Beygja - research into the experiences of people learning ICelandic as a second language

beygja Icelandic grammar board game CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION to the game and development plan 2. BACKGROUND RESEARCH: Learners profiles - insights about migrants’ experiences of learning Icelandic 3. BACKGROUND RESEARCH: Learners needs - insights that will drive the design of the game 4. BACKGROUND RESEARCH: Game ideas - 3 directions for the game and participants feedback

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

BACKGROUND RESEARCH

Learners profiles

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS

19 interviews were conducted with people learning Icelandic. They focused on their experience of learning the language, what helped and what got in the way.

16% 26%

26%

(5) outside Höfuðborgarsvæðið

(3) have lived in Iceland 10 years or more

(5) came as refugees

21%

19

37%

participants

(7) have lived in Iceland for less than a year

From: Canada+India: 1 / Croatia: 1 / France: 1 / Germany: 3 / Iran: 1 / Kenya: 1 / Lithuania: 1 / Palestine: 1 / Poland: 1 / Portugal: 1 / Singapore: 1 / Syria+Venezuela: 2 / Venezuela: 2 / Spain: 2 /

(4) had no English

32%

(6) self-learners

37%

(7) in a relationship with an Icelander

74%

42%

(8) have school age children

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

(14) spoke 2 or more languages fluently before learning Icelandic

47%

(9) use Icelandic in everyday in their work

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

LEARNER PROFILES

Priority group:

The 19 participants can mainly be divided into 3 main groups, with different needs according to their mindset and attitude, their relationship to the langauge and their way of learning. There are people of every level in each group.

•

most likely to have already tried a number of methods

•

become frustrated with their slow progress and likely to give up

•

need a positive experience of the language to find motivation again

The nuances of these groups are explored in the next pages, through stories.

DIVING IN

WITH CAUTION

DIPPING A TOE

“I try, even if I don’t speak perfectly. I dive into situations where I have no choice but speaking Icelandic.”

“I have a solid base, but don’t have the confidence to speak unless I know I can handle it perfectly.”

“I’m just starting and feel like it’s going to be a long and hard journey!”

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

I came here 10 years ago. Before that, I took a course once in Berlin and got some basic ideas about the grammar but couldn’t really use it. Then I got obsessed with trying to go over the newspapers, but it was so hard that I said okay, I will never learn this.

DIVING IN MINDSET • I try, even if I don’t speak perfectly.

I’ve learned to be ok with making mistakes.

• I need a real motivation so dive into situations where I have no choice but speaking Icelandic.

• Grammar is boring so don’t talk to me too much about it, I’ll pick it up.

• I like to absorb the language through various mediums everything is an opportunity to learn: books, radio, tv, youtube ads, groceries, etc.

PRIORITIES learn flexibly, in a way that works around their life

meaningfully connect to Icelandic people and society

FEELINGS TO AVOID

FEELINGS TO RE-CREATE

Boredom Stagnation

Curiousity Immersion

When I moved here, I was on parental leave.

So I was at home, not really connecting at all except listening a lot to the radio. Then I started at language school but didn’t feel the progress I expected, even if I got nice compliments. I felt I wasn’t participating in the society at all. I was in a foreigner bubble.

Even when I went out and met Icelanders, they always switched to English. As long as you don’t get out of this role of being the foreigner, you never really progress.

Eventually, I got there by allowing myself to take a step back from thinking of having the perfect approach, allowing myself to speak, even with a lot of mistakes, which was far from my idea of communication.

If you wait to reach a certain level before you start speaking, it will take a very long time because you don’t practice it.

Christoff

The breakthrough was when I started to work at a school. I taught teenagers, and some of them found it cool to speak English with me. But I got some negative feedback from parents, whose children were not that fluent in English. So I started preparing my classes in Icelandic, and little by little started speaking Icelandic to the kids.

The first two years were very hard. I was trying to build up more vocabulary, but you actually have to learn each word like 16 times.

So it doesn’t help, you still sound silly. But teenagers, you know, they made mistakes themselves so we were in a way together in this.

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

DIVING IN LEARNERS JOURNEYS Sustained peaks correspond to language immersion rather than courses (eg: taking a job in Icelandic)

CONFIDENCE WITH THE LANGUAGE

The main motivation is to communicate.

Mistakes are part of the journey.

There is sometimes a long period of slow incremental progress.

“I started working at the kindergarten in a small village.

