Magazine_2001-2

Magazine 2001-2:Magazine 3/01

10-09-07

C a p p e l e n s

nr02-2001

10:06

Side 1

t i d s s k r i f t

f o r

e n g e l s k l ĂŚ r e r e

Illustrasjon: Inger Dale

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Side 2

Leder

innhold 03

Kjære leser,

London by the Book av Pål Andreassen

06

Høstferien er over når du får dette nummeret av [ mægə zi:n].

Var du kanskje en tur i London? Mange av oss med bakgrunn i

Ny læreplan for engelsk VK I og VK II av Karin Hals

engelskfaget har et spesielt forhold til denne byen, med alt den har å by på av kunst, kultur og fornøyelser. For egen del blir jeg aldri ferdig med London, men reiser stadig tilbake, og oppdager hver gang noe nytt og spennende. Men, som så mange andre med den samme forkjærlighet for byen, har jeg alltid ett tilbakevendende innslag på programmet: Jeg må ha en bokhan-

08

The Real Thing

dlerrunde. Naivt nok tror jeg hver gang at jeg skal bruke formiddagen på det, spise lunsj på en pub og så gjøre noe

12

annet. Starter hos Foyles og har tenkt å "feie" gjennom, men oppdager plutselig at det er tid for lunsj. Der står jeg, med poser hengende i begynnende gorilla-armer og har ennå ikke

Going to School in New Zealand av Mari Ropstad

kommet gjennom alle avdelingene. Og sent på ettermiddagen sitter jeg, sårbeint, sulten og tørst på en pub og forsøker å dandere sprekkeferdige bokposer rundt meg uten å okkupere plass fra nabobordet. Virker det kjent? Da kan du glede deg til artikkelen om bokhandlere i London.

15

Focus on the Author: Roddy Doyle

Denne gangen tar vi dere også med til Timaru i New Zealand

17

og til Askim! En tilsynelatende underlig sammenstilling, men

01

temaet er skole og undervisning. Mange elever tilbringer ett av årene på videregående skole i utlandet. Vi fikk nyss om

02

Mari som hadde vært ett år i New Zealand, og hun forteller

03

litt om hvordan hun opplevde forskjeller og likheter i skole-

04

hverdagen i to land på hver sin side av kloden. Og i Askim fant

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vi Andrew fra England. Han hospiterer der noen uker i høst som

06

assistentlærer i engelsk og gir oss noen betraktninger om

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Six Novels – Six Fascinating Stories

Read It! av Bjørn Thrana

undervisning og norske elever sett fra sitt ståsted.

07 08 09 10 11

Nåvel, akkurat det er vel kanskje mest interessant, og en nå er det siste skoleåret Patterns er i bruk. Den reviderte læreplanen for engelsk VKI og VKII er godkjent og skal inn-

13

føres fra høsten 2002. Til våren kommer Cappelen med nytt

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engelskverk til VKI-kurset, med ny tittel, ny redaktør og med

15

en fornyet forfattergruppe. I dette nummeret tar Karin Hals

19 20 21 22 23 24

20

?

Brain Teasers

for seg den reviderte læreplanen og kommenterer endringene som har skjedd i forhold til den gamle.

17 18

Pass It on av Siri Hunstadbråten

smule vemodig, for meg som har vært redaktør for boken. For

12

16

19

Hvis du allerede har bladd raskt gjennom [ mægə zi:n], så du

kanskje at Andrew brukte Patterns sammen med elevene sine?

[ mægə zi:n]

Håper du får en hyggelig stund med [ mægə zi:n] i november mørket!

CAPPELEN UNDERVISNING

Ansvarlig redaktør: Kirsten Aadahl

videregående skole, Postboks 350 Sentrum, 0101 Oslo

Redaksjon: Birger Nicolaysen

Telefon: 22 36 51 77/5195 E-post: kirsten.aadahl@cappelen.no

Produksjon: Prepress

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Side 3

nd

Books can be bought

by Pål Andreassen

everywhere. In our day and age, it’s very easy to

/Avisenes Pressebyrå

order them over the Internet. But it’s much more fun to visit specialist bookshops.

01

London has a multitude of such shops, and

02

we went there to check some of them out

03 04

– from cover to cover.

05 06 ‘We’re nearly famous now,’ it says on a small

little shop with. Coachloads of American

Deep inside the shop you will find its great-

sign in the window of The Travel Bookshop.

tourists, by no means looking for tips on how

est asset: a tiny kitchen and five small

And there certainly is something familiar

to get through the Gobi Desert, regularly

tables. Lunch is served here every day, and

about the place that we recognise as we move

invade the shop to have their pictures taken.

the recipes are often taken from some of the

around among thousands of travel books of

shop’s innumerable cookery books. The menu

every kind. We almost expect Hugh Grant to

It’s a lot calmer next door, at The Garden

varies from day to day, depending on the raw

peer out from behind a shelf to ask us sheep-

Bookshop. This is the only shop in the world

materials available and the chef of the day.

ishly if there is anything he can do for us. If

that specialises in books dedicated to gar-

When we were there, Anglo-Japanese chef Kim

truth be told, it was not here that the suc-

dens and gardening.

Barber was in charge of the kitchen. She is

cessful film ‘Notting Hill’ was shot, but the

writing her own cookery book at present, and

shop in the film is an exact replica of The

If you cross the street – Blenheim Crescent –

Travel Bookshop, which is situated in – yes,

you will find the stylish Books for Cooks,

exactly – Notting Hill.

shining like a small ‘literary-culinary’ pearl.

Books for Cooks have also published their own

Food and book lovers from around the world

cookery books. Several times a week, food and

The owner, Sara Andersson, is none too happy

gather here to gorge themselves on more than

wine courses are held in a kitchen above the

about all the publicity the film provided her

8,000 titles – all full of gastronomic delights.

shop.

is testing out recipes on curious customers.

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Side 4

It is a general trend that food – and not least

find Helter Skelter – a bookshop specialising

purchase a complete collection of Agatha

coffee of all sorts – is becoming an ever more

in music books. The shop is named after a

Christie novels, or a signed copy of the latest

important part of the modern bookshop. In the

song by The Beatles and offers the largest

book by Elmore Leonard. They even have a very

huge ‘palaces’ of chain bookshops like

selection of literature about music (classical

respectable selection of Norwegian crime nov-

Borders, Books etc. and Waterstone’s, it is

music excluded) this side of the Atlantic.

els, and the staff’s incredibly detailed knowl-

quite natural to order a cappuccino or a sand-

edge of the genre is impressive.

wich, relax in one of the comfortable arm-

At Murder One a bit further down the street,

chairs and read for hours at a time.

crime and detective novels are the order of the

Across the road from this haven of crime is

day. This is the shop to seek out if you want to

Silver Moon, the largest women’s bookshop in

At Waterstone’s they have taken this trend farthest. In their enormous shop at Piccadilly Circus, you can shop, read, eat and drink your way through seven storeys. In the basement you will find the café and the restaurant, while you can round off your ‘literary excur-

London bookshops on the Internet

sion’ on the sixth floor with a drink in the specially designed bar. The largest chain shops obviously want to give the impression that

Books for Cooks http://www.booksforcooks.com/

they are not merely selling books and related products, but a complete lifestyle.

