MINT Mind the Gap Migration NEEDS Integration

MINT Team, 2008-2010

Migration NEEDS Integration

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MINT - Mind the Gap

MINT - Mind the Gap: Migration NEEDS Integration

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Logos: Students from Bulgaria and Germany.

MINT Team 2008 - 2010

© All rights reserved

Editor: Alberto Cardoso

Revision: Aldina Saraiva

Coordination:

Portugal - Escola Secundária de Oliveira do Bairro (Alberto Cardoso)

Partner schools:

Bulgaria - IV Language School “Federic Joliot-Curie” (Donka Georgieva)

Finland - Alavuden Leena Pekkanen)

Germany - Mercator Berufscoleg (Waldemar Skorczik)

Italy - Istituto Professionale Sandro Pertini (Patrizia Rizzo)

Latvia - Siguldas vakara vidusskola (Mara Jekabsone)

Lithuania - Plungès zemès ukio ir verslo mokykla (Aldona Moceviciene)

The Netherlands - ROC Koning Willem I College (Peter van Amelsfoort)

Turkey - Teknik Lise ve Endustri Meslek Lisesi (Rahmi Dikici)


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Contents

Page number 4…..…...



Page number 10……...




Page number 14..…….



Abstract

Module 1: Survey

Questionnaire

Personal Experiences

Module 2: Laws and Rules

Module 3: Experiences

Module 4: Theories

Module 5: New Ideas

Integration Guideline: Principles

Testemonial


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Abstract

The European Union is an in-creasingly di-verse area, with people across the continent and across the globe arriving here to enjoy a high qual-ity of life, educa-tion and eco-nomic opportuni-ties. With such demographic shifts come in-creased opportu-nities to infuse the states with new ideas, en-ergy and vitality, as well as chal-lenges – includ-ing basic commu-nication issues that occur when some newcomers have not yet mas-tered the native language. Other challenges in-clude cultural dif-ferences notice-able in the way that people ex-press them-selves, relate to

family and friends, and inter-act with their communities.

Another fun-damental aspect to be considered is the fact that Europe as a whole must de-velop new teach-ing and learning approaches based upon de-mocratic values that foster cultural pluralism; in its most comprehen-sive form, it is a commitment to achieving educa-tional equality, developing curric-ula that build un-derstanding about different groups.

However, to effectively pro-mote migrant/immigrant inte-gration and the educational achievement of all children, there is still a long way

to go. The following guide provides a small aid in the integration of immi-grants/migrants students into host school commu-nities, as well as, contrib-utes for a more inclusive classroom.

We hope it will be a helpful resource for school administrators and teachers in the integration process of these stu-dents. Since schools are where immigrant families often have the most com-munity interaction it is the institution´s duty to help them understand and clarify parents’ involve-ment in children’s school life, and at the same time contribute to their suc-cess.


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For many immi-grant students, the school office is their first contact with the bureaucracy of host country’s schooling. All school personnel, especially those who personally greet and receive students and their parents, must be aware of their critical role, for it depends on the edu-cation system to pro-mote literacy, in or-der to achieve suc-

MINT Team, December 2009

cess, to obtain peo-ple skills, as well as social and cultural integration.

Immigrant/migrant students who arrive to enrol in school are often nervous – they usu-ally don’t speak the language, they don’t know what will be expected of them and they may even fear for their safety. They are likely unfa-miliar with their new

school’s rules and regulations, docu-mentation require-ments, immuniza-tions and transcripts of prior schooling.

This guide pro-vides an overview of what may be con-sider critical areas: teacher-student rela-tionship, classroom atmosphere and family, community interaction and school’s profile.


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Teachers and Portuguese Students

Teachers and German Students

Turkish Students : traditional dance

We decided that the

best approach to un-

derstand the issues

involving migrants

should be worked in

two stages:

First: Analysing: Mod-

ule one-Survey; Mod-

ule two: Laws and

Rules; Module three:

Experiences.

