Nordplus - DiVA portalnorden.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1316121/FULLTEXT01.pdf · A decade of Baltic co-operation Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have been equal partners in Nordplus

NordplusCo-operation between educational institutions in the Nordic and Baltic Countries

→ NordplusJunior→ NordplusHigherEducation→ NordplusAdult→ NordplusHorizontal→ NordplusNordicLanguages

NordplusCooperation between educational institutions in the Nordic and Baltic Countries Joan Rask and Henrik Neiiendam Andersen

US2019:416© Nordplus 2019

Layout: Studio Bjørn OrtmannCover Photo: Michael Funch, Norden.org

Nordic co-operation Nordic co-operation is one of the world’s most extensive forms of regional collaboration, involving Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland.

Nordic co-operation has firm traditions in politics, the economy, and culture. It plays an important role in European and interna-tional collaboration and aims at creating a strong Nordic com-munity in a strong Europe.

Nordic co-operation seeks to safeguard Nordic and regional interests and principles in the global community. Shared Nordic values help the region solidify its position as one of the world’s most innovative and competitive.

Nordic Council of Ministers Nordens Hus Ved Stranden 18 DK-1061 Copenhagen www.norden.org

Download and order Nordic publications from www.norden.org/nordpub

NordplusNordplus is the Nordic Council of Ministers´ programme for sup-port of co-operation and mobility between educations institu-tions across the Nordic and Baltic countries.

Nordplus is one the largest initiatives of the Nordic educational co-operation and offers financial support for the collaboration between education institutions within the entire field of educa-tion, from kindergarten and primary education to higher educa-tion and adult learning.

Nordplus was established in 1988 and has supported the Nordic educational co-operation and the close cohesion between the Nordic countries for over 30 years. In 2008 the Baltic countries joined Nordplus.

http://www.norden.org

http://norden.diva-portal.org/smash/search.jsf?dswid=3610

NordplusCo-operation between educational institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries

→ NordplusJunior→ NordplusHigherEducation→ NordplusAdult→ NordplusHorizontal→ NordplusNordicLanguages

Intro

NordplusNordic and Baltic collaboration on education

Nordplus by numbers

Nordplus JUNIORYoungpeoplecelebratediversityFactsaboutNordplusJunior

Nordplus HIGHER EDUCATION InnovationinArcticteachertrainingFactsaboutNordplusHigherEducation

Nordplus ADULTSportopensdoorsforrefugeesandimmigrantsFactsaboutNordplusAdult

Nordplus HORIZONTALClimatechangeonthecurriculumFactsaboutNordplusHorizontal

Nordplus NORDIC LANGUAGES LanguagetechnologychangeslanguageteachingFactsaboutNordplusNordicLanguages

CONTENTS

5

6

8

10

16

22

28

34

Nordplus — Co-operation between educational institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries 4

5Intro

IntheOldIcelandicEddicpoemHávamál,itstates:“Healoneknowswhowanderswidely”.OnecouldsaythattheseancientwordsofwisdomaptlysumupthegoaloftheNordicCouncil’seducationpolicyonmobi- lityunderitsNordplusprogramme,aswellasreflectoneofthecentralobjectivesofNordiccollaboration.

InaNordicCouncilofMinisters´committeereportfrom2017,entitled“ValuableCooperation”(Ettvärdefulltsamarbete),over3,000NordiccitizenswereaskedfortheiropiniononNordiccollaboration.Thefin-dingsrevealedthatpeoplewereverypositivetowardssuchcooperation,particularlyintheareaofeducation.Amongyoungpeople,aroundhalfconsideredmobilitywithintheNordiccountriestobeoneofthegreatestbenefitsofthatpartnership.

Itisindeedhearteningtoseethataround9,000studentsandtea-cherstakepart ineducationalexchangeprojectswithintheNordiccountriesannually.ThisinteractionisfinancedundertheNordpluspro-gramme,thelargestofitskindinthefieldofeducationundertheaus-picesoftheNordicCouncilofMinisters.

ItisalsoworthnotingthatinadditiontothefiveNordiccountries,theFaroeIslands,Greenland,Åland,andthethreeBalticstatesarepar-ticipantsinNordplus.Thisshowsthewidedegreeofinvolvementbythecountriesintheprogrammeandtheircommitmenttocollaborationinthefieldofeducation.

Weknowthateducationisacontinuousandnever-endingprocess,andstudycantakemanyforms.Lifelonglearningisnotlimitedtoinsti-tutionsorplaces,andtodayitiseasiertohaveone´scompetenceevalu- atedindependentlyofhowitwasattained.Inanageofrapidchange,weallneedtoconsiderthedevelopmentofourindividualcompetenciesandknowledgeandallowourcuriosityandthirstforknowledgetobeourguidinglight.Opportunitiesforstudyareeverywhere,thetrickistobeabletoselectfromthatvastseaofinformationandrecogniseone´srightsandareasofinterest.Whenaccordedproperconsideration,fur-thereducationinthebroadestsenseisameansforachievingequalityanditbenefitseverybody.

Fortheperiod2019-2020,theNordplusprogrammewillhaveasitsfocus“Digitalcompetencesandcomputationalthinking:preparingpu-pils,studentsandadultsforadigitalisedsociety”.TheimpactofrapidlychangingtechnologiesonstudyandeducationisachallengethatalltheNordiccountriesarefacing.Wearefarmorelikelytobesuccessfulinrisingtothatchallengebyworkinginunisonandsharingknowledge.

Lastyear,Nordpluscelebrated30yearsofNordiccollaborationanda decade of cooperation between the Nordic countries and the Baltic states.Nordplusis,withoutadoubt,theNordicCouncilofMinisters´flagshipprogramme,andIverymuchlookforwardtoanevencloserworkingpartnershipoverthecomingyears.

PREFACEBYTHEMINISTER

↑ LiljaAlfreðsdóttir,IcelandicministerofEducation,ScienceandCulturePhoto:SigurjónSigurjónssonljósm

← Photo:YadidLevy/Norden.org


Everyyear,Nordplusearmarksapproximately9.6millioneuroforex-changeprogrammes,projectsandotherformsofnetworking,enablingsome9,000pupils,studentsandteacherstogoonexchangevisits.Aswellaslearningabouteachother’scultures,theparticipantsworktogetherinaneducationalperspectiveonavastrangeoftopics,fromclimatechangeandsustainabilitytointegration,digitalisationandlanguage.

Studentscollaborateonprojectsthatenhancetheirknowledgeofspecificacademicsubjects.Teachersandeducationalistsdevelopnewmethodsandapproachestoteaching.NGOsandcompaniesworkto-getherwithorganisations,studyprogrammesandspecialistunitstode-velopsolutionsthatrequireexpertknowledge.AllNordplusprojectshavesomeconnectiontolearningandeducationandarebasedonexchangesofknowledge,networkingandco-operationbetweenNordicandBalticcountries.

Nordplusisopentoagreatvarietyofthemesandideasdefinedbytheapplicants.

ManyinitiativesreflectandseeksolutionstotheissuesonthepoliticalagendaintheNordicandBalticcountries:Climatechangeandsustain-abledevelopment,digitalisation,inclusionandintegration,entrepreneur-ship,activecitizenshipandNordiclanguageandculture,tonameafew.TheexamplesfromNordplus,presentedinthispublication,reflectthis.

Asaninspirationforapplicants,Nordplushighlightedtheissueofinte-grationofrefugeesandimmigrantsin2017–2018,andfortheyears2019–2020,thefocusisondigitalcompetencesandcomputationalthinking,preparingchildren,youngpeopleandadultsforadigitalisedsociety.

Nordplus: 2012–2017 and the future

In2018,Nordplusenteredanewfive-yearprogrammeperiodandmarkedits30thanniversary.DagfinnHøybråten,SecretaryGeneraloftheNor-dicCouncilofMinisters,hasfollowedthedevelopmentofBaltic/Nordic

”Theworldaroundusischanging,andthatiswhytheBaltic-Nor-dic co-operation be-comesincreasinglyrelevant-notlessrelevant”—DagfinnHøybråten

NORDPLUS–NORDICANDBALTICCOLLABORATIONONEDUCATION

NordplusistheNordicCouncilofMinisters’mobi-lityandnetworkingprogrammeforeducationintheNordicandBalticcountries.

7Nordplus–NordicandBalticcollaboration on education

co-operationatfirsthand–notonlyinNordplusbutacrossalloftheNordicCouncilofMinisters’institutions.

“Nordplushasmostdefinitelymadeadifferenceontheindividualle-vel,andthatisquiteunique.Everydaytherearenewparticipantswhogettheopportunitytosharetheirexperienceandapplyitintheirday-to-daylife–it’slikearippleeffect,”saysHøybråten.

AdecadeofBalticco-operation

Latvia,LithuaniaandEstoniahavebeenequalpartnersinNordplusforthelasttenyears,somethingthattheSecretaryGeneralwelcomes.Nord- plusisoneoftheNordicCouncilofMinisters’biggestco-operationpro-grammes,andDagfinnHøybråtenseesitasoneofthosewiththemostwidespreadgrassrootssupport.

“Theworldaroundusischanging,andthatiswhytheBaltic-Nordicco-operationbecomesincreasinglyrelevant–notlessrelevant.TheNor-dicCouncilofMinisterscommitsmoretothisareathanwedidjustfewyearsago,”hesays.