Silver Moon http://www.silvermoonbookshop.co.uk/

Charing Cross Road is the street for books in London. Here one finds the great, prestigious bookshops like Foyles (at one time the

Sports Pages http://www.sportspages.co.uk/

largest in the world), but also a multitude of small shops that specialise in everything under the sun. This really is the place where

Foyles http://www.foyles.co.uk/

the seriously determined bookworms gather, 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

for example at John Gaustad’s Sports Pages.

This shop is brimful of books and magazines devoted to sports around the globe. We were certainly not aware of the immense number of books published that deal with curling or synchronised swimming. If a book exists, Sports Pages has got it, or they will at least get it for you.

‘To run a shop like this, it is not enough to be merely interested in sports and books. You have to be obsessed with them,’ smiles Gaustad, who is of Norwegian descent. The most popular items are of course books centred around the subject of eleven men and a ball, and Gaustad voices a certain concern that he hasn’t got the latest yearbook from the Norwegian Football Association on the shelves. This fact should tell you a little about the selection in his shop.

Not far from Charing Cross Road is Denmark Street, a legendary street for music. Here we

Waterstone’s http://s1.waterstones.co.uk/cgi-bin/wat01prd.storefront/

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Side 5

Europe. Biographies, political pamphlets, fic-

the many second-hand bookshops and shops

If you still haven’t managed to spend your

tion of all kinds, books devoted to health and

that specialise in first editions, you can also

entire budget shopping for books, you might as

lifestyle … this shop has everything of inter-

find Dance Books, which (perhaps not surpris-

well place your last pound coins at High

est to women. Men are heartily welcome,

ingly) specialises in books about dancing.

Stakes in Great Ormond Street, and hope that

although not so much in the basement – as it

Watkins Books is close at hand, and, in addi-

it pays off. This little shop is dedicated to

is devoted to lesbian literature.

tion to having their own permanent fortune

books on everything from poker to horse rac-

teller, they offer a wide variety of books on

ing. Or, to put it in plain Norwegian, gambling.

In Cecil Court – a tiny, charming street – the

the occult, New Age and Eastern mysticism.

bookshops are lined up side by side. Among

Addresses The Travel Bookshop, 13 Blenheim Crescent Garden Books, 11 Blenheim Crescent Books for Cooks, 4 Blenheim Crescent Sports Pages, 94-96 Charing Cross Road Helter Skelter, 4 Denmark Street Murder One, 71-73 Charing Cross Road Silver Moon, 64-68 Charing Cross Road Dance Books, 15 Cecil Court Watkins Books, 19-21 Cecil Court High Stakes, 21 Great Ormond Street Stanford’s (travel), 12-14 Long Acre Motor Books (cars, trains, planes, motorcycles), 32 St. Martin’s Court

A couple of other useful London sites

Crime in Store, 14 Bedford Street

01

Zwemmer Photography and Cinema, 80 Charing Cross Road

02

Zwemmer Art Book Shop, 24 Litchfield Street

03

The Cinema Bookshop, 13-14 Great Russell Street

04

Tate Modern Bookshop (modern art), 25 Sumner Street

05

RIBA Bookshop (architecture), 66 Portland Place

06 07 08 09

CityNetGuide: London

10

http://www.citynetguide.co.uk/

11

city.php3?city=london

12

Map of London (City Holidays)

14

13 http://www.city-

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holidays.com/hotelmaps/mainmap.asp?id=lon

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

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Side 6

Ny læreplan for engelsk VKI og VKII

Av Karin Hals, Kirkeparken videregående skole

Endelig kom den nye læreplanen for VKI og VKII! Den har nå blitt lagt

Når det gjelder modul 1 (2 Engelsk 1), har man flyttet emnet om

ut på Skolenettet og kan finnes på følgende adresse:

forhold mellom folkegrupper ned fra VKII. Dette er i tråd med de

http://skolenettet3.ls.no/dok/lp/engstud.html

innvendingene som mange lærere har hatt mot planen i de siste seks

Fra Læringssenteret blir det presisert at planen først skal tas i bruk

årene. I tillegg har det under mål 3 kommet inn et nytt og tilsynela-

for VKI fra skoleåret 2002/2003, og for VKII fra skoleåret 2003/2004.

tende svært omfattende underpunkt kalt "sentrale utviklingstrekk i britisk og amerikansk historie". Det siste punktet som nevnes, er knyt-

Skolene og andre aktuelle institusjoner fikk på senvinteren et hørings-

tet til regionale forhold, særpreg og konflikter. Hovedvekten skal hele

utkast til uttalelse som helt tydelig må ha møtt mye motbør, for det

veien legges på Storbritannia og USA etter 1850. Hensikten med å

var ikke lett å kjenne igjen mye fra utkastet i den endelige læreplanen

erstatte de tidligere emnene (miljø, etikk, likestilling osv.) med de

som nå foreligger. Den endelige planen representerer ikke noen liten

nye, ser ut til å være å få en bedre tematisk sammenheng mellom

revisjon, noe vi skal komme tilbake til. Det er vanskelig å legge fram

planene for grunnkurs og VKI, og å gjøre stoffmengden på VKII mer

01

absolutt alle endringene her, så jeg vil konsentrere meg mest om det

overkommerlig enn tidligere. Miljø og etikk er i tillegg lagt inn som

02

som gjelder endringer i kunnskapsmål.

generelle mål for hele læreplanen.

04

VKI

Den nye planen for 3-timerskurset skiller seg fra den gamle også med

05

Den største endringen i den nye planen må kunne sies å ligge i

hensyn til litteratur. Det nye er at litteraturen ikke knyttes opp mot

06

utformingen av modul 2 på VKI. Mens den forrige læreplanen var veldig

spesielle emner. Tidligere het det at tekstene (skjønnlitteraturen

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spesifikk når det gjaldt forslag til innhold og valgmuligheter, får man

innbefattet) skulle omhandle blant annet miljø, etikk, likestilling osv.,

08

her friere tøyler. Vi siterer hele teksten til modul 2, som nå skal gå

men nå er litteraturen omhandlet i et eget mål (mål 2), og er i prinsip-

09

under betegnelsen 2 Engelsk 2.

pet fristilt fra spesifikke emner. Det presiseres bare at hovedvekten

03

10 11 12 13

skal ligge på litteratur etter 1850 (tidligere 1900, som for sakprosaen).

Elevane skal munnleg og skriftleg i eit situsjonstilpassa språk kunne kommunisere om emne som er knytte til studieretninga dei har valt

14

I den nye planen har altså litteraturen en egenverdi, og læreren vil dermed stå friere når det gjelder hva som skal leses.