There is no place to hide behind, to escape. You just are thrown into Icelandic. So that was where my confidence raised. It was a rapid growth.

“When we are with Icelanders, we try to speak. It doesn't matter if it's good or wrong, we try.

They say we speak more than people that have been here for 5 years.”

F

J C

V

P&A

A&M

YEARS LEARNING ICELANDIC 1

2

3

4

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

5

6

7

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9

10

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

WITH CAUTION MINDSET •

•

•

I have a solid base, but don’t have the confidence to speak unless I know I can handle it perfectly.

The grammar overwhelms me if I’m not taught in a structured, step-by-step way.

I don’t feel I can be my full self when I speak Icelandic - I want people to see me for who I am.

PRIORITIES

understand how the language works

stay motivated and see progress

find flow and let go of their inner critic

meaningfully connect to Icelandic people and society

FEELINGS TO AVOID

FEELINGS TO RE-CREATE

Anxiety Frustration

Achievement Clarity

I moved here 3 years ago. I married an Icelander. So that was my motivation for moving here. I studied a Masters at HI. So I was surrounded by Icelandic and found that in paying attention in the class, I was able to pick up the meanings but I wasn’t able to formulate sentences.

I also worked part-time at a school. But honestly, I didn’t learn anything from the children. They would get really frustrated because they had to repeat to me what they were saying. So they would just give up and leave.

language are working doubly hard. Because we’re trying to concentrate on what’s being said. So it’s very exhausting.

There’s a lot of prep work that I have to do in order for it to come out. But it’s very stressful. And even though you can use English words in between, I get so stressed that sometimes I blank out and don’t remember what my point is.”

Roselynn

I now work as a social worker and I started to use Icelandic in a more professional capacity and related to my job. I feel like I learned a lot from listening. But I was told by my manager that I would never get promoted, because I don’t know Icelandic. So I think for me, that’s, that’s a bit of a bummer, being told that.

Sometimes, I feel like moving back to Canada!

It’s easier if I speak the language. Yeah, I definitely feel like I just want to give up, I don’t want to do this anymore. You know, just a very small percentage of the world’s population speaks this language. When I’m so exhausted, I think from my job. I just don’t want to hear any Icelandic anywhere around. I just want to shut that off. The language requires a lot of energy and concentration.

When I’m at work, so much energy goes in trying to listen and trying to grasp what people are saying. This is what Icelanders don’t realise - we foreigners who don’t speak the

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

WITH CAUTION LEARNERS JOURNEYS

Low points often happen when it’s ‘physically impossible’ to maintain learning.

CONFIDENCE WITH THE LANGUAGE

Peaks of confidence happen during language classes but hard to maintain.

It’s often a bumpy road with emotional highs and lows.

“It was just not possible because of my personal circumstances.

I just couldn’t put the focus that was required, and the time and the energy. It’s so consuming to learn a language.”

J

E

I

A

D A

“I studied so hard at first, like, many hours per day, and I was so disappointed that it was not faster and I thought that anybody could speak any language after one year in the country. I kind of felt ashamed.”

YEARS LEARNING ICELANDIC 1

2

3

4

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

5

6

7

8

9

10

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

DIPPING A TOE MINDSET

•

I feel like I’m right at the start of a long and hard journey!

•

I’m quite isolated and don’t have many Icelandic connections to practice with, so I feel completely overwhelmed.

PRIORITIES

see how the language works

meaningfully connect to Icelandic people and society

FEELINGS TO AVOID

FEELINGS TO RE-CREATE

Loneliness Overwhelm

Connection Encouragement

I’m originally from Syria, but I moved to Venezuela when I was 19. I’m in my late sixties now. Spanish came easily to me at the time because people would notice that I’m new and just spoke to me in the streets.

I never went to classes to learn Spanish. We had a corner shop with my husband. I worked there and had friends to talk to, and they would teach me how to say this and that. When my first daughter started school, I learned to write and read with her.

My children are all grown-up now. I moved to Iceland with my youngest daughter, who is 25, at the start of this year. It’s very insecure in Venezuela. My other children, they are unsafe there. So we want to make our lives here. But I miss my life there. Friends and family, visiting me every day. There was always life around me.

Yesterday I got a call, and they were like: “Icelandic? English?” And I said “No, no.” So, when they realised that I don’t speak English or Icelandic, they hung up. I also have a fear that I would need something in the hospital or won’t know how to say it. I never go out without my daughter for that reason - she is young, she speaks English, and is motivated to learn the language because she wants to go to university. So it comes more easily to her.