ThethreeBalticstateshavetakenpartinNordplussince2008.BalticinstitutionsnowparticipateonanequalfootingwiththeirNordiccoun-terpartsandareeligibletoapplytoallNordplusprogrammes.

“Whenitcomestoeducation,supportforpartnershipsbetweentheNordicandBalticcountriesiswellestablished.Specifically,theNordicandBalticcountriespayequalcontributions intoNordplus,andsy- stematicevaluationsshowthatitisoneofourmostpopularprojects,”saysHøybråten.

Nordplus supports cooperation withinthefieldofeducationbetween the Nordic and Baltic countries.

→ fundsfornetworking,projectcollaborations,andexchange

→ fundsavailablefortheentirefieldofeducation,frompre-schooltohighereducationandadultlearning

→ atotalof9.6millioneuroisavailableforgrantseachyear

→ approximately600applica-tionsperyear,approximately400ofthemareapprovedforfunding

→ approximately3,000univer-sities,universitycolleges,andschoolsamongstothersparticipate in Nordplus each year.

→ approximately9,000pupils,students and teachers are eachyearonanexchangeinanother Nordic-Baltic coun-trywithsupportfromNord-plus

→ annualdeadlineforapplyingforNordplusis1stFebruary

Atwww.nordplusonline.org,youcanfindapplicationforms,applicationguides,andinfor-mationonNordplusagenciesineverycountry.

FACTS

→ DagfinnHøybråten,SecretaryGeneraloftheNordicCouncilofMinisters2013-2019Photo:JohannesJansson,Norden.org


NORDPLUSBYNUMBERS

Number of project applications in the period 2012-2018 Intheyears2012-2018,Nord-plushasreceivedatotalof4,821applications,ofwhich3,015receivedfunding.In2018,atotalof628appliedofwhich415activitieswereawardedfunding.

NumberofapplicationstoNord- plusintheperiod2012-2018-categorisedbyprogramme.

1660

1366

1757

981

821

370

368

159 215

139

HigherEducation

Applied

Tothecountry

Awarded

Outofthecountry

Junior Adult Horizontal Nordic Languages

Mobility per country in the period 2012-2016Thenumberofpupils,students,teachers,researchersamongstotherswhohaveparticipatedinmobilityactivities.

Atotalof47,259peopleparti- cipatedinmobilityactivitiesintheperiod2012-2016.Certainmobilityactivitiesarelong-termprojects,thatiswhytheperiodonlygoesto2016.Similarnum-bersareexpectedfor2017and2018.

Sweden6245

57575159

46714451

43114219

53374280

60339368

709

909

339316

576

40873840

74368361

444

7670

Lithuania

Iceland

Finland

Estonia

Norway

Latvia

Greenland

Faroe Islands

Denmark

ÅlandIslands

9Nordplusbynumbers

4804

3202

2393

858

2846

1442

1215

612

HigherEducation

Applied Awarded

Junior Adult Horizontal Nordic Languages

Funding in 1000 euro in the period 2012-2018NordplusisoneofthelargestprogrammesundertheNordicCouncilofMinisters.Approxi-mately9.5millioneuroperyearhavebeengrantedtoprojects,networks,exchange,andmobil-itywithineducationandlifelonglearning.

In2018,morethan24millioneurowereappliedfor,andatotalof9.5millioneurowereawardedinfunding.

Number of organisa-tions applying in the period 2012-2018Intheperiod2012-2018,28,001partnersappliedforfunding,and21,430wereawardedfunding.

In2018,Nordplusreceivedatotalof3,945applicationsfrompartners,and3,141wereawar- dedfunding.Incomparisonwith2008,2,223applied,and2,220partnerswereawardedfunding.

Thenumbersincludeorganisa-tionsthathaveappliedforfun-dingrepeatedlyduringthetimeperiod.

1674

4

1531

5

HigherEducation30,662 €

Junior18,747 €

Adult8,274 €

Horizontal6,987 €

NordicLanguages4,342 €

6%

10%

12%

27%

45%

→ …thatNordplussent9,014peopleonexchangeinanotherNordic/Balticcountryin2016?

→ …thatNordplushasapartnersearchdatabasewhereyoucanpresentyourproject,ideaorac-tivityandsimultaneouslysearchfor partners in other Nordic and Balticcountries?Perhapsitisyouandyourorganisationtheyarelookingfor.

DIDYOUKNOW

NORDPLUSJUNIOR

11

→ NORDPLUS JUNIOR NORDPLUSHIGHEREDUCATION NORDPLUSADULT NORDPLUSHORIZONTAL NORDPLUSNORDICLANGUAGES

Asocietyshouldbejudgedbyhowittreatsitsweakestmembers.ANordplusJuniorexchangeprogrammecalled“PromoteTolerance–Cel-ebrateDiversity”,hasbeenexploringthisidea,originallyespousedbytheEnglishsocialscientistPeterTownsend.Itisabigproject,involvingsixcolleges,sixnations-and89studentsand35teachershavebeenonexchangevisits.

OneofthecollegestakingpartisHaapsaluVocationalEducationandTrainingCentreinasmallseasidetownabout100kmwestofTal-linn,thecapitalofEstonia.Thecollegehasaround800studentsand90staffmembersandprovidestraininginsubjectsrangingfromcookery,healthandsocialservices,toofficework,constructionandIT.HeliHei-mo,theinternationalcoordinator,hasbeenworkingtherefor10yearsandseenthecollegebecomeincreasinglyinternational.Andthereisareasonforthat.

“Usually,studentsjustgotocollege,theylearnabouttheirfuturejobsanddoalotofpracticalstuffbutnotmuchelse.Theseinterna-tionalprojectsallowthemtobecreative,totalk,topracticetheircom-municationskillsandEnglish,andtoworkwithotherpeopleoftheirownage,”shesays.

Theprojectaimstoreducesocialexclusionandhelpyoungpeoplebecomemoretolerantandopentopeoplewhoaredifferent.Ithassixsub-themes,oneineachcollege/country:genderandsexuality;disabili- ty;religiousdiversity;socialstatus;raceandethnicity;andageandin-ter-generationaldialogue.

WhenitwasEstonia’sturntoactashost,itarrangedforitsNordicandBalticguests,andEstonianstudents,tovisitahomeforpeoplewithmentalhealthdisabilities.Thecollegechosetoworkwithdisability

ByJoanRask

YOUNGPEOPLECELEBRATEDIVERSITY

StudentsinvocationalcollegesintheNordicandBalticcountrieshavebeenstudyingdifferences,similaritiesandopportunitiesintermsofreligi-on,sexuality,generation,socialstatus,physical/mentalhealthdisabilitiesandethnicity.Andtheyloveit.

”Immigrantsbringnewideas,newthin-king,newskillsandnewcontacts.Thiscanbeofbenefittothelocalcommunity.”—BryanRoberts


ininclusivelocalcommunitiesbecausethetownhasaschoolforthedisabled,aswellasarehabilitationcentre.

“Ourcollegeteachesstudentswithminordisabilities–wespecialiseinit.That’swhywewantedtotakeownershipofthistopicbecauseIfeelthatwearestronginthisareaandhavesomethingtooffertherestofthenetwork,”saysHeliHeimo.

Helidescribeshowstudentsandresidentsofthehomepaintedsmallbagstogether.

“Itwasinteresting.Becausestudentswouldn’tnormallysitatthesametableaspeoplewithmentalhealthdisabilities.Itwashardforthemtocommunicatewitheachother,buteveryonewantedittoworkandhelpedtranslate,”shesays.

Afterwards,boththeEstonianstudentsandtheirNordicandBalticguestswereenthusiasticaboutthevisit.

↑ ParticipantsintheNordplusproject“PromoteTolerance-CelebrateDiversity”takingpartinaworkshopwithintellectual-lydisabledcitizensinHaapsalu,Estonia.Photo:HeliHeimo,HaapsaluVocationalEducationandTrainingCentre

13

“Ourstudentswereabitnervousatfirst,butwhentheystartedtowork,andtheresidentsstartedaskingquestions,theymanagedtocommunicate.Whenwewereleaving,theresidentswantedtocomewithusandaccompaniedusalongtheroadforquitesomedistance,”explainsHeliHeimo.

Aninternationalmindset

Theproject’sFinnishpartner,PointCollege,isinPorvoo,atownabout50kmeastofHelsinki.Thecollege,whichisalsotheco-ordinatingpart-neroftheproject,chosetofocusonraceandethnicity.Projectco-or-dinatorAnitaEglite-OsmaneisoriginallyfromLatviabuthaslivedinFinlandformostofherlife.Sheisresponsibleforapplicationsforinter-nationalprojectsatthecollege,andsheandhercolleaguesareclearlyverygoodatwhattheydobecausethecollegeisnowveryinternational.

Anitaisveryclearaboutthepositiveroleeducationplaysinthefightagainstbothexclusionandradicalisation,andthatitisimportantforstudentstoknowthattheyhavenothingtofearfromdiversity.

“Weshouldseediversityasanadvantageratherthanadisadvan-tageand,sometimes,ifsomethingcan’tbelearnedinaclassroom,thestudentsjusthavetogooutintotherealworld.Theylearnalotmoreoutthere,”shesays.