VKII

15

Hovudmoment

3 Engelsk A (tidligere Engelsk II alternativ A):

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Elevane skal velje minst to emneområde innanfor studieretninga si og

I og med at emner er flyttet ned til VKI, er innholdslista i mål 3 noe

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arbeide med ulike typar tekstar og ulike informasjonskjelder

forkortet i forhold til gammel plan. Fokus er nå på politiske system og

18

viktige politiske forhold i Storbritannia og USA og disse landenes

19

Her finner vi ingen nærmere presisering av emneområder eller presen-

påvirkning – politisk og kulturelt – på utviklingen i andre land.

20

tasjonsformer, og det har kommet inn to formuleringer som er typiske

Dessuten skal elevene kunne "kommunisere munnleg og skriftleg om

21

for revisjonen: "kunne kommunisere om" og "i eit situasjonstilpassa

aktuelle samfunnsspørsmål som er knytte til Storbritannia og USA".

22

språk". Planen legger færre føringer og øker dermed kravene til at hver

Dette målet må sees i sammenheng med de siste års eksamensopp-

23

enkelt lærer må tilpasse undervisningen til sine egne elever.

gaver, som har gått på helt aktuelle temaer som det ikke har stått noe

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Side 7

om i lærebøkene, men som har krevd at elevene og læreren har fulgt

kan fortsatt trekkes inn under begrepet ’kulturell påvirkning’ (mål 3b).

godt med på nyhetene. Dette nye målet vil trolig gjøre bruken av tilleggsressurser på Internett (som nettaviser, tidsskrifter osv.) mer

Viktigere er det at mål 3 nå bringer inn politikk som et emne elevene

aktuelt i engelskfaget.

skal ha kunnskap om, mens det tidligere var kultur som ble nevnt her.

Når det gjelder litteratur (mål 4), er det nytt at det presiseres at en

For skjønnlitteraturen har man også på VKII satset på 1850 som en

roman (tidligere et skjønnlitterært verk) og et skuespill eller en film

skillelinje i stedet for 1900. Omfanget av litteraturen er den samme

skal tolkes.

som i dagens læreplan, men vi kan ane en svak endring i retning av mindre vekt på litterær analyse. Nytt i denne planen er at minst ett av

Oppsummering

de litterære verkene skal være fra tiden etter 1970, og at elevene skal

Den nye læreplanen søker å oppnå en bedre sammenheng mellom engel-

kunne samtale om minst en av Shakespeares sonetter. I tillegg skal

skopplæringen på de tre årstrinnene i videregående skole. Dette er

elevene sette de skjønnlitterære tekstene inn i en samfunnsmessig

spesielt merkbart mht. kunnskapsmålene (men også mht. de rene fer-

sammenheng, og denne eksplisitte koblingen mellom litteratur og sam-

dighetsmålene, uten at vi har gått inn på det her). I tillegg åpner pla-

funnsforhold finnes ikke i den gamle planen.

nen for mer fokus på aktuelle samfunnsforhold. Den delen av planen som skiller seg mest ut fra den gamle planen, er tilsynelatende 2

3 Engelsk B (tidligere Engelsk II alternativ B):

Engelsk 2, men også for de andre kursene er det klare endringer.

I hovedtrekk ser vi de samme endringene her som i planen for 3 Engelsk A. Politikk blir også her trukket inn som et emne elevene skal kunne

Til slutt vil vi nevne at det med ny læreplan følger nye bøker. Vi som

forstå og samtale om, og det er nytt at dette nevnes spesielt for dette

holder på med å lage bøker, håper å se mange av dere på kurs og semi-

kurset. Her er det også verdt å merke seg mål 1 og 2, som i den gamle

nar til våren. Der vil vi presentere bøkenes struktur og innhold i lys av

planen inneholder konkrete sammenhenger der elevene skal kunne

den nye læreplanen, og ellers forsøke å komme med noen faglige opp-

bruke engelsk muntlig og skriftlig (kundebehandling, forretningsbrev

dateringer om forskjellige emner. Vi minner også om at vi har lagt ut

osv.). Nå sies det bare at elevene skal kunne ’forstå og bruke situ-

nettressurser til de eksisterende bøkene våre for VKI (Patterns og

asjonstilpassa engelsk i økonomiske, merkantile og andre samanhen-

Projects). Disse finner du på www.cappelen.no.

gar’. Ellers vil mange sikkert savne punktet om reklame, men reklame

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Foto: ©Samfoto

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Side 8

01 02 03 04 05 06

Vi har vel alle fra tid til annen slitt med å levendegjøre undervisningsstoffet for elevene. Men hvordan ville det være å ha en ‘ekte’ engelskmann med seg i engelsktimene? En som var på elevenes alder og som kunne

07

snakke om emner som f.eks. det engelske skolesystemet, britisk politikk og samfunnsliv, musikk og kultur

08

basert på sine egne erfaringer? På Askim videregående skole har de klart å få til dette. Andrew Primrose (19)

09 10 11

har i fem uker assistert skolens engelsklærere, og både elever og lærere er svært begeistret for hans innsats.

Som Trond Huseby, en av engelsklærerne, sier: ’It’s like having the real thing in the classroom!’

12 13 14 15 16

Askim vgs. deltar i COMENIUS-programmet, og dersom du er interessert i å finne ut

17

mer om dette (inkludert hvor-

18

dan din skole kan søke om å

19 20 21

få motta en ‘language assistant’), kan vi anbefale

We were fortunate enough to be invited to meet

last year, he took an evening course to become

Andrew Primrose and to talk to some of the

a teacher of English to non-native speakers, the

teachers and students at Askim videregående

TESOL certificate. He finished school last sum-

skole. Andrew tells us that he is 19, and that he

mer and has now had a gap year before starting

grew up in Karachi, Pakistan, where his father

his university studies in English Literature in

worked for six years. Andrew attended a British

October. He has spent the year teaching in

overseas school there. The family returned to

Padova, Italy, and – for the last five weeks – in

Britain in 1989, and Andrew then became a day

Norway. So Andrew has experienced various

pupil at Cheltenham College, a public school in

cultures and school environments, and this is

22

følgende nettsted:

his hometown. While finishing his A Levels in

precisely what we would like to talk to him

23

http://www.siu.no/comenius

English, History, French and General Studies

about.

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Side 9

Andrew, how did you end up in Padova, and then in Askim?

While I was teaching in Italy, there was an exchange from this school to the school in Italy. I met the Norwegian international class and their teachers, Anne Torill and Trond Huseby, and they wanted me to come and teach here, so I did. They went to Italy on the COMENIUS exchange programme. I was teaching in Padova because I’d been there a couple of years before and had kept in touch with some people, and they offered me a job. I was teaching in a school and got paid for that, and I lived with an Italian family. In return for the accommodation I taught their children three times a week or so. Here, I think they managed to get a grant from the school to cover my airfare and things like that. I have been staying with the Husebys at their farm. Yesterday I even drove a tractor!

How would you compare school in Norway to Britain and Italy?