Sometimes I feel like a wall.

Someone who doesn’t speak...

I don’t want to live like that.”

Badia (interview conducted in Spanish, interpreted

by Badia’s daughter)

Because we arrived during Covid, we spend most of our time at home. I’m in the risk group so we have to be careful too. We only go out to buy food, but like Icelandic people, it’s not like they want to get involved with you. The Latin culture and the Nordic culture are so different.

The only time I hear Icelandic is when the teacher is speaking. But the class is all in Icelandic. Sometimes people ask questions in English, but I don’t speak English either, so I’m lost.

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

DIPPING A TOE LEARNERS JOURNEYS

CONFIDENCE WITH THE LANGUAGE

There’s often a slowing down after a period of rapid growth, generally when confronted to grammar.

L M B&H

“When I moved here, I was very excited and I was more confident in trying to speak. But shortly after that, I was a little bit frustrated. I was kind of shy and maybe anxious to talk.

I realised that I’m at the very beginning.”

YEARS LEARNING ICELANDIC 1

2

3

4

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

5

6

7

8

9

10

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

BACKGROUND RESEARCH

Learners needs

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

LEARNERS NEEDS The interviews pointed to 5 core needs for learners. The game should be designed with the aim to help learners to fulfill those. Detail of what these mean and where they come from is outlined in the next few pages.

CONNECTION

meaningfully connect to Icelandic people and society

CONFIDENCE

find flow and let go of their inner critic

GROWTH

stay motivated and see progress

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

CLARITY

understand how the language works

CONVENIENCE

learn flexibly, in a way that works around their life

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

1: CONNECTION

IDEAS

INSIGHTS

The game needs to help people feel they can meaningfully connect to Icelandic people and society.

NEEDING TO BELONG

SPEAKING FROM THE HEART

TAKING THE PLUNGE

“This is not just about grammar, it’s about belonging and making a life in Iceland.”

“I want to be able to express my personality and speak from the heart on things that matter to me, not just learn survival guide Icelandic.”

“It’s when I can interact with Icelandic regularly, without falling back on English, that I progress.”

Make it fun for both learners and fluent speakers.

Provide meaningful conversation starters.

eg: School Of Life discussion cards Pick Your Poison Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

Build in a feedback mechanism.

Incorporate real tasks or role-playing real scenarios.

eg: Babel

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

INSIGHTS: why is it important?

NEEDING TO BELONG

SPEAKING FROM THE HEART

TAKING THE PLUNGE

Although it is easy to get by with English, most participants in the research intend to build a life here. They recognise that to feel fully part of Icelandic society, the language is necessary.

However, unless they have family, friends and colleagues who speak Icelandic and accept their imperfect command of the language, they found it a challenge to not only practice Icelandic but also find their place in Iceland.

Moving to a new country can be isolating. In addition, being a beginner in any language can limit your ability to express your personality and meaningfully connect with people. So learners tend to switch to English for deeper conversations, and only use Icelandic for superficial ineractions.

Real conversations with fluent Icelandic speakers (rather than just forced conversations in class with other learners) give people the live feedback they need to progress, but it can be a struggle to keep them going.

“I want to be fluent. Not just to communicate.

I have noticed that they treat us differently, especially that I’m from Poland.” A. “In Venezuela, I got my BA in law. I was a lawyer, but here I am nothing. It’s difficult when you have a level and right now you are feeling like you are beginning again. Like a baby. Also I think that to get in the society, you have to speak. They’re not going to speak to you. To gain people, you need Icelandic. I think they respect you more if you speak it.” H. “I was in a foreigner bubble. Even if you go out and you meet a lot of Icelanders, they always switch to English. As long as you don’t get out of this role of being the foreigner, you never really make progress.” C. How can the game help people to connect with Icelandic speakers around them?

“When I’m speaking Icelandic with my friends, I don’t manage to be myself. I think when you don’t handle the language well, it’s really hard to be funny... I want them to know the real me, not like a 5 years old version of me.” E. One participant organised a conversation group, facilitated by an Icelandic speaker. She found that having to communicate around things that mattered to her provided an incentive to practice the language.