Eachyear,NordplusJuniorgrantsapprox.2.6millioneurofortrans-nationalclass,pupilandteacherexchangesaswellasnewnetworksandprojectinitiativeswithinpri-maryandsecondaryeducation.

→ TARGETGROUPPre-schools,elementaryschools,uppersecondaryschools(generalandvocational)andvocationalcollegesaswellascultureschoolsandotherorganisationsandactorswithinterestandrelevancefortheschoolsector.

→ ACTIVITIESExchangeofpupilsisforfullclas-sesorgroupsofpupilsaswellasforindividualstaysforpupilsofup-persecondaryschoolandvocation-alcolleges,includingworkplace-ments.Teacherexchangesinformofjob-swappingorjob-shadowing,studyvisitsorteachingstays.Fundingforpreparatoryvisitsaimedatthepreparationofapro-jectandanapplication.

→ PARTICIPATIONAbout200applicationsaresubmit-tedtotheprogrammeeveryyearandabout100areapprovedfor

funding.Around400schoolsandorganisationsparticipateintheprogrammeeachyearandabout4,000pupilsandteachersareonanexchangeeachyearwithsupportfromtheprogramme.

→ DEADLINEAnnualdeadline1stofFebruary,butfundingisalsoagainavailableforpreparatoryvisitsfromthe1stofOctober.

→ FUNDINGAtotalof2.6millioneuroisgrantedeachyear.

FACTSONNORDPLUSJUNIOR

“Ourcollegeteachesstudentswithminordisabilities–wespe-cialiseinit.”—HeliHeimo



BryanRobertsisheadoftheInternationalProgrammeatPointCol-legeandthecontactpersonforthestudents.Together,heandAnitalaidthefoundationsfor“PromoteTolerance–CelebrateDiversity”.

“Wefeltthatdiversityneededtobediscussed,andthatitwouldhelptheintegrationprocess–bothforourinternationalstudentsandfortheFinnishhostsociety,”Bryanpointsout.

HestressesthatthereareenormousbenefitsinlocalFinnishcom-munitiesandtheinternationalstudentsgettingtoknoweachother,andthattheprojectishelpingtofacilitateandspeedupintegration.

“Immigrantsbringnewideas,newthinking,newskillsandnewcon-tacts.Thiscanbeofbenefittothelocalcommunity.Finlandisasmallcountrywithjust5.5millionpeople,socompanieshavetothinkinter-nationally.OurinternationalstudentsbringresourcestoFinlandthathavenotbeenusedenoughinthepast,”hesays.

Thecollegeiskeenlyawarethatvaluesarenotsomethingyoulearnjustbyreadingaboutthem.AsBryanandAnitastress,it’sallaboutexperiencingthingsandbeingpartofacommunity.Newinsightsaremadewhenstudentsobservetheirteachersandpeersshowingrespectforpeopleirrespectiveofgender,raceordisability.

“Studentsareoftensurprisedathowmuchfuntheseprojectsareandhowmuchtheylearn.Itisquitebeneficialforthem–andforus.

“Weareasmallcol-lege,andmanyofourstudentsarefromruralbackgrounds.Theydon’tcomefromwealthyfamilies.Theyhaven’ttravelledbefore,andsomeofthemhavegrownupwith prejudices and preconceptions about othercountries.Wewanttobreakthatmindset.”—HeliHeimo

← ParticipantsintheNordplusproject“PromoteTolerance-CelebrateDiversity”takingpartinaworkshopwithintellectual-lydisabledcitizensinHaapsalu,Estonia.Photo:HeliHeimo,HaapsaluVocationalEducationandTrainingCentre

15

AnitaandIlistentotheseyoungpeopleofvariousages.Whentheydiscussrealproblems,theydoitinaveryadultway,andtheycomeupwithsomeincrediblesolutions,”saysBryanRoberts.

Toleranceonthecurriculum

InHaapsalu,HeliHeimohastriedtospreadthepositiveenergyarisingfromtheexchangeprogrammetotherestofthecollege,andherdreamisformorestudentstohavetheopportunitytotravel.

“Thestudentsreallylikedthisprojectandtheverydifferentnatureoftheencountersabroad.Aftereachtrip,theyhavetomakeapresen-tationtothewholecollege.Alotofstudentscomeuptomeafterthepresentationsandsaythattheywouldliketobeinvolvedintheproject,”shesays.

Fromtheoutset,itwasoneofthecornerstonesoftheprojectthatasmanypeopleaspossibleshouldbenefitfromtheenergyandaccep-tanceofdifferencesbroughtbackbythestudents–andtheirteachers.

“Forusthemostimportantprojectgoalsweretocreateaninclusiveeducationandinclusivecommunitiesandtobeabletorecogniseandappreciatedifferencesandseethevalueofdiversity–and,ofcourse,Nordicvalues,whicharegenerallyverystronginourinstitutionsaswell,”saysBryanRoberts.

HeliHeimofindsthattheexchangeprogrammeishavingalastingeffectontheyoungpeople.

“Weareasmallcollege,andmanyofourstudentsarefromruralbackgrounds.Theydon’tcomefromwealthyfamilies.Theyhaven’ttravelledbefore,andsomeofthemhavegrownupwithprejudicesandpreconceptionsaboutothercountries.Wewanttobreakthatmindset,”shesays.

TheFinnishstudentsarealsoabitshy,butBryanRobertsiscertainthatwillchange.

“Oncetheygetgoing,almostnothingwillstopthem,andthat’sac-tuallyquitenice.They’reveryhesitantatfirst,butthentheirconfidenceincreases,andwhenitdawnsonthemthattheiropinionshavevalue,thatiswhentheyreallystarttogrow,”heexplains.

ThepartnercollegesinSweden,FinlandandDenmarkhavemanystudentsfromethnicbackgroundsotherthanthetraditionalNordicones,andthisaddsafurtherdimensiontotheproject.Thesheernum-berofdifferentcountriesalsomakesitquitespecial.

“Beingalargegrouphaslotsofadvantages.Wedon’tjustseetheSwedishandFinnishviewpoints.WeseetheDanish,BalticandIcelandicviewpointsaswell.Allthesecountrieshavesimilarproblemsandthesameneedforsolutionsandunderstanding.Andthestudentsneedtoseetheopportunitiesthattheseissuespresent,”saysBryan.

→ …thatmostNordplusJuniorprojectsareschoolexchangeprojectsinwhichaclassvi-sits a class in another Nordic orBalticcountryaspartofacommonacademiccourse?

DIDYOUKNOW

→ PorvooInternationalCollegeFI-POINTCollege,Finland

→ HaapsaluVocationalEdu-cationandTrainingCentre,Estonia

→ KaraliausMindaugasvoca-tionaltrainingcentre,Lithua-nia

→ LearnmarkHorsens,Den-mark

→ NyköpingsGymnasium,Swe-den

→ TheComprehensiveCollegeinAkureyri,Iceland

PARTNERS

FINDMOREINFORMATIONINTHEHANDBOOK

www.nordplusonline.org


NORDPLUSHIGHER

EDUCATION

17

Sámi,Kvens,Inuit,Norwegians,Swedes…Almosteverybodywhoworkswitheducationorteachertraining,regularlyrunsintoproblems.TheArcticishometoarangeofcultures,andtheeducationalsystemsinNorway,Sweden,FinlandandDenmarkhavenotproperlycometotermswiththisdiversity–atleastnotyet.

“It’sfrustratingthatwehaveagenerationofSámiandKvens–toquotejusttwoexamples–whoaren’tfluentintheirownlanguages,”saysGregorMaxwell,aresearcherandlecturerattheArcticUniversityofNorwayinTromsø.

GregorMaxwellspecialisesinhowtheeducationsectorcopeswithgroupswhoareinsomewaydifferent,whetherbecauseofdisability,religion,sexualityorethnicity.InnorthernNorwayethnicity,inparticu-lar,hasaspecialdimensiontoit.

“ThewholesystemispredicatedonaNorwegianculturaloutlook,”hesays.“ButwholegenerationsofSámiwanttoholdontotheirlan-guage,cultureandidentity.”

FiveArcticuniversitiesinNorway,SwedenandFinlandareseekingtoaddresstheissue.In2015,theyformedthe“Arctic5”network.NowtheNordplusproject,“ArcticTeacherEducationforSocialJusticeandEquality”,hasledtoitsfirsttransnationalmodule,ajointonlinecourse,“ArcticInclusivePedagogyMasterStudyCourse”(10ECTS)inthefieldofteachertraining.

GregorMaxwellandresearchcolleaguesfromSwedenandFinlandareworkinghardtoprovidetheacademicandpracticalsettingforthemoduletobeofferedtomaster’sstudentsinallfiveuniversitiesin2019/20.

ByJoanRask

INNOVATIONINARCTICTEACHERTRAINING

Hugedistancesandarangeofculturalidentitiesandminoritylanguagesposeauniquesetofchal-lengesforteachertrainingandresearchintothesubjectintheArcticpartoftheNordicregion.Anew10ECTStransnationalmodulehelpsaddresstheissues–andmoreinnovationistocome!

