1. Multilingualism & Multilingual Education in Friesland / Fryslân Alex RIEMERSMA Workshop Minority Languages and Multilingual Education European Centre for Modern Languages ECML Graz, Austria / Österreich, February 16, 2011 Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning www.mercator-research.eu

2. Early Middle ages Late Middle ages Today Fryslân in history

3. Characteristics of Frisian  Tsiis CheeseKaasKäse  TsjerkeChurchKerkKirche  KaaiKeySleutelSchlüssel  twa skieptwo sheeptwee schapen zwei Schäfe  Ik haw west / I have been Ik ben geweest / Ich bin gewesen

4. Frisian as First Language

5. Frisian Language Command  640.00 inhabitants province of Fryslân:  94 % Understanding  74 % Speaking  65 % Reading  26 % Writing  54 % Frisian Mother tongue (350.000)

7. Relative Position Frisian  Unesco Language Vitality scale (2003): unsafe, but not threatened by extinction  Euromosaïc (1996): nr. 14 out of 48  Intergenerational language transmission - decline of 10% per generation  Language policy: - attitude & use

8. Domains of Frisian language use  Strong oral language, weak in writing  Strong community language  Media: radio full day service; tv 2 hours per day (with re-run)  Culture: amateur theatre & choir singing  Social & economic life: strong oral (= informal) use

9. Legal position Frisian  No mention in Netherlands’ constitution  Covenant Frisian Language and Culture (2001-2010) between Dutch governement and province of Fryslân  Announcement of Frisian Language Act: “equal footing” of Dutch & Frisian

10. International recognition  European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages (ratified 1998) Frisian in part III: 48 undertakings - education - judiciary - public authorities & services - media - cultural affairs - social life  Framework Convention for National Minorities (ratified 2005) Frisians = ethnic minority

11. Implementation of Charter  Programmatic versus static approach: - key word “to protect & to promote”  Minimum Standards  Application of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)  Teaching time  Teacher qualifications

12. Implementation of Charter - Education  Teacher’s qualifications: - language proficiency - didactic skills  Inspectorate: - assessment & evaluation of core goals  Further comparative analysis: - media & cultural provisions

13. Minimum Standards Education  Report Minimum Standards in Education of / in RMLs (2007)  Analysis & Recommendations: - Educational goals - Teaching time (subject & medium) - Teaching materials - Teacher training - Inspectorate

14. CEFR – further developments  European Language Portfolio = Documentation on individual level  Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR): - to apply to RMLs (L1, L2)  Attainment target in terms of CEFR  Result: common minimum standards

15. Frisian in education  Pre-school (age 0- 4 year) (started 1989); now: 100 (out of 300) Frisian medium / bilingual provisions  Secondary education: 1948: optional subject 1970: optional exam subject 1993: obligatory subject in lower grades

16. Frisian in primary education  1937: Optional subject  1980: Obligatory subject  1955: Optional medium of instruction  1985: Attainment targets similar to Dutch  1986: English obligatory subject

17. Frisian in school practice  At most schools Frisian as a subject: - only for 1 hour per week - continuity in all classes  Use of Frisian as medium of instruction: - mainly oral use - development towards “Frisian (half)day  Concept of trilingual school: Dutch, English and Frisian both as subject and language of instruction

18. Trilingual Schooling in Fryslân  Language proficiency in three target languages: Dutch, Frisian, English  Research related to CEFR  Challenges for the future: - bridging pre-school – primary - bridging primary – secondary school - teacher training

19. Project ‘Trijetalige Skoalle’  Goal: full bilingualism & biliteracy as regards Frisian and Dutch and basic communicative competence in English  Start in 1997-1998  7 project schools  Research results: 1997 – 2005  Ongoing research at Fryske Akademy

20. Trilingual education in Fryslân  Model used (with flexibility): - Group 1-6: 50 % Frisian, 50 % Dutch - Group 7-8: 40 % Frisian, 40 % Dutch, 20% English  Systematic use of Frisian, Dutch and English as a medium of instruction  Concious and strictly separated use of languages: person / time / themes  Interactive language education

21. Trilingual education in Fryslân  Expected (& proved) results: - Good quality of Frisian - Results of Dutch at the same level at the end of grade 8 as all other pupils in the Netherlands - Results for English slightly better, but not significantly - Self consciousness in English better, but not significantly

22. Research design  7 project schools, > 90 pupils  10 control schools, >130 pupils  Achievement tests Frisian, Dutch and English  Mother tongue taken into account in analyses