“They weren’t conversations like in Icelandic class, which are just useless meaningless conversations. But conversations about family, friendship, about values. Having those weekly, even if I couldn’t say more than 3 sentences, I was tuning my ears and listening for a whole hour. [...] Because it connects with my heart.” A. How can the game provide an opportunity for people to express their personality in Icelandic?

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

“Icelandic has been very frustrating for a very long time. Because it doesn’t matter how much I was studying, the moment that you go there and you have to actually speak, it was like a wall. Yes, I can greet someone, but as soon as a person speaks about something, it’s done, the conversation is finished because I cannot reply.

It’s the moment afterwards when you’ve said everything you’ve learned by heart. You cannot improvise.” A. Some participants felt they needed a real motivation to learn Icelandic properly. They immersed themselves in the language by working in schools, or care homes, or moving to smaller communities where it is less possible to “hide behind” English.

“Mostly, I’m with the small kids. They speak to me in Icelandic. And you know kids they don’t have a filter. If you’re making a mistake, they will tell you.” D. How can the game give people an opportunity to practice conversation while growing their confidence to improvise?

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

2: CONFIDENCE

IDEAS

INSIGHTS

The game needs to help people to find flow and let go of their inner critic.

STRESSFUL MATHEMATICS

QUIETENING THE INNER CRITIC

ALLOWING MISTAKES

“Realising how many mistakes I could be making stresses me out. I see Icelandic as a headache.”

“I judge myself and fear others will judge me for not speaking perfectly.”

“Practice makes perfect. I’m only going to learn if I allow myself to make mistakes.”

Introduce friendly competition to make it fun, or compete as one team against the game.

Build in characters: allies to cheer you on, vilains to defeat and mentors to guide you.

Prevent overthinking by pushing players to generate as many sentences as possible in a short time.

eg: Dixit / New Phone Who Dis? The Mind (for non competitive)

eg: Werewolves

eg: Off Topic Charades Once Upon A Time

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

Encourage mistakes as part of the game.

Get players to practice declensions through rhyming to encourage a more playful approach.

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

INSIGHTS: why is it important?

STRESSFUL MATHEMATICS

QUIETENING THE INNER CRITIC

ALLOWING MISTAKES

The declensions of nouns and adjectives, as well as to some extent the conjugation of verbs is what overwhelms people out the most when learning Icelandic. People spoke of being paralysed by the realisation of how many mistakes they could be making when speaking.

One notable barrier was the fear of being judged for not speaking perfectly. Though often, this fear was internalised, and the learners themselves were their own loudest critics. This stopped them from finding flow and enjoying connecting with others through the language.

A few participants offered reflections about accepting imperfection. They saw making mistakes as an integral part of their learning journey and recognised that practice makes perfect. They also saw the impact of their mistakes as relatively small and low-stake.

“Even when I had this foundation, I realised when I really wanted to speak with someone, I was like making mathematics in my mind, it was like calculating the endings, like the case, like the gender... I spent way more time thinking about what I have to say than I spend saying anything.” A.

“For me it’s really bad, because I’m thinking ‘oh my god, what are they thinking?’ I know people are not thinking badly of me, I know it’s my insecurities which make me feel this way.

Like, oh my god this language is so damn hard, I don’t want to speak it. Those are the voices in my head when I try to speak. It’s something I need to overcome.” D.

“I don’t feel any shame or fear because we came to this country to make a life, to find opportunity. We made that decision to take the trip - all the fear was when immigration was deciding whether we were allowed to stay. And we passed all of that, so why be afraid now? The language is nothing. We just need to practice and practice and screw up a few times.” A.

“I sometimes hear people who don’t care about making mistakes. I’m not like that. I think about everything I say and when I’m starting a new sentence, I’m still thinking about what I said wrong in the previous one.” E.

“For me, it was just about allowing myself to take a step back from thinking of having the perfect approach, just allowing myself to speak, you know, with a lot of fails and mistakes, which was far from my idea of communication.”

C.

Some associated the experience of speaking Icelandic with acute stress.

“There’s a lot of prep work I have to do in order for it to come out. It’s very stressful. And even though you can use English words in between, I get so stressed that sometimes I blank out and don’t remember what my point is.” D. “I had a lot of tasks like answering the phone or writing emails and it was so hard! Sometimes I would sit for a couple of hours writing an email.

It was like such a struggle and such a stomach ache that I felt I just wanted to puke!” V. How can the game help learners feel more relaxed with Icelandic and find flow when they speak?

This was especially significant when linked to feelings of failure.