”IfeelthatthereisaNorthNorwegianidentitythatstandsoutfromthegene-ralNorwegianone,andImeetthesamethinginFinlandandSweden.It’sthesamehistoricalandgeo-graphicalisolationbecause the North hasn’talwaysbeentreated as particular-lyvaluablebythecountryasawhole.”—GregorMaxwell

NORDPLUSJUNIOR→ NORDPLUS HIGHER EDUCATION NORDPLUSADULT NORDPLUSHORIZONTAL NORDPLUSNORDICLANGUAGES


Educationwithoutborders

Approximately600kmeastofTromsø,Vice-DeanOutiKyro-ÄmmäläandlecturerErikaSarivaaraareworkingonthesametaskattheUni-versityofLapland,Finland,whereculturalinteractionandanArcticoutlookarepartofeverydaylife.ErikaspecialisesinSámicultureandlanguage.

“WemayallbeNordiccountries,butwedon’tworktogetherwellenough.Wedon’tknowwhattheotheruniversitiesintheArcticaredoing–noteventheotherFinnishones,”shesays.

ErikatrainedinbothnorthernNorwayandFinlandandhastaughtandresearchedatuniversitiesinbothcountries.Shedrawsalargecir-cletorepresenttheentireArcticregion.Shehastouseherwholearm–becauseit’sbig.

“Wealreadyhaveabetterpictureofwhat’sgoingonintermsofinclusion,”shesays.“Now,weknowwhatLuleåUniversityisdoing,forexample.That’sprogress.Wedidn’tknowthatbeforethisproject.”

NordplusHigherEducationgrantsabout4.2millioneuroeachyeartonetworkingactivities,collabo-rations,andexchangeofstudentsandteacherswithinhighereduca-tion. → TARGETGROUPUniversitiesandotherrecognisedhighereducationinstitutions,aswellasotherorganisationsandrelevantactorsinterestedinhighereducation.

→ACTIVITIESFundingforestablishingnetworks,collaborativeprojects,andex-changeofstudents,teachers,andotheracademicstaff.

→ Exchangeofstudentscanbeintheformofeitherastudyexchangeatahighereducationinstitute or an internship at a company.

→Exchangeofteachersandotheracademicstaffcanbeintheformofteaching,tutoring,de-velopingteachingmaterials,orplacementandworkingwithprofessionallife.

→ Fundingforestablishingnet-works,collaborativeprojects,developingsharedcurricula,amongstotherdevelopmentprojects

→ PARTICIPATIONAbout225-250applyeachyear,andabout200oftheapplicationsareacceptedforfunding.Around2,300partnersparticipateintheprogrammeeveryyear,andabout4,500studentsandteachersgoonexchange. → DEADLINEAnnualdeadline1stofFebruary.

→ FUNDINGAtotalof4.2millioneuroisgrant-edeachyear,ofwhich60-70%comprisemobilityand30-40%net-worksandprojects.

FACTSABOUTNORDPLUSHIGHEREDUCATION

”WemayallbeNor-diccountries,butwedon’tworktogetherwellenough.Wedon’tknowwhattheotheruniversitiesintheArcticaredoing–noteventheotherFinnishones.”—ErikaSarivaara

19

Themanagementview

OutiKyro-ÄmmäläexplainsthatteachertrainingisgrapplingwiththesameorsimilarproblemsinalloftheArcticnations.Theyallhavemi-noritygroupswiththeirownlanguages,customsandidentities,andsomepeoplefeelthattheindigenouspeoplearehavingtheirculturessuckedoutofthembythedominantNordicones,aschismwithwhichnewlyqualifiedteachersneedtolearntocope.

“Ifinditdeeplyrewardingthatthestudentshavebeeninvolvedinthepreparationsforthenewmodule.It’salsoaboutnetworkingandtheopportunitytosharevariouskindsofknowledge,”OutiKyro-Äm-mäläsays.

TheuniversitiesofLaplandandTromsø,liketheothersinthepart-nership,haveenteredintoastrategiccollaborationondevelopment↑ Photo:YadidLevy/Norden.org



andactivitiesthatwillbenefitthewholeoftheArcticregion.GregorMaxwellseesitasastepintherightdirection.

“ArangeofchallengesareuniquetothenorthernmostpartsoftheNordicregion.It’softendifficulttofindqualifiedstaff,forexample,andthatgoesforschools,kindergartensandeventheuniversity,wherewehavetoofewapplicantsforvacantpositions,”hesays.

GregorMaxwellexplainsthattheproblemisexacerbatedbythefactthatjobsintheNordiccountriesarebecomingmorespecialisedingeneral,thantheywerejustafewyearsago,whichmakesstaffre-cruitmentmoredifficultandplacesgreaterdemandsonthestudypro-grammes.

“Thepedagogicfocususedtobeondisabilities,”hesays.“Butithasshiftedtolanguageproblemsandemotionaldifficulties.Ifwecouldincorporatethemulticulturalaspectaswell,thatwouldbereallygood.”

GregorbelievesthatnorthernNorwaywillbeanevenbetterplaceifitsschoolsanduniversitiesbecomebetteratembracingminorities.

“Itcutsbothways–it’snotjustaboutcomingupwithspecialini-tiativesforincludingminorities,”heexplains.“Knowledgeofminorityculturesneedstobeintegratedintothegeneraleducationsystemsothatallchildrenandyoungpeopleencounterit.”

”Ifinditdeeplyrewardingthatthestudentshavebeeninvolvedinthepre-parations for the newmodule.It’salsoaboutnetworkingandtheopportunitytosharevariouskindsofknowledge.”—OutiKyro-Ämmälä

↓ OutiKyrö-ÄmmäläPhoto:MarkoJunttila

21

Whatis“inclusion”?

“Howdowedefineinclusion?”OutiKyro-Ämmäläthrowsouttheques-tionandsmiles.“Wemighthavedifferentviews,butIdon’tknowyetjusthowbigthosedifferencesare,”shesays.

Workontheproject,whichwillrunfortwoyears,hasonlyjuststar-ted,withthefirstworkshopbeingheldinJune2018.Sofar,ithasn’trunintoanychallenges.

“Butweknowthatthechallengeswillcome,”saysErikaSarivaara.“Legislationisaproblem...weneedtogetittofittogether.”

About20studentsareexpectedtosignupforthefirstmodule,andOutiKyro-ÄmmäläandErikaSarivaarahopethatitwilleventuallyat-tractupto100.Buttheirambitionsdon’tstopthere.

“Wewanttoshareourideasandcreatesomethingnewtogetherwithcolleaguesfromcompletelydifferentcontexts,”saysOutiKyro-Ämmälä.

ErikaSarivaaratakesupthethread:“Participantsintheprojectarereallymotivatedandinterested.They

wanttowork,andtheyfeelthatthey’recreatingsomethingnewhere.Ithasbeenveryrewardingtobepartofthisproject.”

Virtualknowledgecentre

ErikaSarivaaragrewupinLapland,asdidOutiKyro-Ämmälä,butGre-gorMaxwellisScottish.Itwashisinterestininclusion,exclusionandthetreatmentofminoritygroupsthatbroughthimtothefarNorth,butnotuntilafterspendingseveralyearsinSweden,wherehewrotehisPhD.

“IfeelthatthereisaNorthNorwegianidentitythatstandsoutfromthegeneralNorwegianone,andImeetthesamethinginFinlandandSweden.It’sthesamehistoricalandgeographicalisolationbecausetheNorthhasn’talwaysbeentreatedasparticularlyvaluablebythecoun-tryasawhole,”hesays.

AmbitionsarehighforboththeFinnishandtheNorwegianpartsoftheproject.ThenextbigchallengewillbeajointArcticMaster’sdegree;whichmightbearealitywithinatimespanoffivetosevenyears.Gre-gorMaxwellhesitatesslightlybeforeexplaining:

“We’dliketocollaborateonresearch.Maybesettingupa‘GraduateSchoolofArcticPedagogy’orsomethinglikethat–that’sthedream20yearsdowntheline.”

Itmaysoundlikeaverydistantdream,butitisonesharedbythepartnersinLapland.

“We’redreamingofaCentreofExcellence,akindofjointresearchcentre.Wedon’tknowhowtobuildit...and,ofcourse,itwouldn’tbeaphysicalplacebutavirtualresearchcentre–butthe10ECTSmoduleisastart,”saysErikaSarivaara.

→ …thatuniversitiesandhigh-er education institutions can co-operate on joint pro-grammes,andthestudentsarestudyinginatleasttwodifferentcountries?

DIDYOUKNOW

→ UniversityofLapland,Fin-land

→ LuleåUniversityofTechnolo-gy,Sweden

→ TheArcticUniversityofNor-way,Norway

→ UmeåUniversity,Sweden→ UniversityofOulu,Finland

PARTNERS




NORDPLUSADULT

23

Playtogether,takepartinsports,bepositiveandbestrong–bothphysicallyandmentally.Itcreatesnewbondsandthestrengthtofaceuptoyoursituation.Insimpleterms,thisishowavideofeaturinganumberofyoungmenexplainsthebenefitsofplayingsports,whiletheywait.TheyarerefugeesorimmigrantswhohaveendedupinaNordiccountry.TheNordplusAdultproject“IntegrationofRefugeesthroughSport”isallaboutpeoplelikethem.

TheprojectwasinitiatedbyISCA,whichisasportsandculturalin-stitutionbasedinCopenhagenandinvolvespartnersfrommostoftheNordiccountries.ProjectmanagerMonikaRešetarhasbeenworkingonitforaboutayear.Sheissurprisedathowvitalthisprojecthasbecomeatapersonallevel.