23. Research in grade 7 and 8  Frisian  decoding, reading comprehension, spelling  language attitude Frisian (grade 8)  Dutch  decoding, reading comprehension, spelling  English  listening, reading comprehension, vocabulary  selfconfidence using English (grade 8)

24. Developments - 1  More attention for implementation English as language of instruction  Introduction of Early English  Introduction native speakers of English as class room assistants  Official Anglia-test for English  Parallel test for Frisian

25. Developments - 2  Network of Trilingual Primary Schools: - 2010: 40 participating schools - 2012: aiming at 50 schools = 10% of all primary schools in Fryslân - 2020: aiming at 100 schools  Certification of quality (periodical assessment)

26. Challenges  Continuity of teaching and learning  Bridging pre-school to primary  Bridging primary to secondary school  Quality of teacher’s: language command, didactic behaviour and tools  ICT methods

27. Bridging pre-school to primary  Day care centres: age 0 – 4 years; full time  Pjutteboartersplakken: age 2,5 – 4 / two half days per week  Certification of quality  Training of practitioners

28. Bridging primary to secondary  Project on trilingual secondary school: age 12 – 16 years  Actual situation: Frisian as a compulsory subject only in grade 1 / one lesson per week Frisian as optional exam subject  Development: English and Frisian as medium of instruction

29. Teacher Training  General training for primary school: 2 EC for English; 3 EC for Frisian  Training for secondary school is subject oriented  Challenges: language command language use as medium of instruction  2011: Introduction Trilingual stream at teacher training

30. Mercator Research Centre at Fryske Akademy  1987-2006: EU funded Documentation & Information Centre  2 Partners: Media: Aberystwyth & Legislation: Barcelona  2007-2008: transition to Documentation and Research Funded by province of Fryslân and municipality of Ljouwert/Leeuwarden

31. Mercator Network  2009-2011: EU funded  Mercator Ljouwert “ lead partner ”  Aberystwyth – University of Wales  Barcelona – Ciemen  Boedapest – Hungarian Academy of Sciences  Eskilstuna (Sweden) – M ä lardalen University

32. Mercator Research Centre at Fryske Akademy  Scientific research & data collection  Information centre & platform function  Data base of experts  Newsletter & website  Network of Schools  Q & A service  Regional Dossiers

33.  40 language descriptions  Author = local expert  Update every 5-7 years  Online available Regional Dossiers

34. Research themes  Minimum Standards of RML education  Added value of multilingualism  Trilingual Schooling

35. Report on Minimum Standards on Education in RMLs (2007)  On request of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (CLRAE) of the Council of Europe  Recommendations to the Council of Ministers of the Council of Europe

36. Themes of analysis  Educational goals & models  Time spent  Teaching materials  Teacher training  Inspectorate  Legal position

37. Member States & Languages  Austria: Slovenian, Croatian  Germany: Sorbian  Netherlands: Frisian  Slovakia: Hungarian  Slovenia: Italian  Spain: Catalan  Sweden: Sami  United Kingdom: Welsh

38. Added Value of Multilingualism  Cooperation with the Ministry of Eduation of the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC)  Focus on secondary school  Focus on English as a third language

39. Future research projects  Monitoring longitudinal language proficiency in all three target languages; 6 levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)

40. Trilingual primary schooling  Inventory study on provisions of trilingual primary education  10 case studies, a.o.: - Basque Country; Catalunya; - Finland (Vaasa); Italy (Ladin); - Luxembourg; - North-Frisia (Germany); - Frisian (the Netherlands):

41. Trilingual education in Fryslân  Model used (with flexibility): - Group 1-6: 50 % Frisian, 50 % Dutch - Group 7-8: 40 % Frisian, 40 % Dutch, 20% English  Systematic use of Frisian, Dutch and English as a medium of instruction  Concious and strictly separated use of languages: person / time / themes  Interactive language education

42. Mercator Network of Schools  > 90 members  > 30 language communities  15 EU member states  News bulletins  Website: - teaching materials - projects

43. Kaart fan NOS

44. Partner in European Projects  NPLD: Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity (regional authorities)  MELT: Multilingual Early Language Transmission (= pre-school sector)  EUNoM: European Network of Universitites on Multilingualism  Language Rich Europe  Civil Society Platform on Multilingualism

45. Intended Network of Teacher Training Institutes  Aiming at:  Strenghtening relationship between teacher training and primary / secondfary education  Teacher’s competences in multilingualism  Didactic methods

46. Foto fan bern  Leafst bern yn de klasse

47. Eskerrik asko Mange Takk Diolch Tankewol Trugarez Grazia Graciis Dankscheen Mercé plan Kiitos Dz'akuju so Köszönöm Hvala Multumesc Merci