“I was told by my manager that I would never get promoted, because I don’t know Icelandic.

So that was a bit of a bummer, being told that.”

D.

How can the game make learners feel comfortable enough with making mistakes?

How can the game help learners to let go of their inner critic?

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

3: CLARITY

INSIGHTS

NOT A PARROT

DEMISTIFYING THE LANGUAGE

SEEING THE LANGUAGE IN ACTION

“Learning phrases by heart only helps me up to a point.

I want to be able to express what I want the way I want.”

“In time, I’ll pick up phrases and get a feel for the declensions, but I need a key to the core grammar concepts first.”

“I’m more likely to remember it if I have a visual reference that enables me to see the building blocks and variations.”

IDEAS

The game needs to help people to understand how the language works.

Get players to say one thing in as many different ways as possible.

eg: Dictionary game Apples to Apples Taboo Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

Include a simple visual key to some core grammar concepts.

Being a beginner is uncomfortable.

Get players to take on on the role of expert.

eg: By teaching aspects of their own langugae

Include visual flashcards and pattern recognition tasks.

eg: Dobble / Memo / Dominoes

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

INSIGHTS: why is it important?

NOT A PARROT

DEMISTIFYING THE LANGUAGE

SEEING THE LANGUAGE IN ACTION

Some schools, especially in early levels, focused on the acquisition of core phrases such as ‘ég er að...’ or ‘ég ætla að...’ which enable people to form sentences that don’t require much thinking in terms or conjugation or declension. However, some learners felt that learning phrases by heart only helped them up to a point. They saw the grammar as a key to the language, enabling them to express what they wanted in the way they wanted.

Familiarity with grammar in other languages was helpful to people understanding rules in Icelandic.

However, not all languages have comparable rules and structures - especially English. People often reported being told to not worry about grammar, that some rules couldn’t be explained, and that they would pick it up in time. This all contributed to the feeling that Icelandic is an outlandish, impossible language.

The methods native speakers use to memorise declensions (such as ‘hér er, um frá, tíl’) don’t always resonate with learners who don’t have the same reference points in their own language.

Some participants referred to visual tools they were given in class as very helpful to help them sense the language beyond just understanding the logic of a rule.

“If I just repeat it, I don’t have the knowledge.

I’m like a parrot, do you know what I mean.

But being a parrot is not enough for me in a language. If you just give me a sentence, I’ll be very confused. You have to tell me what is the subject, where is the verb, and then I can start building sentences.” F. “They tend to teach like a cookbook. They give you these phrases “Má ég fá, blah, blah, blah.”

And then what is “má” ? What is this form? They don’t know. They just tell you this is how you say it. And it’s like a survival guide, for me it’s not proper language.” I. “You learn the vocabulary, but actually have to learn each word like 16 times. So it doesn’t help, you still sound silly.” C. How can the game give people a key to the language so they can communicate beyond the basics?

“The teacher was excellent. And I think because she was a foreigner, she saw what foreigners need to know, compared to Icelandic teachers.”

D. “It’s so hard to wrap your mind around inanimate objects having gender. I just can’t. I just don’t get it. It’s very frightening. And like, even colours to have gender!” D. “95% of the courses to learn Icelandic are in English. And the problem is that English is a very simple language without cases, without genders... And explaining a very complex language using a simple language is really hard because it’s almost impossible to pull practical examples.” A.

“I literally always have that [chart] in my mind.

So when they’re talking about something I’m like yes I know it’s dative yeah no it’s þágufall because I remember I mapped it in my mind. I’m just a very visual learner.” A. “I feel like knowing the basic rules is one thing but I’d like to know Icelandic just like I know English, I just tune my ears to it. I just know that it’s right, because I hear it. So yeah, a game that helps me hear it, and see the same patterns.” A. How can the game use visuals to help people memorise the core building blocks and variations?

How can the game help people feel like they understand the structures that support the language?

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

4: GROWTH

IDEAS

INSIGHTS

The game needs to help people to stay motivated and see their progress.

FACING THE GRAMMAR WALL

GOING AT YOUR OWN PACE

“At the start, I progressed fast, but lost my momentum. when I realised how much there is left to learn.”

“I want to learn what’s right from me, step-by-step, rather than being pressed to rush through levels.”

Make it a quest, where players can clearly see the path ahead.

Players choose their own adventure through different learning zones.

eg: Ticket To Ride, The Mind

eg: Ticket To Ride, Trivial Pursuit

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

Get players people to set their own goal based on their motivation for learning the language.