“Beforebecominginvolvedinthiswork,IusedtojustreadaboutrefugeesinthepapersorsawnewsonTV,butwhenyousitdownwithrefugees,it’snolongerjustsomethingthat’shappeningsomewhereoutsideofoursafecountries.Itbecomesarealitywhenyoufindyour-selftalkingwithhumanbeingsjustlikeyou,face-to-face”,Monikasays.

MonikaRešetaris33yearsold,fromSlovenia,andshecametoDen-marktodoaninternshipwithISCAinCopenhagen.Thejobevolved,andMonikastayedontobecomeoneofthedrivingforcesbehindthecoordinationoftheproject.

“Iama‘makingtheworldabetterplace’kindofperson.ItmeansalottomethatIcanactuallycontributesomehowtothecause,even

ByJoanRask

”FromMondaytoThursday,Igooutwith representati-vesfromlocalsportsclubs.Theydemon-strate their respec- tivebranchesofsports,andinthiswaywetrytoteachrefugeesandimmi-grantsaboutsportsinSweden.”—PaavoVäyrynen

SPORTOPENSDOORSFORREFUGEESANDIMMIGRANTS

TheInternationalSportandCultureAssociation(ISCA),aworldwideNGO,anditsNordicpartnershavebuiltupanetworkoforganisationsandvolun-teerswhoencouragerefugeesandimmigrantstogetinvolvedinsportinthecommunity.Agreatdealofnewknowledgeisemergingfromtheirwork.

NORDPLUSJUNIOR NORDPLUSHIGHEREDUCATION→ NORDPLUS ADULT NORDPLUSHORIZONTAL NORDPLUSNORDICLANGUAGES


thoughI’mnotworkingoutinthefield.ButI’mhelpingthecauseinotherways,withmyknowledgeandexperience.Andhopefullywithin-spirationtoo,”shesays.

Sportcreatesnewcommunities

OneofthoseoutinthefieldisPaavoVäyrynen,whoworksfortheSwe-dishSportsEducationOrganisation(SISU),anotherprojectpartner.Hehasworkedwithrefugeesandimmigrantsfor17years,particularlywithsport.

“FromMondaytoThursday,Igooutwithrepresentativesfromlocalsportsclubs.Theydemonstratetheirrespectivebranchesofsports,andinthiswaywetrytoteachrefugeesandimmigrantsaboutsportsinSweden,”Paavoexplains.

ItisuptotheexistingclubstoseizetheopportunityoncePaavoVäy-rynenhasgeneratedinterest.Hisworkingdayisfilledwithsport.Hisbagisfulloffootballs,handballs,volleyballs,shuttlecocksandevery-

”Theother,lessexpe-rienced countries wereveryinterestedinseeinghowwehadsucceededingettingrefugeesintosports.”—PaavoVäyrynen

Eachyear,NordplusAdultgrants1.2millioneuroforNordic/Balticnetworking,collaborationandexchangeofadultstudentsandteacherswithinthefieldofadultlearning.

→ TARGETGROUPAlltypesofadulteducationinsti-tutionsandotherrelevantorgani-sations and associations within all partsofthefieldforadultlearning-bothgeneralandvocationaladulteducation,formaleducationaswellasnon-formalandinformaladultlearning,includingactorsofliberal education and adult teacher andguidancecounseloreducationandstudiesandanalysesofadultlearning.

→ ACTIVITIESFundingforformingofnetworks,projectinitiativesandexchangeof adult students and teachers andotherlearningresponsibles.Andfundingforpreparatoryvisitsaimedatthepreparationofapro-jectandapplications.

Exchangeofadultstudentsinadult education institutions in an-otherNordic/Balticcountryorasworkplacementincompanies.

Exchangeofadultteachersandlearningresponsiblesintermsofjob-swop,job-shadowing,studyvisitsorteachingstays,orpartici-pationincourses.

→ PARTICIPATIONAbout100applicationseachyear,approximately50aregranted.Around200institutionsandor-ganisationsparticipateeachyear,andmorethan300adultstudentsandteachersareonexchangeeachyear.

→ DEADLINEAnnualdeadlineforapplyingis1stFebruaryandforpreparatoryvisitsagain1stOctober.

→ FUNDINGAtotalof1.2millioneuroisgrant-edtoprojectseveryyear

FACTSABOUTNORDPLUSADULT

25

thingelsehecantakeoutside.Oncethere,it’sjustamatterofgettinggoingandseewhoturnsup.

“Whenwestarted,onlyafewparticipantswouldcome,butnowwecanhaveuptoseveralhundredparticipants.Theyareofallnationalities,inclu- dingSwedes.We’retryingtoreachthosewhodon’tbelongtoaclub,”hecontinues.

Itisquitesimplyamatterofawakeningtheirinterestandengagingthemindialoguesothattheybecomeawareoftheopportunitiestheyhavetojoinsportsclubs.TheplacesPaavoturnsupinarealwaysinthemostdeprivedareas,whereupto90%oftheyoungpeopleareeitherrefugees,immigrantsorchildrenofthem.

Paavoandhiscolleaguesoftenencouragethemtobringtheirpar-entsalongtolearnwhatsportsclubshavetooffer.InBorås,anaver-ageofaboutathousandchildrenandyoungpeoplecomeintocontactwithsomebodyfromSISUeverymonth,sothepotentialfortheclubsishuge.

“Theclubsarelosingmembers,soitisawayofhelpingthemtoo.Sportisalsooneofthebestwaysofintegratingpeople,”hesays.

Infact,anybodycanborrowequipmentfreeofchargefromFritids-banken,akindoflibrarywithsportequipment.Membershipfeesforsportsclubsareonlytokenamounts,sothebarriertogettingstartedisbynomeansinsurmountable.SISU’sworkhasbeensuchasuccessthatlocalauthoritiesnowpayforitfromtheirbudgets,andsomesportsclubsarenowstrugglingtocopewithalackofspacebecausedemandformembershiphasgrown.

→ Bettersportopportunitiesforrefu-gees,immigrantsandguestworkers.ThiswasthefocalpointoftheNordplusAdultproject“Integrationofrefugeesthroughsport”.Photo:ISCA.org



Nordicknowledgesharing

PaavoVäyrynenmayhaveconsiderableexperienceinthefield,butheisparticularlypleasedwiththisproject.

“Thisprojecthasgivenusagreatdeal.Itwasveryhelpfultotalktopeoplefromothercountriesaboutthiswork.Andthosethatdidnothavesomuchexperiencewereveryinterestedinseeinghowwehadsucceededingettingrefugeesintosports,”hesays.

OneofthecountriesmoreorlessstartingfromscratchwasIceland,whichhasonlyrecentlybegunworkonsportsforforeigners.It’snotaboutrefugeeshere.Icelandhasveryfewrefugees,butabout30,000areforeigners.Whenthepopulationonlyareapproximately320,000,ithasgreatimpacthowtheforeignersintegrate.

RagnheiðurSigurðardóttiristhenationalspokespersonforUMFÍ,anumbrellabodyforsportsorganisationsinthecountry.

“AccordingtotheIcelandicRedCross,childrenofnon-Icelandicori-gindon’tintegrateintosocietyaswellasIcelandicchildren.Theyhavefewerfriends,aremorelikelytobeleftoutthantheirIcelandicpeers,

”Wecanseethattheseorganisationsneedinspirationfromothercountries.The-reisalackofknow-ledge–ormaybeinsomecasesalackofinspiration.”—SaskaBenedicicTomat

↓ ParticipantsintheNordplusproject“Integrationofrefugeesthroughsport.photo:PavoVäyrynen,SISU

27

andthereisatendencyforthemtobebulliedmore.UMFÍwantstoimprovetheirwell-being,”saysRagnheiðurSigurðardóttir.

ShepointsoutthatUMFÍgainedalotofknowledgeandinforma-tionbytakingpartintheNordplusproject,andthishasimprovedtheorganisation’sabilitytosucceed.

“UntilrecentlytheissueofforeignerssportsactivitieshasnotgottheattentionitdeservesinIceland.Ihopethatthisprojectwillleadtogreaterawareness,andUMFÍcantakeactionatthegrassrootslevelinvariouslocalsportsclubs.Thatwillincludetrainingofcoaches,staffandcommitteemembers,”shesays.

Sharedonlinetool

Oneoftheproject’smaingoalswastosetupawebsitefeaturingguide-lines,goodexamples,specificideasandinputonhowtogetagroupofvolunteersupandrunningbecausetheyoftenstartcompletelyfromscratch.Thewebsiteirts.isca.dknowoffersafullsuiteofinformationandaclearlywrittenmanualonhowtogetstarted.Butdilemmasonlyarisewhentheworkactuallybegins.Meetingpeoplewithverydifferentnormsandrulesforgroupbehaviourisdifficult,andthenatthesametimedecideexactlywhichideastodeploy.

SaskaBenedicicTomatisresponsibleforcoordinatingthemanyprojectpartners,voluntaryorganisationsandprojectmanagersandforevaluationsandknowledgeacquisitionintheglobalISCAorganisation.Sheunderlinestheenormousimportanceofthelatter.

“Wecanseethattheseorganisationsneedinspirationfromothercountries.Thereisalackofknowledge–ormaybeinsomecasesalackofinspiration.Theyneedtoaskothers:Howdidyoudothat?CanyoushareyourtipsandmethodssoIcanlearnthem?AndhowdoItransferthisknowledgetomycountrysoIcanseewhatworkshere,”shesays.