Second: Empowering:

Module four: Theories;

Module five: New

Ideas; and Module six:

Integration Guideline.

How can we under-

stand the difficulties

these individuals face?

We produced an Inter-

view Questionnaire

that later on was ap-

plied by each partner,

which was the spin off

to the produced mate-

rials.

http://

mindthegap.com.sapo.pt/


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Procedure: • Find out four students with an interesting migration background at

your school.

• Interviews have to be done by groups of other students.

• Each question (1 to 27) has to be one short mobile phone video

clip.

• Questions must be numbered and be named in each video clip

• One clip should not be longer than 60 sec..

• Prepare a good script before starting producing the video clip.

• The main aspects of the answers must be analyzed by the stu-

dents.

• The teachers facilitates the process of analyzing.

• The students have to point out the main results in an abstract.

Interview Questionnaire “Mind the Gap” is a project involving 9 different European Countries. Its

aim is to develop a program to facilitate school integration of migrant

students and students from different ethnic groups of secondary schools

together with their families.

Migrant students and students from different ethnic groups are increa-

sing constantly. They are from a lot of other countries. We need a new

way to programme in order to compare exchanges among cultures and

promote a democratic cohabitation.

By giving us some information about you, your family and your back-

ground in this interview, you will help us to improve our project outcome.

Thank you very much!

Module 1: Survey


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A) Personal Data File

1) Name:

2) Age:

3) Country:

4) Religion:

5) Town:

6) School / Department:

7) Tell me about professions

and interests of your family

members :

B) Migration background

8) Roots of your family / reasons

for immigration:

C) Hosting Country

9) How do you like living in

this country? Tell some rea-

sons.

10) Are there specific positive

aspects about the country

you’d like to point out?

11) Are there specific negative

aspects about the country


12) How can you live your

culture / traditions / religion in

this country?

13) What institutions do you

know, that help immigrants.

D) Hosting School

14) How do you like the

school you are attending?

15) What specific positive

aspects about the school


16) What specific negative

aspects about the school

Questionnaire.


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17) What can the school do

for you to improve your situa-

tion as a migrant?

E) Relationship to native

students

18) What activities do you

share with native students

inside/outside school?

19) What do you appreciate

regarding native students?

20) What do you not like

about native students?

F) Relationship to other

migrated students

21) What activities do you

share with other immigrated

students inside/outside

school?

22) What do you appreciate

about migrated students?

23) What do you not like

regarding migrated students?

G) Perception of own inte-

gration level

24) Do you feel accepted by nati-

ve school mates? Tell some rea-

sons.

25) Do you feel accepted by your

teachers? Tell some reasons.

26) Do you feel accepted by nati-

ve people in this country in gene-

ral?

Tell some reasons.

27) What would you like to be dif-

ferent to improve your situation

here?

http://www.comeniusmint.com/

Questionnaire (download)


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Personal experiences:

Rasim Toprak

http://www.comeniusmint.com/pdfs/

BiographieToprakEnglish.pdf

Aldina Saraiva

http://www.comeniusmint.com/pdfs/

Portu-

gal_Aldina_PERSONAL_ACCOUNT.pdf

Students and teachers:

http://www.comeniusmint.com/Experiences/

experiences.htm

Students’

personal

experiences


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To Belong or not to Belong? Do migrants know the Laws and Rules of the host country?

Each country has services that allows people to be informed

of their rights and advises them about the country’s migrants

Laws.

You can check for the different information in each partners’

country:

As you will see some rights and duties are common in all of

them..

Portugal Migration Services: http://www.sef.pt

German Migration Services:

Dutch Migration Services: http://www.ind.nl/EN/index.asp

Italy Migration Services: http://www.interno.it/mininterno/

export/sites/default/it/temi/immigrazione/

Bulgaria Migration Services:

Turkey Migration Services:

Latvia Migration Services: http://www.pmlp.gov.lv

Lithuania Migration Services:

Finland Migration Services:

Module 2: Laws and Rules


Watch ourselves as migrants watch us!!