LOOKING BACK AT THE DISTANCE TRAVELLED

“Progress doesn’t always feel like progress. I need to be reminded of where I started to find the motivation to continue.”

Have a progress tracker that people can update overtime.

Include top-up cards to ensure players don’t exhaust the possibilities of the game.

eg: Babel

eg: Trivial Pursuit

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

INSIGHTS: why is it important?

FACING THE GRAMMAR WALL

GOING AT YOUR OWN PACE

Once the first phase of excitement and curiosity fades, the realisation of how complex the grammar is can feel discouraging. Some participants felt that after a rapid initial progress, they stagnated, lost their confidence or gave up.

To avoid the overwhelming feeling of being ‘just a beginner,’ participants have found step-by-step teaching methods useful. Without the pressure to apply all grammatical rules from the start, people have felt more able to start building sentences and expressing themselves.

“The more Icelandic I know, the less confident I am.” Patricia “When I moved here, I was very excited and I was more confident in trying to speak. But shortly after that, I was a little bit frustrated.

I was kind of shy and maybe anxious to talk.

I realised that I’m at the very beginning.” J. “I soon realised that Icelandic is not like English where even if you don’t have information on grammar you can actually speak. With Icelandic it’s the opposite. You can only speak when your level is already kind of mid-high. Because even the basics are quite advanced.” A. How can the game demistify the grammar and help learners maintain their initial momentum?

“For example, she taught us how to say ‘my mom ate a sandwich. But she wouldn’t decline ‘sandwich’. She would just leave it as ‘samloka.’

At the next level, she would teach us þolfall and change to “my mom ate samloku’.” A. Schools are organised through levels. While these are necessary to ensure appropriate teaching, they can also make it feel like there is only one way to progress.

“Sometimes the teacher used to tell us you know it doesn’t matter even if you go back and repeat like level 2. It doesn’t mean that you’re failing or whatever, it’s about your journey, it’s about you wanting to know Icelandic. But for me it was like I have to finish this, like an exam.

And that was wrong.” D.

LOOKING BACK AT THE DISTANCE TRAVELLED Progress doesn’t always feel like progress.

Sometimes, you need someone to hold a mirror and show you how far you’ve come. Feedback that invites you to look back at the distance travelled is important when someone feels like they are struggling or stagnating.

“In Icelandic class level one, the teacher took us out for dinner. He stopped us in the middle of the dinner and said: ‘Guys, this entire dinner has been held in Icelandic. And everyone understands everything we’re all saying.’ That was like a huge moment for me.” A. “I remember another time coming home and I was like ‘I had a half an hour talk with a guest and it was all in Icelandic!’ That was a very good feeling.” E. How can the game provide positive feedback on people’s progress?

How can the game help people feel comfortable with where they are at in their journey? focus on the journey, not the destination.

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

5: CONVENIENCE

IDEAS

INSIGHTS

The game needs to help people to learn flexibly, in a way that works around their life.

INTENSITY OF LEARNING

FEW RESOURCES BEYOND CLASSES

“The intensity required to learn the language doesn’t fit my life.”

“I find it hard to keep progressing when I’m not attending a course, but courses are not available where I live, for my level.”

Design it so it’s quick to play and easy to dip in and out of.

Ensure flexible rules for a range of contexts (alone, in pairs, in teams).

Include tips and resources for self-learners.

EXPOSURE TO A DIVERSITY OF MATERIALS, METHODS AND VOICES

“Learning from one teacher or one school only doesn’t prepare me for the unexpected.”

Combine activities that use different materials and engage different parts of the brain.

eg: Dobble

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

INSIGHTS: why is it important?

INTENSITY OF LEARNING

FEW RESOURCES BEYOND CLASSES

Learning Icelandic takes commitment. Participants who were able to immerse themsleves in the language were expectedly more likely to feel confident. Learners who attended intensive daily courses for example, reported a quick rise in their command of the language. However, this intensity is not suited to everyone, especially those who work full-time, have children, or are in the middle of significant life changes, such as a new baby, a break up or home renovations.

Some participants were not able to attend classes at all. This was an issue in particular for people living outside the capital region. While there are a range of resources online such as Icelandic Online, bin.arnastofnun.is or snara.is, those are not sufficient - they don’t go deep enough or don’t give enough structure to help people maintain momentum in their learning.

