Defining general and subject specific language competences for mainstream education

1. Defining general and subject specific language competences for mainstream education The Norwegian Framework for Basic Skills Jorunn Berntzen, Strasbourg, 27th September 2012

2. Background • National and international studies in the early 2000s revealed need to strengthen literacy and numeracy skills. • Parliamentary decision that the five basic skills of reading, writing, oral skills, numeracy and digital skills be integrated in subject-specific curricula in the 2006 reform of compulsory and secondary education • All subject-specific curricula from 2006 designed with competence aims integrating the five basic skills into the subject.

3. Curriculum revision • Need for revision of the 2006 National Subject-SpecificCurriculawith a specialfocusonthebasic skills • 2010: Task delegated to theNorwegianDirectorate for Education and Training • First task: to develop a genericframeworkdefiningthefivebasic skills as a referencedocument for developing and revisingthe National Subject-SpecificCurricula.

4. Framework and Subject-Specific Curricula • Framework for Basic Skills approved by the Ministry of Education and Research in January 2012 • A tool for subject curricula groups appointed by the directorate to develop and revise National Subject-Curricula • Revised National Subject-Curricula to be approved by the Norwegian Ministry of Education June 2013.

5. The Norwegian Framework for Basic Skills Ragnhild Falch, The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training

6. Our work creating the Framework • Working processes • The structure of the Framework • The greatest challenges • Experiences so far Supplemental information

7. In 2010 the Directorate for Education and Training was delegated the task to develop a generic framework defining the five basic skills as a reference document for developing and revising the National Subject-Specific Curricula

8. What are the objectives and who are the target groups? The framework's objectives • to be a tool for integrating the basic skills into the revised curricula • to be a tool for clarifying and ensuring common progression in basic skills within the curricula • to be a means of promoting a common understanding on how to define the basic skills Target groups • the subject curricula groups that are formed to revise the curricula • the educational authorities themselves • teacher education as the basis for professional competence enhancement

9. Who participated in the work? Professionals from state educational authorities and external experts • The Basic Skills Groups (GRF-gruppene) • In-house staff and external experts with research experience in each of the five basic skills. • Response groups • external experts from the field of educational research for each skill. • Groups working with curriculum revision • Using the framework as the basis for revising curricula and providing feedback on the content of the framework

10. How is the Framework for Basic Skills structured? • Introduction • The Framework for Basic Skills • The description of the basic skills in the National Curriculum • The description of the Framework for Basic Skills • The description of how the Framework is to be used 2.1 Digital literacy 2.2 Oral skills (…) 2.5 Being able to write

11. 2.5 Being able to write What is writing? Writing involves expressing oneself understandably and appropriately about different topics and communicating in the written mode. (…) Skills sub-categories for being able to write: Plan involves (…) Construct involves (…) Communicate involves (…) Reflect and assess involves (…) How is writing skill developed? Basic writing instruction involves developing orthography, a functional handwriting and use of keyboard, in addition to planning and writing simple, clear texts for different (…)

12. The Grid for writing as a basic skill

13. The Grid for writing as a basic skill- How is the framework to be used in the curricula?

14. An example of how the basic skills have been integrated into the competence aims

15. The Grid for reading as a basic skill- How is the framework to be used in the curricula?

16. The reading skill integrated into competence aims Norwegian – competence aims after 2nd year (age 7) Students can - Use their own knowledge and experience to understand and comment on text content - Read simple paper- and screen based texts with coherence and understanding Social science – competence aim after 10th year (age 15) Students can Find examples of historic events which have contributed to shaping Norwegian society today, and reflect on how society might have developed if these events had not taken place.

17. What were the greatest challenges when working on the framework? • Language- how advanced or detailed? • Not subject specific • Learning in a subject vs. learning basic reading and writing • A common approach to the terms in the sub-categories

18. What are the experiences so far? The subject curricula groups say that the Framework shows a high level of quality in terms of • content • finding a balance between all the skills • language • level of detail • contributes to a common understanding of the basic skills

19. Supplemental Information • The Norwegian Framework for Basic Skills • Note about our work with the framework • examples of other frameworks • discussions and assessments • Hand-out - this presentation