer Birgith Lotzfeldt (English).
Number of lessons: 21
Place: University College
Lillebælt, Skårup Seminarium
Time: January 10, 17, 24 &
31, February 7 & 28, March 6, 2008, h. 14,30 – 17,00.
Price: There is no tuition fee.
Further information:
Annette Jäpelt (math),
annette.japelt@skolekom.dk
Birgith Lotzfeldt (English), birgith.lotzfeldt@skolekom.dk
Three teachers and six student teachers applied for the course. The
small number of teachers are presumably due to the fact that teachers
only can get a reduction in their teaching hours if they apply for
courses before the beginning of the academic year and if the head of
school recommends the course. As to the number of student teachers,
there is no tradition for students taking courses which are not part of
the curriculum.
On the first day of the course the participants were introduced to the
following plan. At the same time they were asked if they wanted any
changes – the got a week to consider that. No one wanted any changes:
Structure of each course day:
- Handing out a mathematical glossary related to the day’s topics.
- Annette illustrates the topic orally and visually.
- In groups participants plan a lesson in English about today’s
topic. Annette provides materials about the topic (in Danish).
- Short presentation for the whole class.
- On the last days of the course the last item will be videoed.
- Culture and language – generally and related to the above.
- Annette’s presentations are in Danish and English. Birgith’s
presentations are in English.
Content
1. 10/01/08
Mathematics:
Numbers and arithmetic
- Number system
- Integers
- Fractions
- Variables.
- Equations
Classroom language
- What is “classroom language”?
- Examples of classroom language?
- Exercises in the use of this language.
Comments:
Students were introduced to the idea
of the course and were given information on the COMENIUS-project. They
were told that at the end of the course a teacher and a student teacher
would be selected to go to Prague for a week in the autumn of 2008 to
teach maths in a lower secondary school
AJ handed out a list of words in English to do with numbers and
arithmetic. In a dialogue between AJ and students it was shown through
various examples on the white-board how these words are used.
BL had a power point presentation with lists of classroom language
(beginning a lesson, simple instructions, classroom management,
spontaneous situations, ending a lesson) with a special focus on maths.
Students were asked to create small plays in groups in which these
expressions were used.
2. 17/01/08
Function
- System of coordinates
- Representation
- Generally known functions
- Graph sketching
International
communication
- ”Small talk” – What do I say in the staff room?
- Dos and don’ts in international communication.
- What should I be aware of when using English as an international
language?
Comments:
AJ handed out a list of words in
English to do with function. In a dialogue between
AJ and students it was shown through various examples on the white
board how these words are used.
BL ad a power point presentation of small talk in the staff room and
do’s and don’ts when teaching abroad, followed by general
recommendations as to what to be especially aware of when teaching in a
foreign language.
3. 24/01/08
Mathematics:
Classical geometry.
- Triangles.
- Circles.
- Similarity
- Solids
- Drawing
Language and
culture
- The relation between language and culture
- English as the international language of our time.
Comments:
AJ handed out a list of words in
English to do with geometry. In a dialogue between
AJ and students it was shown through various examples on the white
board how these words are used.
BL had a power point presentation with two different views of the
relation between language and culture: 1. Culture as contained in the
semantic and pragmatics of the language, 2: Culture as context for the
use of language, leading to a discussion with the participants of
culture as a theme in teaching.
4. 31/01/08
Applied
mathematics.
- Models.
- Statistics.
- Probability
Intercultural
communicative competence.
- What is intercultural communicative competence?
- How is teachers’ and pupils’ ICC developed?
- Exercises.
Comments:
AJ handed out a list of words in
English to do with probability. In a dialogue between
AJ and students it was shown through various examples on the white
board how these words are used. Students were asked to make tree
diagrams as to the occurrence of various statistical phenomena.
BL had power point presentations focusing on various views on
intercultural competence (Byram and Kramsch), different schools of
culture in teaching (sociological/historical school, anthropological
school, pragmatic school) and a discussion of elements in IC (Byram). A
list a literature on intercultural competence was handed out and
students were given the opportunity to record their own intercultural
experience and to assess their own intercultural competence (Byram).
5. 07/02/08
Communication
and
problem solving
- Spreadsheet and dynamic geometry programmes.
- Introduction to next course day.
- What should I pay attention to from a linguistic point of view
when designing teaching units in a foreign language?
Comments:
AJ handed out a list of words in
English to do with statistics. In a dialogue between
AJ and students it was shown through various examples on the white
board how these words are used.
BL had a power point presentation with advice on planning, teaching and
evaluating in a foreign language.
6. 28/02/08
Planning of
teaching units in groups
Internationalization at home
- How can I work internationally with my pupils at home?
- How to finance teacher and pupil mobility.
Comments:
AJ told students that the math
lecturers in the COMENIUS-project had agreed that the math units to be
taught during the exchange would be introductions to fractions and
Pythagoras’ theorem.
In pairs students prepared teaching units to be presented on the
following course day.
After some negotiations it was agreed that Niels Henriksen, teacher in
Nyborg, and Nadia Kjelsmark and Jeanne Christensen, student teachers at
Skårup College of Education, would go to Prague to teach there for a
week in the autumn of 2008.
BL gave information on internationalization at home and on the
financing of teacher and pupil exchanges.
7. 06/03/08
Presentation of
teaching units – in groups
- Response on the content of teaching unit
- Response on the language of teaching unit
- Evaluation of the course.
Comments:
Niels Henriksen made a presentation in
English of a teaching unit with an introduction of fractions. The
presentation made extensive use of hands-on visual elements. [The
presentation was video-recorded.]
Jeanne Christensen made a presentation in English of a teaching unit
with an introduction of Pythagoras’ theorem.
AJ gave feedback on the content of the presentations, and BL gave
feedback on the language. They found both the content and language of
the presentations very satisfactory, allowing for the fact that
teaching in a foreign language is a very challenging task.
Evaluation
In an informal, oral evaluation students expressed their satisfaction
with the fact that students and student teachers had had the
possibility of taking a course together. They recommended this to be
college policy in the future. They saw it as an advantage that the
course had not dealt only with mathematics and language, but that
culture also had been an important part of it.
In an anonymous, written evaluation, the following answers given. There
are only six answers as no more students were present on the last
course day:
To which extent did the course fulfil
your expectations?
- To a very high degree: 5
- To a high degree: 1
- To a medium degree: 0
- To a small degree: 0
- Ta a very small degree: 0
The teaching methods were:
- Very satisfactory: 3
- Satisfactory: 3
- Partly satisfactory: 0
- Not satisfactory: 0
The teaching content was:
- Very satisfactory: 6
- Satisfactory: 0
- Partly satisfactory: 0
- Not satisfactory: 0
