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Programme: accepted abstracts

Abstract ID: 626

Part of Session 183: Contesting and reconstructing language policies in urban educational settings (Other abstracts in this session)

Reconstructing language policy in urban education: The Essen model of “Förderunterricht” and its local impact

Authors: Mollering, Martina
Submitted by: Mollering, Martina (Macquarie University, Australia)

This contribution traces the development of an educational support program  (Förderunterricht) for immigrant children first set up In the German Ruhr area more than 35 years ago.  A highly industrialized area up until the end of the 20^th century, the Ruhr region has traditionally been strongly impacted by different waves of immigration. The program discussed here has grown out of what was originally a small scale application of research results of a study on the bilingualism of immigrant children at the University of Essen.  Following the premise that the bilingual competencies migrant children bring to the classroom can be an asset rather than a hindrance, migrant languages (Turkish and Greek) were established as an optional component in the undergraduate curriculum for trainee teachers at the university at the same time that a program of supporting classes for migrant children attending secondary schools was being established. Through bottom up agency, the creators of the program were able to involve migrant communities, local schools, local politicians, the university and different funding bodies in order to set up a project that sees migrant children in the secondary school sector mentored by trainee teachers, many of whom have an immigrant background themselves and bring their bi- or multilingual competence to the task.

The program has been adapted as a model approach to more than 35 cities nationwide, and it has impacted on a recent teacher education reform in the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where the original project site, Essen, is located.   Based on an analysis of qualitative data - consisting of interviews  with project coordinators, student mentors and immigrant children attending the program - the present study explores the project’s impact on the identity formation of the children, the professional motivation of the student mentors and the well-being  and development of both groups. These data will be related to language policy issues in the city of Essen generally and, more specifically,  with a view to the long-term sustainability of the program.

References:

Benholz, Claudia / Lipkowski, Eva / Steinhaus, Marlies (1999): 25 Jahre Förderunterricht für Kinder und Jugendliche ausländischer Herkunft an der Universität Gesamthochschule Essen. In: Deutsch lernen Heft 1, S. 75 - 91.

Benholz, Claudia / Kniffka, Gabriele / Winters-Ohle, Elmar (Hrsg.) (2010): Fachliche und sprachliche Förderung von Schülern mit Migrationsgeschichte. Beiträge des Mercator-Symposions im Rahmen des 15. AILA-Weltkongresses >Mehrsprachig­keit: Herausforderungen und Chancen<. Reihe Mehrsprachigkeit, Band 26. Münster: Waxmann.

Steinhaus, Marlies (2000): Förderunterricht für Kinder und Jugendliche ausländischer Herkunft an der Universität Gesamthochschule Essen. In: Arbeitsstab Forum Bildung in der Geschäftsstelle der Bund-Länder-Kommission für Bildungsplanung und Forschungsförderung (Hrsg.): Materialien des Forum Bildung 3. S. 462 - 475