Revealing that strangeness is not a natural category but gen-

erated by social actors in situations of everyday life.

Persons and objects considered as being normal to natives are

strange in the eyes of the observer (migrants).

Task: you can take a group of migrant students in a tour

through the city and ask them to photograph situations that

are strange/out of the ordinary for them. You can find an ex-

ample in the following link:

http://www.comeniusmint.com/ (Strangers in the City)

Module 3: Experiences

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Module 4:Theories

There are different possibili-

ties for migrants concerning

not only rights but also du-

ties.

A successful integration is

only possible if natives and

migrants accept each other

and respect the differences.

In fact the primary impor-

tance is, in the different countries, the

need to acquire language skills, one of

the eight key competences defined by

the European Commission, as the only

way of succeeding in the host country.

In most countries, natives try to show

migrants the way to find schools/

working places as a way of integrating

them in society.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0AM_NoErM8

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(http://www.youtube.com/user/donkageorgieva#p/a/u/2/qz_0j3_lqTE)

Module 5:New

“All school students must have the possibility to take an active part in the democratic life of the school,” underlines Giuseppe Beccia, Secre-tary General of OBESSU

Meet me Half-Way

Cultural issues: schools must invest in artistic activities, as a

way of integrating migrant students.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcVsA3TvNSk )

You can find some successful stories using music, drama, art,

dance... in the different schools which makes possible this inte-

gration of completely different people with a completely different

culture.

(http://www.slideshare.net/albertocardoso/module-5-varna-meeting-italy)

What can students, parents and schools do?

There are small things each one of us can do to change the sys-

tem. If parents get involved in the children’s school education

most of the times the problem of integration will be a success. If

schools are informed about the students’ problems, prevention

can be used as a way of integration. If teachers get to know the

migrants, if they listen to them, a better inclusion will be possible.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_-Bg_clkIo)

How to integrate: I cannot like what I do not know. It is extremely important to get to know the different people and the different cul-tures to understand and accept them.

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1- The student-teacher relation Respect and care

• Find out about the stu-dents life through and infor-mal interview or a brief biog-raphy presentation;

• Involve family in student’s progress by putting into ac-tion parents-teachers confer-ences/meetings;

• Identify the student’s host language needs and set up an appropriate educational program;

• Find out what are the student’s interests, goals and aspi-rations.

Recommended Principles

2- Teacher- teacher interaction Sharing and openness

• Appoint a class teacher as contact person to interact with family;

• Plan regular class confer-ences to discuss teaching process, integration theme, class problems;

• Organize subject related tutoring classes. European teachers

Class of Turkish students

Module 6: Integration Guideline


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3- Student- student relationship Emotional involvement

• Assign peer mentors or buddies;

• Encourage students to collaborate on biographies;

• Assign group work to stu-dents, in order to motivate, encourage active learning, and develop communication;

• Discuss the critical points of in-tegration;

• Encourage sharing extra-curriculum and leisure activi-ties.

4- Classroom Dynamics

Cooperation and team work skills

• Under the guidance of a class teacher the group gets to know each other in an introductory period, working on meth-ods and mutual help;

• Value students know-how and ability to use two lan-guages;

• Encourage common ac-tivities outside of the school;

• Observe students’ inter-acting with peers and take note of their behaviour and performance in different tasks.

German students

A student: ice skating activities


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5- Curriculum/Subjects Communication and multiculturalism

• Assess initial lan-guage proficiency and program placement by specialized teacher;

• Persuade immigrant students to talk about themselves, their country and their traditions;

• Discuss different topics/subjects – history, law, religion, language, …

6- Social Work Building social network

• Interact with class tutors, guidance counsel-lors or support centre profes-sionals;

• Col-laborate in activities that involve social com-mitment.