My school was a British public school, so it Foto: Ingvild Berg

was very different to this school. We had to wear uniforms, we had a much longer day, and a longer week. Half the students were boarders who lived at school. It was much more of a community with good things and bad things.

You get a different feeling, you meet for

It’s hard to describe, it’s little things like

would wait outside for the note. If he said no,

school every day, and then you all have lunch

they begin every lesson of the day with a

you would have to go away. Here the students

together. The boarders have breakfast and din-

prayer and there’s a crucifix in every class-

come into the staff room, and they use the

ner together as well, and spend all their time

room. I taught students from eleven to twenty

teachers’ first names.

together. But here you get the idea that people

years of age, because if you fail a year in

in one particular class don’t know the other

Italy, you repeat it. So the top class could

What do you think of that?

people in the school, and there are faces I

have pupils from eighteen to twenty-one.

It’s very different, and I like to see the different things. It’s difficult to say what’s best. I

don’t recognise. In a boarding school everyone knows everyone. And because it was a board-

You have your background from a tradi-

like things about both systems, really. In

ing school, there was lots more going on

tional public school and you have worked

Britain the whole attitude comes naturally.

throughout the day. From breakfast till the

in a Catholic school in Italy. What do you

I’ve stayed in touch with some of my teachers

end of the day, there was always something

think of Norwegian students in compari-

and they’re friends of mine now, but I still

happening. If we wanted to do sports activities

son? Is their behaviour very different?

can’t call them by their first names. They keep

we would do them at school because the facili-

It’s a very different experience, teaching dif-

asking me to, but it’s been so drilled into me.

ties were there, the other people were there,

ferent nationalities. The school here is defi-

It is also very strange for me to see people

the team was there. Here people do a lot of

nitely much more informal. At my school in

smoke because you’re not allowed to smoke in

things outside school.

England, if you wanted to talk to a teacher at

English schools. If you were caught smoking at

lunch, you would go to the teacher’s room

my school – even at the weekend – you would

What about the school in Italy?

where you had to fill in a piece of paper and

get into trouble. The students in Norway are

Oh, Italy – delightful chaos! Most Italian

give it to a porter. The porter would take it to

much more proficient in English than Italian

things are. A very different school again. The

the teacher, and then he would decide whether

students. This is probably much due to televi-

one I was teaching in was a Catholic school.

he wanted to come and see you or not. You

sion, films and music in English. In Italy I had

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to consciously speak slower, but here I can

10:06

Side 10

About Andrew

speak at normal speed and they understand.

they say something about English food I can

There have been very few instances when the students haven’t been able to say what they want to say because they haven’t got the words. It’s actually an advantage that I don’t speak any Norwegian – they have got to speak English. In Italy I learned some Italian, and when the students found out, they spoke Italian to me. I tried to keep it a secret as long as I could! I have detected that Norwegian students tend to write as they speak, lots of Americanisms and Internet speak, with abbreviations. The knowledge of the different registers, like when you have to be more polite and when you can be informal, doesn’t seem to have come through. How polite you are is quite an important thing in England.

A lot of Norwegian students might actually be perceived as quite rude in Britain before people understand that it’s just a literal translation of how they speak in Norway. For example, I think in Norway you can go into a shop and say ‘I want that’, while in Britain that would be rude. You must say ‘I would like this …’ or

always come up with some horror stories to

Trond Huseby, teacher: Andrew is the born teacher. He has a natural, smiling, relaxed way of teaching that the students like. All the teachers are very positive; they all want him in their classes. He is young, connects with the students and is a native speaker. This is not school, it’s life in a way. He’s here, talking to the students. This is why they learn English, to communicate with people in English. It’s the real thing.

Students of the international class, VK 1: KRISTIN MOSTØL: Andrew should stay on! He is funny, and he makes use of humour in his teaching.

ANDERS HALSTVEDT: It is very educational to hear someone talk in an English dialect.

We learn a lot just from listening to him.

GEIR MAGNE FLØ: He knows a lot about his native country. But he doesn’t lecture us – he asks us questions and allows us to think for ourselves.

LINN SKAGESTAD: He makes theory come alive.

FRIDA HANSEN: We think Andrew is a very brave person to come all the way here and to manage to connect so well with the students.

‘Please can I have ...’

What about teaching methods? Do you

02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

find that aspect different as well?

I haven’t really sat in and observed lessons.

But I think there are some differences. In Italy, more or less every student had a computer, so they were making a big deal out of that. I never used them because in the lessons I was teaching it was no use having a comput-

shock everyone! I base the teaching on talking, on personal things. I only see each class a couple of times and I move around a lot. In Italy I used textbooks much more. I based my teaching there on talking activities and the other teachers did the grammar teaching. I don’t really enjoy that – it doesn’t come easily to me.

What do you do on a normal day here at the school?

It varies a lot; yesterday I was out canoeing!

Otherwise, I teach five or six classes a day. I go to classes along with the teachers, introduce myself and ask if there are any questions.

Normally it is quiet, so I go on to talk about something the teacher has asked me to talk about. A week ago we went to see a performance of Macbeth at Akershus Castle so the week before that I did a summary of the play for all the classes. Macbeth in one lesson!

What about the workload for the students?

Students of the international class, GK: PERNILLE KILLINGMOE: It’s never boring to listen to Andrew, and it is exciting to listen to a real native speaker.

ISELIN GROBAKKEN: It’s an advantage that he doesn’t speak any Norwegian. We have to talk to him in English, so we are developing our English vocabulary.

PETTER SKJOLDEN: Andrew is young and different, and it makes a really nice change.

In England it was definitely heavier. We began school at 8 and finished at 6 most days, and then you had homework after. We had much longer holidays, though. In Italy they only had lessons till lunch. They got set lots of work to do in their own time. The school day seems very short to me here. I had school on Saturday as well in England, which everyone thinks is another horror story! In England most

er. I don’t get the same impression here. But then again this school is much more organised and advanced than the Italian school.

What about your teaching methods?

I haven’t been teaching for long, so I haven’t really developed my own pedagogical style. I am a talker. I like to make the lessons lively and amusing, but you would have to ask the students about that!

Where do you get your ideas?

From things that come up. If I ask the students if anyone has been to England and they say ‘Yes, and it was so strange because everyone drove on the left’, I’ll just start talking about

Foto: ©Scanpix

01

that and the reasons behind it and so on. Or if

Magazine 2001-2:Magazine 3/01

10-09-07

10:06

Side 11

Anders, Kristin, Geir Magne, Kjell, Linn, Frida. public schools want to keep the boarding

You have mentioned cricket, food and

In 20 years’ time, what do you think you

ethos even if there are not so many boarding

driving on the left. Are there any other

will remember from this school?

schools any more. So they want to have to a

things students have asked you about

Teaching in the school, the informal atmos-

busy week and then longer holidays. We also

Britain?

phere and the international class here that I

had compulsory chapel every day and church

English music is quite popular, even though

first met in Italy. They’ve been really friendly.

service on Sundays. But it wasn’t lessons all

lots of people confuse British and American

I hope to come back again. It is an excellent

day. Everyone thinks, ‘Oh, you did ten lessons

music. And there are always funny stories that

idea to take part in international projects and

a day, you must be a genius!’ – but we had

come out of a country, like for instance the

exchanges. We don’t have much of that in

more sport, more activities during the school

mad cows and things like that. And of course

England, unfortunately.

day. Here they have two lessons of sport each

the football. But I don’t follow football, so

02

week; we often had two each day.

often the students know more about that than

03 04

I do. Then they tell me about it!

