- I understand, teacher!
Even after an intensive work session with NorskPluss Ungdom, the students are glued to their screens. Some are brand new arrivals. Others have been in the welcome class for several months. Have they forgotten that it's break time?
TARGETED NORWEGIAN LEARNING: Reception teachers at Haugerud use NorskPluss Ungdom online resource to ensure that students have basic Norwegian skills. Photo: Sverre Christian Jarild.
Supports the curriculum
Haugerud School is located in a shantytown in Oslo, characterized by high-rise and low-rise buildings from the mid-1960s. The school has had welcome classes for young people for several years.
NorskPluss Ungdom educational institution has been in use from the start.
"We like the way it is structured. It is neat, covers the competency objectives and has good progression," says teacher Monica Ruud Larsen.
She and her colleague Cecilie Biørnstad are responsible for the Norwegian language teaching. They use both online and related book resources. As a rule, the students are at the front of the books. The online resource is used to check that the students have understood the material and for revision.
Active teachers on data
The activity level in the computer session is high. The students are working intently on their laptops. After a while, several of them raise their hands in the air.
-7, 4, 3, 10…
They state the number of the chapter they have just completed. It is clear that this is a way of working with which they are familiar.
Teachers provide short, personalized feedback to each student based on reports in the online resource. They can easily see what students have worked on and how the tasks have been completed.
- At the beginning, we worked less systematically with the online resource. Now we go into each individual task. If there is something the student has not understood in a chapter, we explain it there and then. It makes things much easier, says Monica Ruud Larsen.
Individual tasks or entire chapters can be re-done if necessary, preferably several times.
INSTRUCTIONAL ASSESSMENT SYSTEMATIC: Monica Ruud Larsen in conversation with a student who has just completed a chapter. Photo: Sverre Christian Jarild.
It doesn't come by itself.
Occasionally, the silence in the classroom is interrupted by small scenes of jubilation. The teachers contribute to the good atmosphere, encourage and cheer along. One of the students' eyes light up when she finally gets it done. She has done the same chapter over and over again. Now it's suddenly worth all the hard work. She's bursting with pride:
- I understand, teacher! I get it!
The teachers insist that the students cannot move on until they have mastered the subject matter. At the beginning of the school year there is a lot of resistance among the students. Eventually they understand that repetition is necessary. They think they learn a lot from the way they work.
Two hours per week
Reception teachers normally set aside two hours a week to work with the online resource, usually in connection with shared lessons in mathematics and English.
When we visit Haugerud School, the students have music before the session with NorskPluss Ungdom. After singing "We light our lanterns" and watching Snekker Andersen , preparations for the Christmas rehearsal remain. Teacher Cecilie fears for the concentration if the students do not soon detach themselves from the screens.
- Everyone needs to get out and get some fresh air.
_ _ _
Monica and Cecilie's tips for teachers who will use NorskPluss Ungdom online resource:
- Do not let students work with the online resource without following up on their work.
- Check the result after each chapter.
- Explain that everyone must do assignments and chapters several times, and that they learn from their own mistakes.
- Remind students to read the assignment, the explanations, and the examples. Many automatically sort it out, almost like noise, and focus only on the assignment.