Ministerium für Bildung - Schleswig

The Ministry of Education
and Women’s Issues
of Land Schleswig-Holstein
A successful start
Integrative language development concept in Schleswig-Holstein
Speech capabilities are decisive
for success at school and employment opportunities,
for career
possibilities and for active
participation in social life.
Today, we know that the
most favourable "window of time" for
learning language occurs long before
starting school. Besides the family,
daycare facilities have a
central task:
the better the development of language
at the elementary level,
the better the preconditions
for successful
co-operation at school.
Supporting language supports development.
It concerns all children;
the main points are certainly
different:
- Children, whose language proficiencies
develop with age,
require stimulation for their
further development.
- Children who have problems with speech
and, for example,
are not used to forming
sentences need to do
targeted exercises.
- Children with migratory backgrounds
need support with natural acquisition of their
second language.
- Children with speech disorders
must be supported at the development centres
by teachers who have
undergone special training in speech therapy.
The "integrative language support concept",
which was developed in Schleswig-Holstein
and is recognised throughout the whole country
as exemplary, considers
not only the different
main points, but connects
the work of participating
institutions and persons in a single
network. All elements of support,
from language improvement to
special speech remedial work,
have been integrated into an extended complete system.
This system does not separate
according to responsibilities, but rather integrates
the language improvement at the elementary level,
at daycare facilities and
primary schools.
The "integrative language support concept"
Schleswig-Holstein comprises
the following modules:
1. Language support and appraisal
of speech competence at
daycare facilities
2. Special language support in
small groups at daycare facilities
for children of three and older
with an increased requirement of
language support
3. Language appraisal within
the intended school registration.
4. Intended intensive language improvement
between school registration
and enrolment (SPRINT)
5. Language support in the school
(Centres for German as a Second Language )
6. Speech therapy measures at the ages
of 3 to 6 years
7. Further education for educators and
teaching staff
8. Information and materials
A successful start
The "integrated language support concept"
in Schleswig-Holstein
Preschool language support
has three main points:
1. General language support
Schleswig-Holstein was the first
federal state to
build up language support
consistently and systematically
in children's daycares.
As early as the 1996/97 school year,
Land-wide, free further education series
for educators have been offered,
in which they deepen their
knowledge about general
language support. A series includes
ten events, each for a
group of 25 people.
Over 6,000 educators
have participated in these
further education courses.
The content of the events has
constantly expanded over the course of time
and has been adjusted
to current scientific knowledge.
From the beginning, the
general language support of
children with speech disorders, who were
also cared for by a speech trainer,
stood to the fore.
Further education courses were then
extended to general language support of all
children in children's daycares
as a primary prevention. From
2000 on, the "Phonological"
awareness" programme was included
for the preparation of
written language acquisition, to follow later,
and for the prevention
of reading and spelling
difficulties. Special materials were
produced for this area.
Additionally, the number of hours of
specialised teachers in speech therapy in daycares
has been increased.
2. Observation process for
speech level appraisal
Since 2003, "Language support
for children with German
as a second language" (in the sense
Language support in children's daycare institutions
of support of natural acquisition of second language)
has been the focus.
To be better able to
appraise the speech competency of children
and to support the child in
question, the following observation processes
SISMIK (Speech Behaviour
and Interest in Language of
Migrant Children in Kindergarten)
and SELDAK (Speech Development
and Literacy of German-speaking
Children) were developed.
3. Special language support
Since July 2007, there have been special
language support measures at kindergarten institutions
in all districts and district-free cities
for those children
who have been identified as having need for speech
support when first accepted at the kindergarten institution.
When carrying out speech level appraisals
professionals in daycares are supported by
by speech therapists from
the support centres, if needed. Afterwards,
the children are specifically trained in small groups
of three to eight children
by appropriately instructed
educators or
external professionals. However, if a speech disorder is present,
then the speech therapist
takes supportive measures for the child. The
special speech supportive measures
are intended for children with and without
migrant backgrounds who have
deficient levels of speech capacity.
Further education courses
In all districts of the Land and district-free cities
further education courses for educators
are currently
being offered.
Material
The observation questionnaires for SISMIK
and SELDAK were provided to all state institutions
free of charge, along
with dual-language letters to parents and the
"Playful Language Support
in Kindergartens" brochure
especially developed in
Schleswig-Holstein for daycare.
Additional observation questionnaires
and dual-language
letters to parents can be
acquired from Herder Publishing.
The brochure, "Playful
Language Support in Kindergartens",
is obtainable from Joost Printing, Eckernförder
St. 239, 24119 Kronhagen,
Tel.: +49 0431 542231, fax: +49 0431 549434,
E-mail: [email protected]
Information/addresses
Additional working aids for language support
at the elementary level, developed
as commissioned by the Ministry
for Education and Women's Issues,
will be sent to all daycare facilities
and also be made available as a PDF file on
the education portal www.bildung.
schleswig-holstein.de.
