Teaching Refugees and Demotivated Young adults

To qualify VUC Storstrøm’s model for institutional development in order to accommodating changing needs in the target group and the surrounding community, representatives of the educational management visited schools that have been successful in transforming the organization in relation to changing needs in society, and now involve employees in agile development of education and education.

The model builds on several years of work to strengthen VUC Storstrøm’s strategy, management information systems, internal competence development and physical and technological frameworks, and modernize teaching pedagogically and didactically. 

In order to enhance creative and effective pedagogical cooperation in the organization, key employees and teachers were involved in the whole process, ie. preparation of visits, completion of visits, formative evaluation and evaluation of results.

For the first round of visits, we formed 4 development groups who prepared plans for the visits, not least in relation to the specific focus of each group. The groups met with the project manager and, based on their wishes for inspiration, the project department contacted potential partners abroad.

All 4 groups chose to merge the two target groups we had for the time of the application (young people with special challenges and students with a different cultural background) so that the new target group became young people with special cultural challenges, especially in terms of language and tradition of teaching. The groups formulated the goals of the short-term job shadowing in relation to their suggestions for changes in their daily practice, which they would continue to work on after the visits.

The 4 groups visited CityLit in London (GB), Fønix in Stavanger (NO), Sundsvall Kommun (SE) and BFI in Vienna (AT). After the visits, we conducted a joint formative evaluation focusing on where we in our own organization can benefit from further innovation. In headings, these were the main points that were highlighted:

• Screening for language skills before enrolment and final placement at educational level in VUC
  
• New model for collaboration with job centers when the students come from unemployment
  
• New courses of education with integration of the job perspective, including focus on subsequent vocational education
  
• Introduction of facilitated study groups with fixed work routines, including working language
  
• Greater involvement of the students’ culture and experience from education and work
  

In addition, a number of concrete examples of materials and projects were mentioned which the individual teacher had received inspiration to use in his own teaching.

The visits were completed and followed by an evaluation meeting focusing on the overall outcome and reinforcements of the 5 areas mentioned above.

The project aims to:

1. Qualify a model for institutional development so that the school can accommodate changing needs in the target group and the surrounding community.
2. Contribute to the involvement of the entire organization in the strategic development and implementation of new strategic areas of action.