Emil - Thoma - RS Freiburg

Summer 1997

Our International Model - Class

Our model for the integration of foreign school-children and immigrant school-children of German descent from countries of the former Soviet Union
"Dobry den!" It would be with the greetings „Dzien dobry!“,„Buna dimeneata!“, „Dobry den!“, "Dobrè rano!“, that school-girls and school-boys in their countries of origin Poland, Rumania, Russia,the Slovak and the Czech republic would say „Good morning“ to their teachers. In our model class they all say in German „Guten Morgen“. Contrary to other integrational model classes, the Emil-Thoma-Realschule has chosen the following flexible conception:	Irrespective of their age, all school-girls and school-boys speaking a foreign language first attend an integrational model-class. The basic idea for this decision was, that school-children of different nationalities have one thing in common: They want to be integrated into the German speaking community and therefore they expect intensive training in the German language.

Our model for the integration of foreign school-children and immigrant school-children of German descent from countries of the former Soviet Union

"Dobry den!"

It would be with the greetings
„Dzien dobry!“,„Buna dimeneata!“,
„Dobry den!“, "Dobrè rano!“,
that school-girls and school-boys
in their countries of origin Poland,
Rumania, Russia,the Slovak and the
Czech republic would say
„Good morning“ to their teachers.
In our model class they all say in German
„Guten Morgen“. Contrary to other
integrational model classes,
the Emil-Thoma-Realschule has chosen
the following flexible conception:

Irrespective of their age, all
school-girls and school-boys
speaking a foreign language first attend an
integrational model-class. The basic idea
for this decision was, that school-children
of different nationalities have one thing
in common: They want to be integrated into
the German speaking community and therefore
they expect intensive training in
the German language.


Integration as a school subject All this is supplemented by a school subject going under the working title of „Integration“. This subject is meant to provide girls and boys with knowledge of the local and social conditions of their new surroundings as well as familiarity with their new home country.	Walking-tours, biking-tours, study tours and suitable projects are part of this subject’s program as well as theoretical instructions and the active contact with administrational and cultural institutions.


The curriculum As integration without language competence is impossible one third of all lessons taught at this international class are lessons of German as a foreign language: Language is essential for human communication. Communication creates community. Community makes integration easier. The curriculum also contains 5 lessons of English per week. Learning German and English simultaneously makes high demands on the pupils.	There are 4 lessons of maths per week. We know by experience that it is in maths and in natural sciences that the fewest problems show up. This is so because on the one hand these are ‘international’ subjects and on the other hand these are subjects which were taught with much emphasis in socialist countries of origin. Success in these subjects makes boys and girls also eager to succeed in the linguistic and social fields. Other subjects like biology, geography, arts are taught in small groupings, grouped according to age. We also try to smoothe the way in the regular classes later on for the pupils of our international class by allowing them to participate as guests in our regular subjects like ‘Nature and technology’, ‘Man and the Environment’ and French.

The curriculum

As integration without language
competence is impossible one third
of all lessons taught at this international
class are lessons of German as a
foreign language:

Language is essential for human communication.

Communication creates community.

Community makes integration easier.

The curriculum also contains 5 lessons of
English per week. Learning German and English
simultaneously makes high demands on the pupils.

There are 4 lessons of maths per week.
We know by experience that it is in maths and
in natural sciences that the fewest problems
show up. This is so because on the one hand
these are ‘international’ subjects and on the
other hand these are subjects which were taught
with much emphasis in socialist countries of origin.
Success in these subjects makes boys and girls
also eager to succeed in the linguistic and social
fields. Other subjects like biology, geography,
arts are taught in small groupings, grouped
according to age. We also try to smoothe the
way in the regular classes later on for the
pupils of our international class by allowing
them to participate as guests in our regular
subjects like ‘Nature and technology’,
‘Man and the Environment’ and French.