Teachers and Students: collaborative work.

Different languages


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7- School – Parent Interaction Families in action

• Involve migrant/immigrant families in school activities, confer-ences, trips, parties, fairs and dinners;

• Schedule regular meet-ings with parents to give them information on their child's academic achieve-ment and behaviour;

• Encourage families to be part of parents’ associations;

• Improve communication with parents through courses in the host country’s language.

8- School – Enterprise/Company Education and business cooperation

• Sponsor period of practical training during school time;

• Promote company/factory tours to know the host country’s job market and economic system;

• Operate on a dual sys-tem - companies’ tutors meet and discuss problems with school personnel; Pre-pare career education activi-ties by inviting different rep-resentatives from other schools, institutions and businesses.

Portuguese parents

Table Service students in a Wine Cellar


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9- School Profile Opportunities for everyone. • Set up ccourses with high percentages of immigrants/

migrants with the smallest possible number of stu-

dents;

• Focus on a perfectly developed system of consultancy

services regarding career and social skills;

• Concentrate on Occupational Orientation, job prepara-

tion and mediation of job education places and work

experience;

• Implement courses for students failing in academic ar-

eas;

• Promote literacy as well as skills in the areas of new

media and technology;

• Employ or train teachers with skills on teaching the

host language as a foreign language;

• Provide an adult education division, which makes it

possible to broaden their professional knowledge and

capacities;

• Prevent student drop out by equipping the school with

multimedia class-

rooms, work-

shops, labs and

sports and lei-

sure facilities;

• Help students to

be European citi-

zens though pro-

jects and ex-

change programs;

• Establish a multi-cultural advisory board.


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MINT sharpens pupils’ appetite for study “Suddenly, everyone wanted to

be a migrant, so that they

could take part in this project!”

enthuses Hayat Bazi. The 19-

year-old is a student at the

Mercator Berufskolleg in Mo-

ers in western Germany, and

takes part in the two-year

MINT project: Mind the Gap:

Migration needs Integration,

funded through the European

Union’s Comenius Pro-

gramme.

MINT’s objective is to develop

tools to help migrant and ethnic

minority students and their fami-

lies to integrate better into the

school system. Hayat’s family is

Moroccan, although she was born

in Germany. Her father worked as

a miner from 1972 until 1986,

when an accident left him dis-

abled. “It’s important to my par-

ents for me to learn better Ger-

man, as well as Arabic and

French,” she says. “We are all

integrated – we have only Ger-

man neighbours – but we are also

a traditional, religious family. I

have suffered some discrimina-

tion, because my mother wears a

headscarf, and I have black hair,

and because of our religion peo-

ple connect us with terrorism.”

Hayat's school is named after the

16th century genius Gerardus

Mercator, who was one of the first

European mapmakers.

Its 2 350 students, aged 16 -21,

take either full-time classes or

vocational training, spending

Testimonial

Nothing better to conclude the work that has been done than the testimonials

given by teachers and students to the European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-programme/doc/na/7long_en.pdf


more than half their time on

work placement with local

firms. At the lower academic

levels, some 50% of the stu-

dents are from migrant back-

grounds, so the MINT project

is particularly appropriate.

Top of the class

Coordinator Waldemar

Skorczik has been running

European-funded projects for

20 years – 18 of them with

Comenius. His energy and

enthusiasm are infectious. “We

only do one EU project at a

time, but we want to do the

best,” he declares . Like all the

organisers, he is also a full -

time teacher . Mercator has

received wide recognition for

its project activities: in March

2010 , it was the only school

invited to present its work at

Germany’s top educational

fair, Didacta. “I think both

teachers and students can

learn more from project work

than normal lessons,” he

claims.

“Social learning is important.

Teachers who want to work on

projects are different from oth-

ers. They are more open and in-

terested.”