Many people in Norway seem to think of

01

A lesson with Andrew

05 06

the public schools when they think of

What is your impression of Norway?

Before we leave the school, we get to sit in

school in Britain.

It is one of the first countries where I look as

during a class. Andrew talks to the students in

07

That’s really a distorted picture, because we

if I belong here! The only problem is that peo-

the GK international class about schools in

08

only have about 6 per cent public schools. I

ple tend to start talking to me in Norwegian. I

the UK. He spends most of the lesson talking

09

can only tell the students about that sort

didn’t get that in Pakistan or Italy. I’m very

about his own public school in England and he

10

though, because that’s where I went. In gener-

impressed by the number of people who can

makes it a very lively and amusing lesson. A

11

al, the school system in Britain is very compli-

speak English, even though Norwegians are

surprisingly large number of students are

12

cated. When I went to school there were still

generally more reserved than for instance

involved in the discussions, and topics such as

13

proper A Levels, but now they have changed it

Italians.

uniforms, smoking at school, the relationship

14

again. It’s quite a mess. It’s like trying to

between teachers and students, discipline and

15

explain cricket. Lots of people have asked me

Most people in Norway seem to have a

boarding are covered. Not only do the students

16

about this and I have just given up. In the pub-

very positive image of Britain.

seem to learn a lot about British public

17

lic schools there are still people who see

Yes, I’m very pleased with that, because more

schools; they also get the chance to reflect

18

cricket as an analogy of life, a way of living;

and more places you go to people have nega-

upon their own school. Perhaps not surprising-

19

in cricket you can find all the answers! But to

tive images like football hooligans or mad

ly, the majority in the class says they prefer

20

a foreigner you can only say, ‘You have two

cows. I had to apologise to one class for the

their own system of education, but if they

21

teams, a game goes on for five days and in the

Spice Girls! It was the first thing they thought

could keep their English assistant teacher,

22

end no one has won.’

of in connection with England.

we believe they would be very happy to do so!

23 24

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10:06

Side 12

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Mari Ropstad er 18 år gammel. For tiden går hun It’s late afternoon and all the students are

i tredje klasse på Oslo Katedralskole, men andre

rushing to and from classrooms. The teachers

året av videregående tilbragte hun i Timaru, New

are waiting. In Mr Wulff’s history room there’s

Zealand. Hun reiste i juli 2000 og kom hjem

a nervously excited atmosphere. The students

samme måned året etter. Når Mari ikke går på

know they’ll get their essays on Elizabethan

skole driver hun mye med idrett, blant annet

government back today. Who will do best?

rugby som hun oppdaget på New Zealand. Ellers spiller hun fotball og går på ski og kjører snow-

And the students get their results, a mark out

board om vinteren. Etter videregående håper hun

of 100 per cent. But the most important thing

på å begynne på journalistutdanningen, helst i utlandet et sted. Året i New

is to see how you have done compared to the

Zealand gav nemlig mersmak.

rest of your class. That’s why the teacher has ranked all the marks. The pass line is drawn

to read his or her essay to figure out what it

in red below 50 per cent. If you are below this

takes to become excellent. The best students

New Zealand is a country far away from the

line, you have failed. Tough luck, really …

get prizes, and often money for their hard

rest of the world. In many ways it’s similar to

work. If she (or he) is really good in a lot of

Norway. They are proud of their nature, and

In New Zealand, the students are responsible

subjects she can get several prizes and

that’s also what they like to show tourists.

for their own learning. The one who does best

acknowledgements from the whole school, stu-

Skiing is popular in winter, and during summer

gets a lot of envious looks. Everybody wants

dents as well as teachers.

the Kiwis spend their time on one of the beau-

10-09-07

10:06

Side 13

Foto: ©Samfoto

Magazine 2001-2:Magazine 3/01

tiful beaches, or they go tramping or watch a

academic standard, but whether this is a fact

there to assist such students as a tutor, as

good game of cricket. Rugby’s on the menu

or plain prejudice can be discussed. The

long as they are interested and serious.

throughout the year, and is by far the most

school I attended wasn’t particularly tradi-

popular sport among the population. The Kiwis

tional or strict in any way. In fact I’d say it

For those who are hard working and happy to

put their pride in showing the world that they

might have been quite lenient compared to the

take full responsibility for their own learning,

can excel in sport and other competitions even

other schools in the area.

the system pays off. I would claim that New

though they are only a small nation. Much like

Zealand is a country where talents are recog-

01 02 03

our relationship with the Swedes, the Kiwis

Whichever way you look at it, you will find

nised far more than in Norway. There are

have a love-hate relationship with their

great differences between the school systems

awards and prizes in every subject for the

Australian brothers and sisters.

in Norway and New Zealand, mainly due to the

best students at the school as well as on a

different values they are built on. It seems to

national level. These awards are goals in

There are, however, differences. At a glance,

me that Norwegian students follow the same

themselves for a number of students. They

New Zealand may look like a replica of

teaching no matter what abilities they possess.

make students believe in themselves and they

Norway, but if you dig deep enough you’ll find

In many ways this is harmful to the fast learn-

learn that hard work is necessary if you want

that there are major differences in habits and

ers, who in the end are starved of challenges.

to achieve something. Awards also create a

values between the two nations, much of them

Pupils in New Zealand schools are required to

lot of competition, and there’s a never-ending

due to history. As a former British colony and

learn a great deal of the syllabus by them-

discussion in New Zealand as to whether this

still a member of the Commonwealth of

selves. Books are used very little or not at all

benefits the students or not.

Nations, New Zealanders have fought hard to

in class. Notes are written on the board during

14

create their own identity. In many ways they

class time, but very often these will be just

With responsibility for your own learning

have succeeded, but in some areas of society

what’s necessary to know to get a pass. The

comes the opportunity to choose more of your

16

the European roots are clearly visible.

students are then expected to go home and

own subjects at an earlier age. This way, the

revise and do exercises for what you’ve just

seriousness of school and of making choices

This applies for instance to the education

written notes on, but this is not given directly

is experienced earlier, and it might make

system. School uniforms are still compulsory,

as homework. If you are aiming for a better

pupils more independent. A difference worth

and many people are still strongly in favour

mark than a pass, which in many cases is need-

noticing is how the subjects are prioritised.

of single sex schools. These schools are gene-

ed to get accepted to university, you have to do

Academic and creative subjects are given the

rally known to be stricter and of a higher

a lot of work on your own. The teacher will be

same weight. All schools will have at least

04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

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10-09-07

10:06

Side 14

five lessons a week in subjects such as pho-

only for schoolwork, but also for extra-curri-

others, but this comparison is not encouraged

tography, drawing, woodwork and painting. The

cular activities such as sports, band, choir

in Norwegian schools as it is in New Zealand.

amazing thing is that they have enough mate-

and other groups. In Norway these activities

Group work and oral presentations are much

rials and resources to do it properly, not like

are something you do on your own where you

more predominant teaching methods in

the typical Norwegian school where such sub-

live. It’s easy to gain awards here as well just

Norwegian classrooms.

jects become an opportunity for students to

by participating in such activities. It’s a sign

sleep or do their homework. In many

of involvement in and commitment to the

Even if the systems may seem very different,

Norwegian secondary schools these subjects

school, and what it stands for.

there are of course similarities as well.

aren’t even offered, and if they are, they are certainly not allocated five lessons a week.