Opinions expressed by our pupils We asked school-girls and school-boys from our international class the following question: „What do you like or dislike in this class?“ Some typical answers were: " I like it, that we all live and learn together. " "We all communicate in German and we can understand each other." "We have a class spokesman and I think, it is a good idea to have one." "I attended a regular class in the primary school,but I couldn’t understand anything." From the beginnings the pupils of our international class have taken part in the administration of the school as pupil representatives and have not hesitated to express their ideas.	Work of the teachers The teachers working in our model class meet at least once per month with the headmaster to discuss the progress made by individual pupils. At mid-term recommendations are given with respect to possibilities of admitting pupils to the regular classes. Parents Evening meetings of the parents advisory board in which all the teachers take part are held regularly. These meetings serve the purpose of exchanging ideas, informing and providing guidance. Having acquired German so fast, pupils often serve as interpreters for their parents.

Opinions expressed by our pupils

We asked school-girls and school-boys
from our international class the following
question:

„What do you like or dislike in this class?“

Some typical answers were:

" I like it, that we all live and learn
together. "

"We all communicate in German and we
can understand each other."

"We have a class spokesman and I think,
it is a good idea to have one."

"I attended a regular class in the primary
school,but I couldn’t understand anything."

From the beginnings the pupils of our
international class have taken part in
the administration of the school as pupil
representatives and have not hesitated to
express their ideas.

Work of the teachers

The teachers working in our model class
meet at least once per month with the
headmaster to discuss the progress made
by individual pupils. At mid-term
recommendations are given with respect
to possibilities of admitting pupils to
the regular classes.

Parents
Evening meetings of the parents advisory
board in which all the teachers take part
are held regularly. These meetings serve
the purpose of exchanging ideas, informing
and providing guidance. Having acquired
German so fast, pupils often serve as
interpreters for their parents.

Our international class in the schoolyear 1996/97
Composition of the class The composition of our international class -with respect to the number of pupils, their age and origin- is different in every term. The major part of this year’s 28 schoolgirls and school-boys consists of children of immigrants of German descent from Kazachstan, Kirgyzstan, Russia and the Ukraine. Some of them will introduce themselves on the next pages and give a brief report stretching from their ancestor’s hard life in their first settlements at the Black Sea and the Wolga to the emigration of their parents to Germany. The rest of the pupils come from Afghanistan, Albania, China, Costa Rica, Iraq, Kosowo Portugal and Turkey.	Our educational aims: Education in the traditional school subjects is essential for the school career of pupils in our international class. Important additional social and emotional aims are cooperation in learning, getting to know the fellow pupils and their biographies. We tr y to achieve this by doing projects, by playing together, by going on excursions and by joining in events organized by the school. Our international class provides the whole school with opportunities for intercultural learning, for the practising of tolerance and for building a better knowledge of peoples’ native countries as well as the problems of living in a foreign country.

Our international class in the schoolyear 1996/97

Composition of the class

The composition of our international
class -with respect to the number of
pupils, their age and origin- is different
in every term. The major part of this
year’s 28 schoolgirls and school-boys
consists of children of immigrants of
German descent from Kazachstan,
Kirgyzstan, Russia and the Ukraine.
Some of them will introduce themselves
on the next pages and give a brief report
stretching from their ancestor’s hard
life in their first settlements at the
Black Sea and the Wolga to the emigration
of their parents to Germany.
The rest of the pupils come from
Afghanistan, Albania, China, Costa Rica,
Iraq, Kosowo Portugal and Turkey.

Our educational aims:

Education in the traditional school
subjects is essential for the school
career of pupils in our international
class. Important additional social
and emotional aims are cooperation
in learning, getting to know the fellow
pupils and their biographies.
We tr y to achieve this by doing projects,
by playing together, by going on excursions
and by joining in events organized by the
school. Our international class provides
the whole school with opportunities
for intercultural learning, for the
practising of tolerance and for building
a better knowledge of peoples’ native
countries as well as the problems of
living in a foreign country.

Peter Graf / Thea Hunisch

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