Disciplinary Developments – Changing Pedagogies
The field of Norwegian Language Education is changing. Where we used to see classrooms full of students with very similar linguistic backgrounds in mostly Latin or Germanic, we now teach Norwegian in classes that have very diverse student bodies. We see an increasing interest in Norwegian language from countries like the Philippines and Pakistan. Our students are nurses and medical doctors, dentists and pharmacists, teachers and other professionals, and they all share the same dream; they want to live and work in Norway. Personally, I find it extremely rewarding to help the students achieve their dreams. Nevertheless, it is a fact that the change in student body has somehow challenged our pedagogic strategies and changed our didactic methods and practices. In order to face these challenges head on, we are implementing extra lectures in phonetics for all course levels throughout the semester. This initiative is part of our collaborative work to redevelop these pedagogic strategies nationally and internationally.
This trend was reflected in the 2019 Norwegian teachers’ seminar at the ISS last summer. 45 Norwegian teachers from 20 different countries attended the seminar. This diversity emphasizes the existence of Scandinavian Language Centers in all areas of the world, with engaging teachers with a passion for Norwegian and Scandinavian language and literature. The seminar, which is offered once every three years, provides a space for disciplinary support and exploration, networking, and exchanging resources.
ISS the Resource Center
Along with the interest around the world to learn Scandinavian languages, we take great care and responsibility to develop a global network in support of all these teachers and students.
At the ISS we work to keep in touch with Universities and other Norwegian Language instruction centers abroad and in Norway. Consequently, we exercise a very important function as Resource Center for Norwegian as a second language. This role means that we partake in the national work for standardization and quality enhancement in Norwegian Language Education, while keeping in mind the field’s growing diversity and changing pedagogies. We undertake this role ambitiously, and aim to establish a well-functioning network of Scandinavian Language Centers around the world.
The role as Resource Center entails not only that the ISS keep in touch with other Scandinavian language teaching institutions, provide students with opportunities in Norway, and invite teachers to our network, but also that we look outward and visit Scandinavian Language Centers abroad. Among other initiatives in 2020, ISS office at St. Olaf College will host the NORTANA-seminar, which aims to further Norwegian studies in North America. The ISS has established partnerships with several centers, and every year our teachers travel to different universities outside of Norway to meet students, give lectures and support the local learning environments. This spring we will visit the University of Latvia in Latvia, Babe?-Bolyai University and Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Ia?i in Romania, and we are looking forward to these visits.
As Recourse Center we cater to the language development of a diverse student group locally and across the globe. I am excited about the continuing development of our role in 2020. I wish to welcome all students, University employees, and students of Scandinavian language from other countries welcome to get in touch with us at the ISS at the University of Oslo.
No better time than the present to learn a new language – no better time than 2020 to learn Norwegian!