SaskaTomathasworkedforISCAformorethanadecadeandbuiltupanenormousamountofknowledgeaboutsportsprojectslinkedtointegration.

“Wecanseethattheprinciplesoftransferringknowledgeactuallyworkinalmostallcountries.Itmeansthatwebringpartnerstogether,bringorganisationstogetherandwebringpeopletogetherwhowanttoknowmoreandlearnmore,”sheexplains.

ThewebsitewasdevelopedfortheNordiccountries,butISCAspreadsitsknowledgefurtherafieldandhasstartedafollow-upEU-wideprojectonrefugeeintegrationthroughsport(MOVEBeyond)thisJanuary.

“ThemessageabouttheseresultswillgoalloverEurope.Thetoolswehavedevelopedaresharedwithourmemberorganisationsandourpartners–andtheysharethemintheirhomecountriestoo,”SaskaTomatadds.

→ …thatNordplusAdultalsofundspreparatoryvisits?Itispossibletoapplyforfun-dingofmeetingswithfuturepartnerstodeveloptheproject idea and prepare an application.

DIDYOUKNOW

→ Theorganisationhas231memberorganisationsandoperatesin83countries.Itsmainobjectiveistocreateaframeworkforsportandwellbeingforall,regardlessofage,ethnicity,etc.

→ SportandCultureAssocia-tion(ISCA):www.isca-web.org

ISCA

→ InternationalSportandCul-tureAssociation,Denmark

→ AcademyofPhysicalEduca-tionOllerup,Denmark

→ AkershusIdrettskrets,Nor-way

→ TheIcelandicYouthAssocia-tion,Iceland

→ SISOVästergötland,Sweden

PARTNERS




http://isca-web.org/english/

NORDPLUSHORIZONTAL

29

Globalwarming,meltingglaciers,vastareasoftheArcticexposedastheicecapthaws….Theeffectsandwhatweknowaboutthemareeasyenoughtorhymeoff.Butnoamountoffacts,figuresanddoomsdayprophecieswillactuallysolvetheproblemsweface.

“Visually,it’sadifferentmatter.It’seasy–oratleasteasier–toshowchildrenthesethings.Whenyou’retalkingabouttheArctic,youcanshowthemexactlywhatishappening,”saysElīnaPekšēna.

ElīnaPekšēnacombinesartsandcraftswithteachingandpreventa-tiveenvironmentalworkinheractivitiesasaself-employedcraftswo- manandasaprojectworkerattheEnvironmentalEducationCentreinRiga,thecapitalofLatvia.Thecentreisoneofthe12NordicandBalticpartnersintheNordplusproject“CreativeEnvironmentalEducation”,whichusesinnovativemethodstoengageandempowerschoolpupilsaged6–15andheightentheirawarenessofenvironmentalissuesandsustainability.AllarepartnersintheCreativeEnvironmentalEducationNetwork(CEENetwork).

“GettingtocommunicatewithpeoplefromGreenlandisreallyinte- restingandusefultome,”explainsElīnaPekšēna.“Theysaywhattheyhavetosayinaveryauthenticmanner.Welookatpicturesandseetheircultureanddances.ThechildrenandIaredevelopinganemotionalbondwiththeirpartoftheworld,whereglobalwarmingismakingsuchanimpact.”

Artasatool

Artsandcraftsdon’tusuallyappearinthesamesentenceasclimatechange,butElīnaPekšēnahasafootinbothcamps.Shehasabachelorinarts,amaster’sinenvironmentalscience,andhasbeenworkingin

ByJoanRask

CLIMATECHANGEONTHECURRICULUM

Climatechangeisperhapsthemostchallenginglegacythatcurrentgenerationswillleavetoourchildren.AnetworkofNordicandBalticcolle-ges,schoolsandNGOsissharingideasaboutteachingchildrenandencouragingthemtoinno-vatesothat–hopefully–theywillbebetteratlookingaftertheplanet.

”Icombineenviron-mentalthemeswithartsandcrafts,andIliketousetheword‘upcycling’becauseitmeansthatwearetakingoldthingsandmakingsomethingnewfromthem.Wekindofupgradethem.”—ElīnaPekšēna

NORDPLUSJUNIOR NORDPLUSHIGHEREDUCATION NORDPLUSADULT→ NORDPLUS HORIZONTAL NORDPLUSNORDICLANGUAGES


after-schoolclubsforthepastsixyears,teachingchildrenaboutenvi-ronmentalissuesthroughartsandcrafts.

“Isoonrealisedthatjusttalkingaboutissuesisn’talwaysveryef-fective.Ifyoureallywanttotalkaboutclimatechange,youhavetoshowkidsthattheenvironmentissomethingthatisallaroundus-youtouchit,youinfluenceit,andyouchangeit,andviceversa.Ifyoucan’tfeelit,thenit’sdifficulttounderstand,especiallyforchildrenandyoungpeople,”sheexplains.

ForElīnaPekšēnaitwasjustamatterofseizingtheopportunitywhenitcamealong.In2016,Nordplushostedaseminarthatcreatedtheframeworkforbringingtogethermostofthepartnersnowinvolvedintheproject.RepresentativesattendedfromIceland,Denmark,Green-land,NorthernNorwayandLatvia–andshewasoneofthem.

Nordic,Baltic+abitAmerican

TheoriginaldrivingforcebehindtheideaisactuallyanAmerican,Da-vidYoken,whohaslivedmostofhisadultlifeinFinlandandiscur-rentlySeniorMusicLecturerattheFacultyofPerformingArtsatthe

↑ Collagecreatedfromrecycledma-terials when the partners in the Nordplus project“CreativeEnvironmentalEduca-tion”metinGreenland.Photo:DavidYoken,TurkuUniversityofAppliedSciences

31

TurkuUniversityofAppliedSciencesinTurku,amedium-sizedcityinthesouth-eastofthecountry.

DavidYokenistheprojectcoordinator.Heishighlyconsciousofthenatureofhisroleandknowsthatitisuptotheteachersinschoolsandstudentsinhighereducationtodeveloptheprojectalongwiththechildren.ThefirstphysicalmeetingofthenetworkwasheldinFinlandinspring2018,andDavidYokenhasbeendeeplyimpressedbythecre-ativityandqualityondisplayrightfromthestart.

“ItwasincrediblewhenwesawtheworkfromLatvia–itwaslike‘wow’!Everyonewassodeeplytakenbytheworkshop,andwhenallthepartnerswentouttovisitthelocalTurkucityschool,theyweresoimpressedabouttheconcreteeffectoftheco-design,”hesays.

Wow-factorsinreallife

Oneofthose“wow-factors”attheworkshopwasdowntoElīnaPekšē-na–eventhoughallshedidwaspresentthekindofworkthatshedoeswithLatvianchildreneveryday.

“IfIamtalkingtothechildrenaboutplastic,thenwemakesome-thingwithit.Icombineenvironmentalthemeswithartsandcrafts,andIliketousetheword‘upcycling’becauseitmeansthatwearetakingoldthingsandmakingsomethingnewfromthem.Wekindofupgradethem,”sheexplains.

NordplusHorizontalgrantsabout1millioneuroinfundingeachyeartoinnovativeprojectsandnetworkactivitiesthatcutacrosstraditio- nal school- and educational sectors intheNorthandtheBalticstates.

→ TARGETGROUPAllinstitutionsandorganisationsworkingwitheducationandlife-longlearning.Theprojectsmightalsoinvolvepartnersnotdirectlyinvolvedineducation.

→ ACTIVITIESFundingisavailableforawiderangeofactivitiesandareas,aslongastheseinvolveatleasttwodifferentsectorsandincludepar-ticipantsfromaminimumofthreecountries.Anexampleofsuchcouldbe education and professional life,entrepreneurship,integration,democracyandactivecitizenship,inclusionofmarginalisedgroups,digitalisation,furthereducation,health,fitness,artandculture,sustainability,andthedevelopmentofnewteachingmethods.

→ PARTICIPATIONAbout45coordinatorsapplytotheprogrammeNordplusHorizontaleveryyear,andabout.20oftheapplications are accepted and re-ceivefunding.Approximately150schools,organisations,andcompa-niesparticipateintheprogrammeeachyear. → DEADLINEAnnualdeadline1stofFebruary.

→ FUNDINGAtotalof1millioneuroisgrantedtoprojectseveryyear.

FACTSABOUTNORDPLUSHORIZONTAL

”Theartscombinedwithinformeden-vironmentalscien-cecantrulyengagestudentsinavisceralsensesotheytrulyunderstandandtakeproactiveactionstowardsglobalwar-ming.”—DavidYoken



ElīnaPekšēnaruesthefactthatLatviadoesn’thaveadepositandreturnsystemforbottles,liketheonesintheNordiccountries.Butthatonlyfuelsherdrivetodosomethingaboutthebottleproblem.

“Iteachthechildrentomakepracticalthings,likeself-wateringpotsfromplasticbottles,butalsobeautifulthings–jewellery,brace-lets,necklaces.Youcanevenmakeacrownwithallsortsofnice,brightplasticthings,”saysElīnaPekšēna,whogesticulatesexcitedlyassheexplainsallthepossibilities.