Students in Norway and New Zealand might Getting the results of a test on Norwegian lit-

not have the exact same knowledge, but

erature can feel like the end of the world

schools in both countries teach the students

Another major difference between going to

sometimes. The atmosphere is the same as in

how to function in a society. Despite marked

school in Norway and in New Zealand is the

Mr Wulff’s history class: there are so many

differences, the two school systems build on

great importance of the school in the commu-

people who want to do well. It’s a natural

the same philosophy: learning for life, not

nity. The place where you are learning is not

human instinct to compare your results to

just for the exam.

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Foto: ©Scanpix

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10-09-07

10:06

Side 15

Focus on the Author

Roddy Doyle Foto: ©Scanpix

away from the

their own roaring, I kept the descriptions as

I de nærmeste utgavene av dette bladet vil vi gi noen korte

original inten-

bare as possible. And then gradually, the next

møter med forfatterne bak romanene vi gir ut i skoleutgaver.

tion. The book

books were more introspective. The narrator

Først ut er iren Roddy Doyle (1958-), mannen bak The Snapper.

you read is not

was getting closer to an individual character.

Han har skrevet følgende romaner: The Commitments (1987),

The Snapper (1990), The Van (1991), Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha (1993), The Woman Who Walked into Doors (1996) og

A Star Called Henry (1999). Doyle har også skrevet

the one I sat down to write in many ways. That goes for everything I’ve done.

bl.a. skuespill, manus til TV-serier og litteratur for barn.

The Woman Who Walked into Doors was the most difficult thing I’ve written. I was a thirty-year-old woman as I was narrating that book. Every word was a terror – I thought the man in me would take over. But I felt that a book about domestic violence was going to be a more powerful book if told from the point of view of the victim. And I thought it would bring people much closer to the subject than if the

Here are a few well-known facts about the Irish author Roddy Doyle: He wrote the so-

narrator were a witness, if there

called Barrytown Trilogy, which includes The

was a third person narrator. In

Commitments and The Snapper. All three

Paddy Clarke, I wrote in the first person [Paddy is a small boy,

books have been made into successful films.

ed.] and used a style, a kind of

He won the Booker Prize in 1993 for Paddy

jumping around, the way kids’

Clarke Ha Ha Ha. And, finally, he has a reputa-

thoughts go. It took a lot of practice.

tion for writing funny, feel-good stories about

I wanted the plot to be there, but not too

loveable Irish people in downtrodden sur-

apparent at the beginning. I had to knit the

01

On realism:

bits together in a way that adults wouldn’t

02

But did you know that Doyle used to teach

- I’ve always been a slave to realism. I’ve

really think of doing, but that children would

03

English in secondary school? Or that he self-

always made sure that everything that was

do. In the case of these two books, part of the

04

published The Commitments while still teach-

said and done could, in fact, happen. This time

enjoyment was to get to know the characters

05

ing? Or that his two latest novels have a far

around [in A Star Called Henry, ed.] I didn’t

as well as I possibly could. But I could cer-

06

darker tone and themes that range from alco-

give a toss. I wanted to make reality wobble a

tainly see myself writing in the third person,

07

holism and abuse to war and severe poverty?

bit this time, to see it through a distorting

in an old-fashioned Dickensian way, for exam-

08

glass. In that way it was a departure from

ple, or as a witness. I also like the way

09

what I’d been doing in the past.

Salman Rushdie writes in the first person,

10

where you get the feeling that the first person

11 12

roundings.

Roddy Doyle is a writer of great range as well as an acclaimed stylist. In this interview, he talks about the writing process and his own

On plot:

is making up the story as they go along. It’s

development as a novelist.

- The first three books I wrote had fairly line-

the first person creating the story.

al plots. They meandered a bit, but basically, On planning a novel:

they started at A and ended at C. Since then

- I tend to plan as I write. I don’t plan the

I’ve become more experimental with plot.

book and then sit down and write it. Part of

13 14

On characters – and their language:

15

I try to get close to the character’s experience,

16

using snippets of my own experience, for exam-

17

the challenge is to get in as far as you can

On point of view and the role of the

ple. But at the same time I’m not interested in

18

and put a certain shape on it. It’s a lot of

narrator:

occupying the character. In A Star Called Henry

19

work, a lot of rewriting. I start off and I get to

- I think what happened with The Commit-

the story came after the character. What I was

20

know the characters a bit. Sometimes I have

ments is that what I tried to do was to make

keen on doing was a bit like, I wanted to see if

21

fixed plans and they don’t work out. It sways

it narrator-free. Just to let the characters do

I could copy Dickens basically. To see if I

22 23 24

Magazine 2001-2:Magazine 3/01

10-09-07

10:06

Side 16

I’d also like to think people have recognised themselves in the books. I would hope that my books are seen as being both literary and accessible. And that they are creative records of what life was like at various times, or what a segment of life was like, when I was writing them.

On Irish literature: I think a lot of writers in Ireland were drawn to writing because it was one of the good, easy, cheap, accessicould

ble ways of

write a

expressing

story a bit like

themselves.

David Copperfield,

Also, Ireland

starting at the beginning. As for

has always has

Sources:

foul language, the language some char-

a very strong

acters use is the language they use in

oral tradition.

their life, even if it is bad language. In

We’re full of

Interview by Charles Taylor,

The Snapper, Mrs Rabbitte is always

Salon Reader’s Guide to Contemporary Fiction,

great talkers.

angry as her husband uses bad lan-

28 Oct. 1999

Going through

guage, but this is typical of that par-

school, we

ticular character. I don’t care what

were given

Interview by Dave Weich, Powells Books, 4 Oct., 1999

critics say. I’ve never used one word of

very little lit-

bad language to shock people.

erature to read

Interview by Laura Stella, Film Anthology, 12 May, 1997

01

– a few poems

02

On teaching:

03

What motivated me to write The

04

Commitments was that I wanted to write

05

about the type of kids I taught and had

Liam O’Flaherty and Frank O’Connor – and the

become charmed by, really, and whose compa-

fiction:

07

ny I enjoyed. Kids who are typical of the type

it is a question

05 06

of putting words together (you

the others, but I’ve never felt that Dublin is

write a word, then you choose the next one ...).