The idea for MINT arose from an

earlier ‘peace’ project on conflict

management. “We found out that

a lot of conflict took place where

there were more students with

migrant backgrounds,” says An-

dreas Brett, a long – standing

member of the project team. “We

realised we should find out more

about them, so as to integrate

them better. Their opportunities

are more limited, because of the

language, and our German teach-

ers are not really prepared for this.

A Dutch colleague once told me:

‘what’s missing from our school is

empathy’. We have learnt to get

students more involved in cultural

things, and give them goals to

work towards. They really enjoy it,

and we can learn something from

that.”

There are eight other partners in

the project, in Bulgaria, Finland,

Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Nether-

lands, Portugal, and – for the first

time – Turkey. One of the Merca-

tor teachers, Razim Toprak, is of

Turkish background and says this

helps him to liaise between Turk-

ish students, their families, and

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the school.

Speaking honestly

Andreas Brett says the teach-

ers have learnt a lot from

MINT. “For example, integra-

tion is often understood as as-

similation,” he points out. “Yet

each individual should be able

to keep his or her own identity

and culture, while learning to

get along with others. We

reached that conclusion at our

fifth meeting in Bulgaria.” Rec-

onciling varying attitudes is the

key. “In Latvia and Lithuania,

they had a different point of

view,” he acknowledges. “We

have had some ‘quarrels’ – but

it’s important to speak honestly

about people’s fears. If they

are not allowed to express

their emotions you will not ar-

rive at reliable results.”

Martin Geelen, who joined the

project team in 2009, believes

it is the personal contact be-

tween participants which al-

lows for consensus. The fourth

meeting took place in Ger-

many in December 2009. “The

teachers invited everyone to

their homes,” explains 20-year-old

Elena Kremer, who was four

when her family moved to Ger-

many from Kazakhstan. Her par-

ents, and Hayat’s, helped to pre-

pare traditional dishes for the

guests.

Some of the partners have been

working together for years, and

have built up a real friendship.

“It’s like a family,” says Waldemar.

“We’re in e-mail contact every

day. We work with the students

on the same level.” Whereas in

the past some countries sent only

teachers on international visits,

now the younger participants are

always included.

The outcomes include integration

guidelines, drafted in English and

translated in different languages,

disseminated on the internet and

as a booklet.

Students gain in confidence

Hayat points out that the students

do project work on top of their

normal lessons, which can be tir-

ing. Both girls feel teachers could

be more flexible about course

work – although they know they

still have exams to pass. “The


students show the teachers

what it is to be involved,

through their commitment,”

points out Elena. “Teachers

may not always understand

how important it is to take part

in such projects.”

“We are so enthusiastic we

give our time willingly,” adds

Hayat. “It’s not just to get good

grades.”

Elena’s ancestors were Ger-

man, but immigrated to Russia

in the 18th century, so Russian

is her mother tongue.

When she arrived in Germany

in 1994, she had problems at

school. “The teachers pointed

at me and said: ‘You are a

Russian. You are silly. You are

bad.’ That kind of prejudice

made me very unhappy and

my grades got worse and

worse.” In 2007, Elena moved

to Mercator and started to take

part in international exchanges

and project work – finding out

more about the EU and mi-

grants in Germany. “It has

helped me to show what I can

achieve, personally,” she af-

firms. “German society often

makes foreigners feel inferior, but

now I am more confident about my

life, my education and my future.

“It’s important for the EU to sup-

port projects like this. It’s essential

for the success of the European

Union to improve understanding

between people from different

coun-

tries.”

MINT

project:

Mind

the

Gap:

Migration needs Integration, 2008-

2010, funded by the EU’s Comen-

ius Programme, under the frame-

work of the Lifelong Learning Pro-

gramme 2007 -2013.

Project number: CML-P-NW-08-00029-2 More information: Comenius Programme: http://ec.europa.eu/ MINT: http://www.comeniusmint.com/

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LifeLong Learning Programe

Comenius School Partnerships

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.

This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any

use which may be made of the information contained therein.’


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