Sheasksthechildrendirectquestions:“Howlongdoyoureallyex-pectthosecheapearringsthatyouboughttolast?”“Youdon’talwayshavetobuynewthings.Whydon’tyoureusethingsandsavemoneyandresources?”Thisprovidesanopeningtotalktothemaboutenvi-ronmentalimpactandtoreusethingsthattheywouldnormallythrowaway.

ElīnaPekšēnawasintroducedtoevenmorepossibilitieswhenshewasinFinland.

“Theotherteachersandspeakersdeeplyenrichedmyunderstan- ding,”shesays.“IreallyhopethatIcanimplementsomeoftheideasthatIlearnedaboutinFinland.Manyofthemwouldn’tcostmuch.IalsodiscoveredteachingmaterialsthatIhadn’tbeenawareof.Ihopethenetworkwillcontinue.Ifinditreallypositive.”

↓ PartnersintheNordplusproject“Cre-ativeEnvironmentalEducation”,meetingintheautumnof2018,Greenland.Photo:DavidYoken,TurkuUniversityofAppliedSciences

”Ihopethenetworkwillcontinue.Ifinditreallypositive.”—ElīnaPekšēna

33

Thecarbonfootprintproblem

Thenetworkrarelyholdsphysicalmeetingsduringtheprojectperiod.Whenitdoes,themembershavetothinkaboutanddiscusswhetherflyingisokay–it’sdefinitelynotanenvironmentallyfriendlywaytotravelafterall.

“It’sachallenge,andwereallyhavetothinkaboutit,”saysDavidYoken.“Wetrytoworkremotelyasmuchaspossiblebuthavetocometogetheronceayear.WhenwemetinGreenland,ofcourse,thatin-creasedourcarbonfootprint.”

Thisisoneofthereasonswhyvirtualsolutionsaresovaluable–onlinemeetingsandwebplatformsforsharingmaterials,discussingissuesandhelpingeachother.OneimportantobjectiveoftheprojectistomakemethodsandtoolsavailabletoteachersinschoolsthroughouttheNordicandBalticregions.Differencesinlanguagesalwaysposeachallenge,ofcourse,buttestsarebeingrunwithGoogleVoicethreadandmuchofthecommunicationtakesplaceviavideoandgraphicele-ments.

“Wehaveasecureplatformonthewebsite,wherewehopethatthepartnerswilluploadmaterials,andpupilswillengageactivelyindigitalinformationexchange,”Davidexplains.

Schoolsaretheaxis

ElīnaPekšēnahasalistofallschoolsinLatvia.Shewritestothemof-feringassistanceandintroducingthenewwebsite.DavidYokenisoftenaccompanyinghisArtsAcademystudentstotheschoolswheretheyareteachingtheenvironmentalartsworkshopstotheprimaryschoolpupils.

“Butourstudentsaredoingtheteaching…Iamobservingandha- vingimportantdialoguewithourstudents,aswellastheclassroomteacher,”hesays.

Infact,partoftheteacher-trainingcurriculumconsistsofplace-mentsinschools.OneofthemostimportantonesisPääskvyuoriPri-marySchool.

“Withouttheschool’sinterest,supportandtheopportunityforustoworkwiththepupils,itwouldhavebeenimpossibletoevenhavethisCEENetwork.Finnishprimaryschoolsareingeneralextremelyim-portantpartnersforus–andtheyjustwelcomedtheprojectwithopenarms.Ithasbeenreallyfantastic,”hesays.

Davidisconvincedofart’spotentialtoenhanceunderstandingofclimatechanges.

“Theartscombinedwithinformedenvironmentalsciencecantrulyengagestudentsinavisceralsense,sotheytrulyunderstandandtakeproactiveactionstowardsglobalwarming”.

→ …thatuppersecondaryschools,folkhighschools,anduniversitiescancollaborateacross sectors and subjects inNordplusHorizontal?Thatmeansaprojectcouldin-cludepartnersfromvariousindustriesifthey,forexam-ple,canofferexpertknow-ledgeorknowledgeaboutthe educational needs of the labourmarket?

DIDYOUKNOW

→ TurkuUniversityofAppliedSciences,Finland

→ Sabro-Korsvejskolen,Den-mark

→ DanishAssociationofMan-agersandExecutives,Den-mark

→ Garðaskóli,Iceland→ KangillinnguitSchool,Green-

land → NuukInternationaleFriskole,

Greenland→ RezekneMunicipality,Latvia→ SámiUniversityCollege,Nor-

way→ TheDanishNationalSchool

ofPerformingArts,Denmark→ TheEnvironmentalEduca-

tionCentreinRiga,Latvia→ PääskyvuorenElementary

School,Finland→ UniversityofGreenland,

Greenland

PARTNERSINTHECEE-NETWORK




NORDPLUSNORDIC

LANGUAGES

35

Frasar.net,alanguage-learningtoolforIcelanders,wasoneofthemostvisitedwebsitesattheUniversityofIcelandwhenitwasfirstlaunched.ProfessorofDanish,AuðurHauksdóttir,hasbeeninvolvedinthedeve- lopmentandimplementationprocessfromthebeginning.

“Language-learningtoolsdothingsdictionariescan’t–whetherthedictionaryisaphysicaloradigitalcopy,itisorganisedfromAtoZ,andwhenyouarelearningtospeakalanguage,youcan’talwayslookupaword,”saysAuðurHauksdóttir.

Frasar.nethasawiderangeofusers,includinggovernmentmini-stries,interestedindividualsaswellascompaniesandtheirboards.Thewebsiteprovidesdetailed,concretedescriptionsofhowaphraseisused,whatitmeansinIcelandic,andthecontextsinwhichitisused.

“Unlikeordinarydictionaries,frasar.netalsocontainsthepronunci-ation,”saysAuðurHauksdóttirandexplainsthatmuchofspokenlan-guagediffersfromthewrittenlanguageduetotheenormousinflu-enceofparticularphrasesandidiomsontheunderstandingofspokenlanguage.ShecitestheexampleoftheDanishidiom:“Hængligepå”(Hangon).

“EvenifIhadalifetimetoguesswhatitmeansandtothinkaboutit,Iprobablystillwouldn’tbeabletofigureitout,”saysthelinguist.

AuðurHauksdóttirhasworkedwithDanishallherlifeandwasHeadoftheVigdísFinnbogadóttirInstituteofForeignLanguagesattheUni-versityofIcelanduntilafewmonthsago.Itisabout15yearssinceshebegansystematicallycollectingphrasesinDanish.

Idiomscanbedifficulttolearnbecausetheydonotnecessarilymakeimmediatesensetonon-nativespeakers.“Hængligepå”isaprimeexam-

ByJoanRask

LANGUAGETECHNOLOGYCHANGESLANGUAGETEACHING

Language-learningtoolsonwebsitesand smartphonesarehelpingIcelandic,FaroeseandGreenlandicchildrentolearnDanish.Thetoolshavealsoopenedtheeyesoflinguiststojusthowgreatthelinguisticandculturaldifferencesarebetweenthethreecountries.

“Wehavebuiltawealthofknowledgeonhowtodevelopdigitallanguagelear-ningtoolssoitwouldberelativelyeasytotransfer this to other languages.SomanypeoplearelearningDanishafterall!”— AuðurHauksdóttir

NORDPLUSJUNIOR NORDPLUSHIGHEREDUCATION NORDPLUSADULT NORDPLUSHORIZONTAL→ NORDPLUS NORDIC LANGUAGES


ple.Literally,itmeans“justhangon”,butitisusedduringphonecallsinsteadofsaying:“Waitaminute,I’llberightback”.Thephraseharksbacktothedayswhenthepersonontheotherendofthelinewouldaskyounottohangupthereceiverwhiletheydidsomethingelse.Fewphoneshaveareceiveroraplacetohangoneanymoresotheidiommakesabsolutelynosense,butitisstillusedallthetimeinDanish.

“It’scompletelynormalthatalanguageisfullofidioms.It’sthesameinIcelandic,butthespecialthingaboutFaroese,IcelandicandDanishishowincrediblysimilarthelanguagesare.Theycomefromthesamelanguagefamily,anditseemsobvioustothinkaboutlanguageteachingforallthreeinthesamevein,”saystheprofessor.

In2016,forexample,theworkwithfrasar.netledtoajointdeve- lopmentprojectbetweentheUniversityoftheFaroeIslandsandtheGreenlandicMinistryofCulture,Education,ResearchandReligions,which resulted inthewebsite “taleboblen.dk”andtheapp“Tale-boblen”.TheseprojectsarefundedbyNordplusandthemostrecentone,“Sproghjælpismarttelefoner”(LanguageHelponSmartphones),wassupportedbyNordplusNordicLanguagesin2016.TeachersinDa- nishandpupilsfromallthreecountrieswereinvolvedinthedevelop-mentandtestingprocess.

”EvenifIhadalifeti-metoguesswhatitmeansandtothinkaboutit,Iprobablystillwouldn’tbeabletofigureitout.”—AuðurHauksdóttir

Eachyear,NordplusNordicLan-guagesgrants635,000euroinfundingtoinitiativesstrengtheningtheknowledgeoftheNordiclan-guages,whichareDanish,Finnish,Faroese,Greenlandic,Icelandic,Norwegian,Sami,SwedishandNordicsignlanguage.

