Subject Renewal and CEFR Kim Buxton

Background Curriculum for English (common core subject) Curriculum for Foreign Languages Current curricula implemented 2006 English curriculum partially renewed 2013 Also separate curricula for English as a program subject in grades 12 and 13.

41 foreign languages, one curriculum for all Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Bosnian, Cantonese, Chinese, Dari, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Hindi, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Kurdish (Sorani), Latvian, Lithuanian, Lule Sami, Modern Hebrew, Northern Sami, Oromo, Pashto, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Pilipino, Russian, Sign Language (Norwegian), Somali, Southern Sami, Spanish, Tamil, Thai, Tigrinya, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese Schools can decided which foreign languages they offer. Secondary schools must offer one of French, German, Spanish or Russian, and can in addition offer other languages – also languages which are not on this list. Examination in grade 10 is oral and therefore not dependent on a written examination from us. Green = languages which are currently taught in upper secondary schools Blue = languages which have previously been taught in upper secondary schools and which are still offered but not every year

Subject Renewal Outlined in a Government White Paper from 2016 Applies initially to all subjects which start in lower secondary and continue into upper secondary Renew the curricula and make them more relevant for the future Subjects will have more relevant content, clearer priorities and the connection between all subjects will be clearer

Core Elements will be approved and estabished by the Ministry of Process Started 2017 Core Elements will be approved and estabished by the Ministry of Education mid 2018 Open process from day 1 Work on the new curricula commences after mid-2018 Ready for trial in schools 2019 New curricula will be ready for the school year 2020-2021 Core elements – the most important things in a subject – a way of prioritising We will develop guidance and support resources in cooperation with schools and those working with curricula daily. We have already started work to investigate in what areas schools need support in their work with curricula.

Keep today’s subjects, but renew the content for the future The New Curricula Aim: strengthen the development of the students' in-depth learning and understanding. Keep today’s subjects, but renew the content for the future Core values should be highlighted in the curricula Interdisciplinary themes: democracy and citizenship sustainable development public health and food. Critical thinking and reflection Learning to learn (strategies) in all subjects Practical and aesthetic subjects will be strengthened The Five Basic Skills Core values = verdigrunnlaget The new core curriculum clearly establishes the importance of school's broad mission to teach and develop our children. School's comprehensive responsibility for developing the social competence of the pupils is clearer, and the section dealing with learning strategies and other conditions for learning has also been made clearer. The core curriculum establishes beyond any doubt that the objectives connected to school’s broad mandate are important. As opposed to the subject competence objectives, these are not objectives that address the individual pupil. The new core curriculum is linked more closely with the subject curricula and describes elements the subjects have in common, such as interdisciplinary themes and basic skills. This should facilitate the teachers' work with and cooperation on teaching. Critical thinking and reflection will be an important part of what the students will learn in school Basic Skills: oral. reading, writing, digital skills, numeracy – these will find a more natural place in some curricula than others. In the compulsory and secondary education reform of 2006 five skills were defined as basic to learning in school, work and social life. These skills are basic in the sense that they are fundamental to learning in all subjects as well as a prerequisite for the pupil to show his/her competence and qualifications. From the 2006 reform all subject-specific curricula describe how the five basic skills contribute to developing the pupils` competence and qualifications and how these skills are integrated into the subject. Each subject curriculum integrates competence aims, basic skills and subject content. The skills are consequently expressed in different manners and to a varying degree in the different curricula, depending on the relevance of different skills aspects for the subject in question.

Where does CEFR come in? Some traces of CEFR in current curricula What level are students actually at after completion of courses/exams? Student mobility increasingly important Need a more transparent system regarding linguistic competency Investigate possibilty of relating and aligning English and Foreign Languages curricula to CEFR Where in the curricula can CEFR be visible? The curricula have some traces of CEFR, but it is difficult to say for certain what level students attain after having competed the courses and/or take the exams. By exploring the potential of relating and aligning our curricula to CEFR, we hope to make the pricess of student mobility easier. We also aim to clarify for others outside Norways what level students on the various courses achieve. A more transparent system linked to an international attainment scale will make it easier for students to assess their eligibality both to study and/or work outside of Norway with regards to linguistic competency. A more transversal approach? One of the ideas is to create a meta-perspective to language learning, with skills transversing the curricula for Norwegian, English and Foreign Languages. Wher ein the curricula and how this can be done is open to debate.

1st Draft – Core Elements in Foreign Languages Communication: we learn foreign languages to be able to understand and be understood by using our linguistic/language knowledge creatively from the start Language learning: When we learn foreign languages, we investigate and use different strategies Awareness of Plurolingualism: When we “investigate” new languages, we develop an awareness of the languages’ properties, we discover similarities and differences with other languages and learn how we can use this competence in our further language learning Intercultural Competence: When we learn about other languages and cultures, we gain an insight into and new perspective on our own position in the world around us A Digital Future for Foreign Languages: We can use digital aids creatively and critically to learn languages, to communicate and to understand 1st draft was published after the committees second meeting. An electronic system allowed schools, teachers and other interested parties to comment on the draft and give their suggestions for adjustments and changes. A total of 1000 individuals commented on core elements in 14 different subjects., 47 of them directly related to the Foreign Language curriculum.