Dienstag-10/16/18-Same In Any Language-I Nine

Tuesday was another busy day.  We started off with our first school visit to Charles Dickens Grundschule, which is an English immersion elementary school.  This is truly a model program for any school system wishing to developing bi-lingual students.  Language literacy is emphasized during elementary school and students begin learning a third language in fifth grade.  By ninth grade they are taught in both their mother and partner tongue at the native speaker level.

The library had books in both German and English

At Charles Dickens School, we met with the headmaster and he provided an overview of their school and program.  The school is a public school, paid for by the government and has about 430 students.  There are 24-26 students per class and each class has two teachers, one who is a native speaker in each language (German and English in this school).  When they're learning their partner language, they are taught in an immersion model and when they begin to learn their third language, they are taught in a more traditional way focusing on grammar and vocabulary from a textbook.

An example of how instruction would vary between German and the partner language.

German kids have the best school supplies!

English class

One hundred percent of German school children learn a second language.  After a brief overview, we spent time visiting classes.  Donna and I were assigned to a first grade class and were able to watch half of the class in mother tongue English, then the other half of the class in mother tongue German before watching each group switch and learn in their partner language.  It was so fascinating to watch little six year olds speak native English ("Are you kidding me?! You're on the wrong page" said one sassy little girl to her friend) and then watch them go to German and speak well there as well.  It was also interesting to see how the teachers modified their lessons for each group while focusing in on the same skills.  We didn't see either teacher speak in the other language during their entire lesson.  We were also able to observe the kids at lunch and visit a Welcome class for immigrant students newly arrived to Germany who are working on their German language skills before entering regular.

After departing the school and a small train ticket debacle, we arrived at the Central Agency for Schools Abroad.  Here we had two presentations on German vocational schools and Germany's efforts to connect to across cultures throughout the world.

The Bertlesmann Foundation provided us with an overview of the German vocational school system.  The Bertelsmann Foundation is the largest charitable foundation in Germany (think Gates Foundation) and they do a lot of research about Germany's vocational schools and support vocational programming.  From the representatives, we learned about the different paths for vocational training.

General Information about the Labor Market in Germany:
There are basically four different types of vocational fields-crafts, industry, trade, and health.  There are about 350 jobs for which students must attend a vocational school and receive a certificate before they are able to work in the field.  These certifications are managed by government agencies in conjunction with labor unions.  When students begin going to a vocational school, they also apply for a job with a company, just as they would apply for a job.  Once accepted by a company, they sign a three year contract to work while they're attending school.

Historically, about 90% of Germany's labor market came from the vocational system and only around 10% of students went to university.  That is shifting significantly and now, after secondary school, about 40% of the student population pursues a bachelor's degree and 60% pursue some type of vocational training with 40% attending a dual apprenticeship program and 20% doing school based apprenticeships.

Just as in the U.S., some vocational careers are having a hard time filling jobs and apprenticeship programs as the population moves away from pursuing manual labor careers.  The immigrant and refugees populations have been welcomed in Germany as they're seen as a way to fill some of the employment void.  The Foundation is researching ways to make the vocational programs more attractive for students so they do not continue to lose students to Abitur (not sure what the Abitur is?  see my post here) and academic pursuits.

Vocational School Model:
When students attend vocational schools they attend school two days a week and work at apprenticeships in companies three days a week.  There are many reasons for this model, one is so students can practically apply the skills they are learning.  Another reason is because it's too expensive for schools to try and provide all of the hands on learning experiences students need to truly learn the skills for the job, especially in fields like welding, plumbing, electrical work, medical fields, etc.  We looked at an example of what kind of things students would learn in their vocational classes versus what kinds of things they would learn on the job as part of their apprenticeship.

Once students have completed vocational school, their certification allows them to work anywhere in Europe.  About 68% of students get a job with the same company where they apprentice.

Another interesting fact is that all students, regardless of what type of school, must do a six week internship in grade 9 in order to explore possible career options.

Central Agency for Schools Abroad:
The Central Agency for Schools Abroad (CASA) is basically a subsidiary of the Federal Foreign Office, but also works in conjunction with other organizations to promote cultural relations and education policy internationally.  As I listened to all they do to promote German culture and build connections with countries around the world, I couldn't help but feel a bit sad that the United States doesn't take such a pro-active approach to connecting with other cultures in a symbiotic way.  They support 141 German schools abroad as well as support German language programs where German is offered as part of the public school curriculum and offer other means of support (such as Saturday schools) where German is not a part of the regular school curriculum.  The main objectives of the CASA are to:

• promote German language
• promote connections, dialogue, and cooperation with other people and cultures
• create global networks
• promote democracy
• promote peace education

Melanie and I enjoying dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant in Berlin

After we wrapped up the presentations, we had some free time and I was able to meet up with a Canadian friend who is now living and working in Berlin with her German husband.  As a native French speaker, she teaches at a German-French immersion primary school.  It was really interesting to hear her perspective after visiting a school of a similar model that morning.

At home she speaks French to their kids, her husband speaks German to their kids and they speak English to each other since that was their common language at the beginning of their relationship.  A tri-lingual family of four, a true example of Berlin's multiculturalism!