→ TARGETGROUP Allactorswithineducationandotherrelevantactors,includinglanguageteachingforimmigrantsorrefugeesintheNordic/Balticregion.

→ ACTIVITIESFundingisavailableforprojects,networks,andactivitiesthataimtoimprovechildrenandyoung

people’slanguagecomprehensionofNordiclanguages(primarilyDanish,Norwegian,andSwedish),aswellasdevelopingmaterials,methods,andstrategiesforim-provinglanguagecomprehensionoftheNordiclanguagesatalleducationallevels.Forexample,itcouldbemethodsforteachingthelanguagesofneighbouringcoun-tries,developingcurricula,generalinformationwork,conferences,courses,publications,languagetechnologyprojects,learningtools,andteachingmaterials.

Moreover,fundingisalsoavail-ableforpreparatoryvisitswiththegoalsofpreparingfuturecollabo-rationsandpreparinganapplica-tion.

→ PARTICIPATIONAbout35coordinatorsapplytoNordplusNordicLanguageseachyear,andabout20oftheappli-cationsareacceptedandreceivefunding.Approximately85schoolsandorganisationsparticipateeve-ryyear.

→ DEADLINE Annualdeadline1stofFebruary,butfundingisalsoagainavailableforpreparatoryvisitsfromthe1stofOctober.

→ FUNDINGAtotalof635,000euroisgrantedtoprojectseveryyear.

FACTSABOUTNORDPLUSNORDICLANGUAGES

37

Speakandlisten

The“Taleboblen”websiteandappbothbuildonwhathasbeenlearnedfromfrasar.netandtheFrasarapp.Bothcontainmanyofthesameidioms,buttheyalsooffernewfunctions–totheextentthatthequali- tyofthelanguage-learningtoolshasbeenmuchimprovedintermsofqualityandfunctionality.

MargrétKarlsdóttir,aDanishlanguageteacheratHvaleyrarskóliinthetownofHafnarfjördur,isoneofthepeopleinvolvedintesting“Taleboblen”and“Talebob”inclassroomsinIceland.

“It’sgoodthatthepupilscanpracticeconversationwhentheyuse“Talebob”and“Taleboblen”.Itworksreallywell,”saysMargrétKarlsdóttir.

Thepupilshearthecorrectpronunciation,hearthemselvessaysen-tencesoutloud,recordtheiranswersandgetdirectfeedbackontheirsentences.Theycankeeppracticingtheirpronunciationandintonationuntiltheyhavelearnedtosaythesentencecorrectly.

MargrétKarlsdóttirreiteratesthatappsforsmartphonesandiPadsareagoodidea.

“It’seasyandeffortlesstogetstarted.Thepupilsallhavesmart-phones,andmanyschoolsprovidethemwithiPadsaslearningtools.It’sgoodthatadigitalsolutionhasbeendevelopedratherthanonlyusingbooksinlanguageteaching,”sheexplains.

↑ “Languagesupportinsmartphones”issupportedbyNordplusNordicLanguages.TeachersofDanishandpupilsfromIceland,GreenlandandtheFaroeIslandshavebeeninvolvedinthedevelopmentandtestingoftheapp.Photo:Unsplash



BigdifferencesaroundtheWestNordicRegion

Thedevelopmentoftheappdidnotproceedasexpectedbecauseoftheverydifferentlearningenvironmentsinthedifferentcountries.

“Ithasreallysurprisedmethat–eventhoughtheFaroeseandIce-landiclanguagesaresosimilar,especiallythewrittenlanguage–thechildren’slearningsituationsareverydifferent,”saysAuðurHauksdóttir.

Infact,FaroesechildrenlearnDanishatalmostthesametimetheylearnFaroese.OneverytangiblereasonforthisisthatDanishTVshowsandfilmsarenotalwayssubtitledinFaroese,sothechildrenhavetolearnDanishtounderstandthem.However,thereisanothercrucialdif-ference.

“ChildrenandteenagersfromtheFaroeIslandsoftenhaveahardtimeworkingouthowmanytimesthey’vebeentoDenmarkbecausetheyhavebeentherealot,andsomeofthemhavefamilythere.It’snotatalllikethatinIceland,wherechildrenmayhavebeentoDenmarkacoupleoftimesatmost,andsomehaveneverbeen,”saysAuður.

ItvariesgreatlyhowoftenthechildrenhearDanish.GreenlandicandFaroesechildrenhearitalotmoreintheireverydaylivesthanIcelandicchildren,whoonlybeginstudyingDanishinschoolwhentheyare12–13yearsold.

“TheGreenlandicchildrenwhotested“Talebob”thoughtitwastooeasy.TheywereallfromNuuk,andIhaveoftenwonderedhowthere-sultswouldhaveturnedoutifwehadgonetocommunitiesoutbythecoast,”Auðursays.

”Ithasreallysurpri-sedmethat–eventhoughtheFaroeseandIcelandiclangu-agesaresosimilar,especiallythewrittenlanguage–thechil-dren’slearningsitu-ationsareverydiffe-rent.”—AuðurHauksdóttir

↓ Languagesupportinsmartphonessecuresthatthetoolisavailablewhenthepupilsneedit.Photo:Unsplash

39

Newknowledge,availabletoeveryone

AuðurHauksdóttir ismorethanhappywiththeresultstheyhaveachieved.Bothfrasar.netandtaleboblen.dkareavailabletoeveryone,andschoolsinIceland,GreenlandandtheFaroeIslandscanusethemfreeofcharge.Theprojecthasmadegreatacademicimpactandtheambitionnowistotakeitfurther–Auðurdreamsaboutaddingmorefunctionsandevenmorelanguages,phrasesandsituations.

“Wenowknowfarmoreabouttheissuesinvolvedindevelopingdi- gitallanguage-learningtoolsandwhattodoaboutthem.Wenowhaveinterdisciplinaryknowledge,whichcouldn’thavebeenachievedbefore.Thathashappenedthroughtheprojects–frasar.net,taleboblen.dk,andtheappsbasedonthem.Everythingisopensource,it’savailabletoanyonewhowantstobuildonourwork.”sheaddsthoughtfully.

Theprojectisnowcompleted,butAuðurHauksdóttirhopesthe“Taleboblen”appwillcontinuetobedevelopedandwillpavethewayforfutureapplicationsandimprovements.

“IthinkwehavethelargestcollectionofDanishphrases,”sheex-plains.“Wehavebuiltupawealthofknowledgeonhowtodevelopdigitallanguage-learningtools–itwouldberelativelyeasytotransferthistootherlanguages.SomanypeoplearelearningDanishafterall!”

Theprofessorknowsthatthelanguage-learningtoolsalreadybene-fitlanguageteachinginthesmallnano-communitiesintheWestNordicregion,andshehopesthatonedayperhapstheywillbedevelopedfortheotherNordiclanguages.

“Idon’tthinktherearemanyNordicuniversitiesthatareasad-vancedinthisareaasweare,”shesays,“butIwouldlovetogetintouchwithanybodywhoisworkingonthis–nomatterhowadvancedastagetheyareat.Thepotentialishuge,andIverymuchhopeotherpeoplewouldwanttoworkwithusandtaketheprojectfurther.”

Multipleinnovativeideasarealreadyattheplanningstage.TheVig-dísFinnbogadóttirInstitute,forexample,isdevelopinganentertainingandengagingvideogameinwhichpupilssolvetasksandmakeprogresswhilelearningDanish.However,digitaldevelopmentandexperimentsareexpensiveintermsofresources.

“Togetherwithexpertsinlanguagetechnology,wehaveshownthatit’spossibletodevelopdigitallearningtoolsbasedonplay.TheNord-plusprojecthasmadeanincrediblyvaluablecontributionandmadeitpossibletomoveelementsoflanguageteachingfromoldbookstonewdigitalmedia,”saysAuðurHauksdóttir.

→ …thatNordplusNordicLan-guagesalsofundsprojectsin the Baltic countries that increaseunderstandingandknowledgeoftheNordiclan-guages?

DIDYOUKNOW

→ VigdisFinnbogadóttirInsti-tuteofForeignLanguages,Iceland

→ CopenhagenBusinessSchool,Denmark

→ TheMinistryofEducation,Culture,ChurchandForeignAffairs,Greenland

→ UniversityoftheFaroeIs-land,FaroeIslands

PARTNERS




Photo:DavidYoken,TurkuUniversityofAppliedSciences

Nordplus

Through the Nordplus programme, the Nordic Council of Ministers supports collaboration and exchange between education institutions and other actors across the Nordic and Baltic countries.

Every year, more than 3,000 institutions participate in Nordplus, and approximately 9,000 pupils, students and teachers go on exchange visits to another Nordic or Baltic country with Nordplus.

In 2018, Nordplus celebrated its 30-year anniversary and 10 years with Baltic participation. Also in 2018, a new five-year programme period was commenced, which ensures future collaborations and supports the close ties between the Nordic and Baltic countries. We mark this with a number of articles which close in on the experiences and benefits from projects and general information on Nordplus and some key figures from the period 2012–2018.

NordplusStyrelsen for Forskning og Uddannelse - SFUBredgade 40DK-1260 København Kwww.ufm.dk/nordplus

Documents

Nordplus - DiVA portalnorden.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1316121/FULLTEXT01.pdf · A decade of Baltic co-operation Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have been equal partners in Nordplus