In the course of further development
of the integrated language support concept,
Land-wide SPRINT courses (intensive language support)
have been offered since the
beginning of 2006. They are
directed at children with or
without migrant backgrounds who have only
little or no skills in the
German language. As early as the
school registration process,
the language capacity of the child is determined.
If indicators of a language deficit
appear, then a second
examination by professionals takes place.
If a deficit is confirmed, then
the children receive intensive
language training in the months
between school enrolment interviews and
the start of school – over a period
of 20 weeks, daily and up to two
hours of language instruction in small
groups of six to ten children
or less. Of the almost 3,000
children during 2007 who improved
their language skills up to the summer vacation
in the SPRINT courses,
65 % were children with migrant backgrounds.
Participation in
SPRINT courses is compulsory
under new education laws.
In addition to the
SPRINT facilities in the half year before
enrolment, there are also plans to provide mothers
with migrant backgrounds with basic German
language courses. These
language courses will be offered in
parallel to SPRINT courses.
Materials:
In co-operation with Flensburg University,
assistance for language support
at the elementary level has been developed.
Furthermore, a comprehensive
collection of materials exists.
Language support before school enrolment (SPRINT)
Until now, language support for
children and youths with migrant backgrounds
has been offered predominantly
at appropriate schools.
In addition to this, the Land of
Schleswig-Holstein supports of the establishment of
"German as a Second Language Centres"
(DaZ-Zentrum). DaZ centres
are to be understood as a network of schools
that offer language support
for internal and external pupils
in a specified
catchment area.
Currently, there are already 49 DaZ centres
in 13 of 15 districts
with respective language support offers.
Further education
Need for further education is covered
by regular DaZ conferences
and DaZ work groups
with professionals from the Institute for Quality
Development of Schools in Schleswig-Holstein (IQSH).
Materials:
The DaZ support in schools
continues the language support
that began prior to enrolment,
as required (SPRINT).
Scholastic support
is being developed for the 2008/09 school year
in the form of unitary curricular foundations and
aid for the practical
realisation of the foundation of
the German as a second language teaching plan
for the Land of Saxony.
Furthermore, at the IQSH there is
comprehensive documentation including
a list of tested
and recommended materials.
Language support at school
Impairment of language development
at Kindergarten age has
clearly increased. Science
and practice demand
early support. The Ministry
for Education and Women's Issues,
of Land Schleswig-Holstein has
reacted to this challenge:
the most important task of the
92 ambulatory speech therapy clinics
is to avoid the need
for speech therapy in schools
by addressing support issues
already before school
in daycare centres.
If children are not in
a daycare centre, then
they are, as a rule, registered direct
by parents (e.g. after doctor's
advice) at
the clinic.
The state of Schleswig-Holstein's concept
connects daycare facilities
and speech therapy clinics
of support centres closely with one another and
also the children's environment is
included. At the beginning of the Kindergarten year,
speech therapists
from clinics go to the
groups to meet children in their daily
environment.
An extensive speech pedagogical
test takes place only
if the actual criteria
of a clear speech disorder
are present. Next, a conversation
with the parents takes place,
which is a requirement
for further speech pedagogical
measures. The parents
are instructed on how to support
the child with playful exercises
at home. They receive additional informational material.
Materials
The 50-page brochure "Playful
Language Support in Children's Daycares"
Includes guidelines, tips, ideas for games,
linguistic adventures, materials for
playful language support in
kindergartens. The small practical guide is
intended for general language support
in kindergartens. It can be ordered for
€1.5 per brochure (+ shipping)
from
Joost Printing, Eckernförder
St. 239, 24119 Kronshagen, Tel.:
+49 0431 542231, fax: +49 0431 549434;
E-mail: [email protected]
The Ministry of Education
and Women’s Issues:
- Dr. Harald Otto
Telephone: +49 0431 988-2405
- Andrea Först
Telephone: +49 0431 988-2408
- Jan Stargardt
Telephone: +49 0431 988-2574
- State coordinator
Christiane Christiansen
Tel.: +49 04321 5991
Telephone service hours: Thursdays
from 11:00 o'clock to 12:00 o'clock,
otherwise, please use the answering machine
Contact partners
at the Institute for Quality
Development of Schools in Schleswig-Holstein (IQSH):
The regional representative for intercultural
education and upbringing and
German as a second language
- Reinhild Süßenguth
Tel.: +49 040 7209717
E-mail: [email protected]
Information on the Internet:
Education portal
www.bildung.schleswig-holstein.de
Speech therapy
for children aged 3 to 6
Publisher: Ministry for Education and Women's Issues of Land Schleswig-Holstein | Brunswiker Straße 16-22,
24105 Kiel | Realisation: b+c computergraphik, Kiel, www.b-u-c.com | Druck: A. C. Ehlers, Kiel | December
2007 | ISSN 0935-4638 | The Land Government on the Internet: www.landesregierung.schleswig-holstein.de |
These brochures were created using recycled paper. | This brochure is published as a public service
of the Land of Schleswig-Holstein's Government. It must not be used by parties or persons to
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for education of their own members.