You are building on words, really, and the

a particularly literary city. Most of the liter- 09 10 ary figures who are from Dublin got out as

rhythm is important; so sometimes you have

fast as they could.

school story. I wanted to see them a few

10

years after they had left school, still young,

11

but adult. All in all, I prefer writing fiction to

12

teaching. I really loved teaching for a long

to reject a word and put in another one

13

time but after fourteen years of teaching I

because the rhythm breaks down. Every word –

the rest of my life.

04

07

of place I came from. I didn’t want it to be a

16

03

08

09

was bored and I didn’t want to do that job for

teaching was very staid, very

02

dull. I went to university and I studied

08

15

short stories by

Literary Review, June 1999

06

14

by Yeats, a few

Interview by Karen Sbrockey,

01

11 12

On being the first Irish person to win the

13

every choice I make in regard to words – is a

Booker prize:

14

literary decision. It’s not up to me to decide

It is, to an extent, surprising, but while I’m

15

whether it’s high or low. Everybody’s their

the first Irish person to win it, I was by no

16

17

On writing:

own critic, whether it’s bad or good or some-

means the first person outside Britain to win

17

18

People ask me how many drafts I do. Some

thing in between. Why do I write? Well, I sup-

it. For example, I was shortlisted in 1991 and

18

19

pages it’s one. Others it’s twenty-seven. I’ve

pose the simplest answer is because I love it.

Ben Okri, the Nigerian writer, won it. And

19

20

told people that a good day’s work is often a

And I have written books that I thought – I’d

Salman Rushdie won it years before that, and

20

21

page. That’s because I spend a lot of my day

like to think – have entertained people, that

22

going over other pages. When you are writing

have shown them words that they didn’t know

Nadine Gordimer won it, and J. M. Coetzee won 21 22 it. It was pure luck that I won it.

23

a novel or a short story you are writing for

existed or that they sensed, but didn’t know.

24

23 24

Magazine 2001-2:Magazine 3/01

10-09-07

10:06

Side 17

Six Novels – Six Fascinating Stories So far, Cappelen have published six school

ing recollections of his own childhood, or you

that arise when Sharon refuses to reveal who

editions of novels for Norwegian upper sec-

can follow young Jordy Threebears (Winners),

the father of her ‘snapper’ is. That young peo-

ondary school. The novels have been chosen

who has lived a turbulent life in various fos-

ple can relate to the story of Sharon and her

because they combine literary qualities with

ter homes, as he starts a new life in the Ash

dilemma, should be evident in this excerpt

thematic relevance. Each novel has a story to

Creek Reserve in Canada. If you want to focus

from a book report by a 16-year-old student:

tell – stories that will appeal to the students

on Northern Ireland and its seemingly endless

and motivate them to read on. Karin Hals has

conflicts, Lies of Silence is a thought-provok-

The book’s a sort of drama, but with a lot of

provided the novels with glossaries, back-

ing psychological thriller as well as a love

jokes. It’s very humorous, but some parts of

ground information, questions and sugges-

story where the main character is unwillingly

the book are very serious, with deeper

tions for oral and written activities, including

thrown into the heart of the present-day polit-

thoughts behind them. The book isn’t very old,

guidelines for writing book reviews.

ical problems.

it was written in 1990, so it’s pretty modern.

That’s something I find very important. I think

The themes range from John Steinbeck’s clas-

The last novel in our series is The Snapper by

it’s the power of the writer that makes the

sic description of American rural life and the

Roddy Doyle. This is the story of 19-year-old

book very realistic. I actually can’t find any-

moving friendship between two men during the

Sharon Rabbitte and her large working-class

thing negative about this book. It’s full of

harsh 1930s, to the young Sumitra and her

family in Barrytown (a fictitious suburb of

humour, it reads very well and quickly and the

struggle to adjust to life in contemporary

Dublin). Their world is turned upside down

story isn’t boring, there’s always something

Britain in Rukshana Smith’s award-winning

when Sharon one day announces that she is

happening. It is a really great book.

novel. You can delve into Roald Dahl’s unique,

pregnant, and the novel deals with the small

often quite burlesque, but always entertain-

community’s way of tackling the problems

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 Roald Dahl: Boy

Roddy Doyle: The Snapper

John Steinbeck: Of Mice and Men

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Rukshana Smith: Sumitra’s Story

Brian Moore: Lies of Silence

Mary-Ellen Lang Collura: Winners

23 24

10-09-07

10:06

Side 18

Read It! You might think that a novel about a successful filmmaker and ex-alcoholic who meets the love of his life and then gets seriously ill with cancer is a tear-dripping cliché which is best suited for a low-budget Hollywood film.

Not so in this case.

Not that the novel is not moving, but it is so in an unsentimental way. It is also downright funny at times, with a voice that reminds the reader of J.G. Ballard as well as J.D. Salinger.

When Noah Arkwright discovers film, his career is settled. After a somewhat troubled childhood he achieves enough success to lead a comfortable life, but he also falls under the spell of alcohol and cocaine. He leads a fast and furious life of sex, drugs and rock’n roll.

When Noah blacks out after giving a lecture with the legendary Arthur Miller present, a young female listener somehow makes him attend AA 01 meetings. He is not particularly fond of the AA hallelujah meetings, 02 but realizes that it helps, and that their slogans actually have some03 thing important to tell him.

04

Something in me snaps. Some resistance deep inside cracks. I am suddenly there – sick and tired of being sick and tired and willing to be a 06 slogan if it will take the pain away.

07 08 With the help of good (and bizarre) friends he somehow manages to stay away from booze and drugs. The fact that at the same time he 09 meets cellist Clare, and experiences real love for the first time of his 10 life, plays a significant role in this transition, even though it makes 11 him even more vulnerable.

05

12

I must move on now or die – and I must do it sober. Fuck! It would be much easier if these people were big enough arseholes to justify my 14 taking the Big Step Backwards – hitting hard on the ice-cream cart 15 before sodding off back to New York with a tear in my eye and a chip on 16 my wounded shoulder as big as the Citicorp building!

13

17

After a vacation together in Africa, where Noah must choose between 18 the easy way out and the hard work of winning Clare and staying sober, 19 they become a couple. Eventually, they marry and have children, and 20 seem to be set to lead a happy life.

21 Yet, his troubles are not over. His post-drunk life is littered with para22 noia, anxiety and depression – and an increasing pain in his groin. As 23 it turns out, he has got cancer.

24

Reviewed by Bjørn Thrana Haugaland videregående skole

Magazine 2001-2:Magazine 3/01

This is pain as near to Pure Pain as you can get. This is the pain that torturers dream of inflicting, the pain which the Marquis de Sade lusted after until his dying day.

After chemotherapy he seems to be well, but the cancer returns as Clare is pregnant with their second child. His fight against cancer and for survival, in addition to all his other trials, shows an everyday hero at work. He tries to keep his sanity while at the same time fighting death, without returning to alcohol for comfort. He also has a wife and children to think of, and a career to keep afloat. He deals with the pressure with sheer stubbornness, but it is not a pretty fight.

In all, Noah’s life is a life of powerful ups and downs. He sees the devil himself, chasing him in the hospital, but he also sees rainbows, as when his daughter greets him from under the arch of a sprayer. He fails to feel as happy as he knows he should be, but still endures all his troubles.

It might sound like a poor film, but Browne’s voice, his style of writing, and the fact that the novel is filled with humor, make it a great novel. His misery is described as a matter of fact, and not without dark humor and irony. Noah Arkwright insists on keeping his ‘sense of tumor’ in the midst of all his agony. Still, some passages are pitch black from agony and despair, and are not for the squeamish.

The Times described the novel as ‘wildly funny and intimate’, which quite accurately sums up the whole story. It is about alcoholism and drug abuse, but also about love. It is about despair and fear, but also about hope. It is about a man’s weaknesses, but also about his heroism. It is about a man dangerously parked in life’s fast lane, but it is also about a man going somewhere.

The author, Stuart Browne, died from cancer before Dangerous Parking, his first novel, was published. The fact that the novel is semi-autobiographical perhaps adds to the cliché, but it should not stop you from reading it. It is hereby recommended.

There is plenty of material for discussion in this novel. Issues like alcohol and drug abuse, family relations and death are obvious. There is also material enough for a study of literary techniques, with time shifts, metaphors and contrasts not too difficult to find. Some students might find the novel’s 400 pages a bit too much, but my guess is that most will find it worth reading. It is definitely not a boring experience.

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10-09-07

10:06

Side 19

Billy Elliot and the Iron Lady

By Siri Hunstadbråten, Eiker videregående skole In the syllabus for English VK II alternative B, the British economy is listed as a compulsory topic. Naturally, the textbooks for the course present this topic, which for most students is a completely new field of study. Ideally, an introduction should therefore start from scratch.

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However, this is sometimes far from the case. The following excerpt on Thatcherism may serve as a typical example of how a lot of knowledge is presupposed.

fornøyd med, et vellykket prosjekt, et dikt som elevene likte godt, en

Her economic policy was simple: to lower taxes as an incentive to increase production, to limit government spending, to keep inflation low,

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Kommunikasjon er som kjent sterkt vektlagt i læreplanene, og

to let market forces operate freely and to leave the labour force to regulate itself.

Such a presentation may work for the teacher, who supposedly has some previous knowledge of the subject, but not for the students. They cannot anticipate what the text will be all about, simply because they lack the necessary knowledge. For this reason, I would claim that most students would not benefit much from reading the passage above.

forhåpentligvis kan Pass it on! bidra Suspecting as much, I asked my students to explain the meaning of this

til en levende menings- og erfaringsutveksling om engelskfaget.

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paragraph in concrete terms. As expected, they were at a loss. In fact, the great majority of the terms were completely incomprehensible to them. Even the meaning of such a relatively straightforward term, I thought, as market forces was not immediately clear to any of them, let alone inflation and government spending.

01 02

Thus, a general problem facing students, teachers and writers of textbooks

03

alike is that they have to deal with new fields of study within the frame-

04

work of an English course. In this particular case, the problem for the stu-

05

dents was that they were made to start grappling with the nitty-gritties of

06

Thatcherism without having acquired the necessary tools to do so.

Teaching VK II alternative B for the first time this year, I did not foresee the extent of my students’ predicament when presented with the textbook version of the British and American economies in general and Margaret

07 08 09 10

Thatcher’s policies in particular. Fortunately, I was saved by a happy

11

coincidence, as Billy Elliot was showing at the local cinema. A film set

12

in County Durham during the miners’ strike in the mid-1980s seemed like

13

a good way of visualising what Thatcher’s policies were all about.

14

Although the film is primarily about a miner’s son who, against all odds,

16

is admitted to the Royal Ballet School in London, its backdrop – the grim

17

realities of a Northern working-class community – gave the students a

18

good insight into British society and not least its class distinctions. Not

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only was the film entertaining and moving, but more importantly, it gave

20

15

us a common set of references for a great many social and political issues. Unlike many other excellent films depicting class distinctions, however, Billy Elliot is no costume drama, but is set in contemporary

21 22 23 24

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10-09-07

10:06

Side 20

Britain. (To me, at least, the mid-1980s is a contemporary setting. My

The vacancies were primarily in the service industries or high-tech

students, on the other hand, seriously questioned my definition of this

industries, and a redundant miner was not exactly qualified.

term.)

Bringing our discussion down to the level of one family and their fate Still, the most obvious lesson learnt from the film was of course

enabled me to shed light on complex political and economic issues in a

Thatcher’s unflinching determination to close down the mines that

way that the students could relate to more easily. The textbook terms

were running at a loss. Recognising what fate was awaiting the miners,

of ‘limiting government spending, letting market forces operate freely

my students started to understand the meaning of the expression ‘the

and leaving the labour force to regulate itself’ became more meaning-

Iron Lady’ better. When I put the dilemma of Billy’s father and his

ful when applied to a concrete context. The situation for Billy and his

workmates to my students in a very direct way, the serious situation

family, made redundant as a result of Thatcher’s adamant cutting of

facing these people started to dawn upon them. Concrete questions –

costs and barred from taking part in the economic boom further south,

such as ‘What kind of work can a man like Billy’s father do?’ ‘Are there

became a microcosm of the North-South divide. So after having seen

alternative jobs in their region?’ ‘How do house prices in County

Billy Elliot, my students were in little doubt as to the importance of

Durham compare to those in the South?’ etc. – gave rise to an interest-

social class and regional background in today’s Britain.

ing discussion in class.

The film Billy Elliot is currently available in most video shops.

In this way, we arrived at a common understanding of the dynamics of

Useful links:

changes in the job market and how unskilled workers are more severely

Facts and reviews (Movies.com)

hit than others. After all, the real tragedy for the miners was not so

http://movies.go.com/movies/B/billyelliot_2000/

much the fact that the mines were closed down as the lack of alterna-

Margaret Thatcher (10 Downing Street)

tive jobs, particularly in their region. Going south, where jobs were to

http://www.number-10.gov.uk/default.asp?PageID=3087

be found, was hardly an option for someone like Billy Elliot’s father.

Brain Teasers!

Here are a couple of exercises that were originally intended for students in American schools. However, they are not as easy as they may appear. Why not have a go?

A B

1 What is the one thing shared by all three items in the same group?

A a cow a shoe a baby

C a zipper a shark a comb

E a potato a hurricane a target

B a doctor’s office a post office music

D a guest in a restaurant a bird the Senate

F a river a person a cave

2

There is an animal in hiding in each sentence to the right.

Can you find the animals?

C D E F G H I J

We can go at six o’clock.

It’s nice to do good deeds.

Take soap and a towel.

Most rich people wear fancy clothes.

You can keep the watch or sell it.

Use a ladder.

It will be a rainy day.

I came late.

Tell me if I should start now.

Will a map help you?

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