“When I’m so exhausted from my job, I just don’t want to hear any Icelandic anywhere around. I just want to shut that off. And I just speak English, because when I’m at work, so much energy goes in trying to listen and grasp what people are saying. This is what Icelanders don’t realise, we foreigners who don’t speak the language are working doubly hard. So it’s very exhausting.” D. How can the game provide an opportunity to keep up Icelandic beyond classes and despite a busy life?

“I would have loved to go to school so much, but I never got the chance. It’s like, there’s too many resources in Reykjavik, but outside of Reykjavik, there’s really not many options.

And online, mainly what I found is only for beginners.” E. “I should try to write in Icelandic as opposed to using Google Translate. But now I’ve gotten lazier when it comes to reading emails. I just Google Translate - it’s such a crutch!” D. How can the game include a range of learning materials that involve different senses?

EXPOSURE TO A DIVERSITY OF MATERIALS, METHODS AND VOICES While class-based teaching was generally seen as the most robust and structured way to learn, it was also seen as insufficient by itself. Some participants felt the need to attend a few different courses at the same time, combine a range of methods, and get exposed to diverse materials and voices. Approaching the language through a multitude of angles felt like the best way to be prepared for unexpected turns of phrases in conversations, and eventually gain fluency.

“The only time I hear Icelandic is when the teacher is speaking.” B. “I didn’t go to school, I just worked, I listened a lot to the radio while working. I was working in a workshop so I was wearing these headphones with the radio. So I could actually listen the whole day to Icelandic radio. And then of course I watched a lot of movies, trying to read the subtitles. And reading books with the German version next to me. And then it just happened somehow that it was easier and easier.” J. How can the game include a range of learning materials that involve different senses?

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

BACKGROUND RESEARCH

Game ideas

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

GAME IDEAS Three main directions emerged from the themes described in the previous chapter.

Each emphasises a slightly different combination of needs.

BEYGJA

TALAÐU!

A rhyming game which:

An app which:

•

forces people to speak

•

•

pushes people to be ok with making mistakes

forces people to have real life conversations

•

•

dedramatises the language

sends people on missions and rewards them for taking ‘risks’

•

involves Icelandic speakers

PRIORITIES

DILEMMA ISLAND

PRIORITIES

CONFIDENCE

CLARITY

Players grow their confidence by getting comfortable with mistakes.

Players learn to feel declension and conjugation patterns through rhyming.

CONNECTION Players have to engage in real conversations with Icelandic speakers.

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

A board game which: •

encourages people to express themselves

•

prompts meaningful and fun conversations

PRIORITIES

GROWTH Players stay motivated because they can tick tasks off the list and have to conquer different areas of the game.

CONNECTION Players get to express their thoughts, values and form and deeper relationships with other players.

CLARITY Players are given language cues that they have to put into practice immediately.

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

1. BEYGJA Create Icelandic poems in minutes and overcome your fear of making mistakes!

A FAST-PACED CARD GAME where you get rewarded for having the confidence to speak without the pressure of getting it right.

LEARN TO “FEEL” ICELANDIC GRAMMAR Learn to quickly identify the gender of nouns and to decline words without overthinking.

FLEXIBLE GAME PLAY Play alone, with your family or with friends. Different set of rules for different levels.

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

1. BEYGJA - PLAYER JOURNEY

SPARK CREATIVITY

DON’T OVERTHINK

You draw a Poem Starter Card (generally the start of a sentence or a question) and a number of Word Cards.

You write and perform a mini poem using as many word cards as you can in a set amount of time.

You can use conjugation and declension to create rhymes.

GET REWARDED, BUT NOT JUST FOR GETTING IT RIGHT With the help of a key at the back of the cards, you and other players assess your poem together and distribute points based on: • The amount of word cards used • Number of rhymes • Correct grammar

FLEXIBLE GAME PLAY You can play: • alone or as a group • against each other or as one team building on each other’s rhymes • with the grammar key visible or hiddden, depending on their level

CLARITY

CONFIDENCE

CONVENIENCE

Players learn to feel declension and conjugation patterns through rhyming.

Players grow their confidence by getting comfortable with mistakes.

The game is rapid, and can be played alone, in a pair or in a small group.

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

CONNECTION The game can be enjoyed by players at all levels, including native speakers.

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

2. TALAÐU! AN APP THAT GETS YOU TO SPEAK Don’t be shy, take your learning outside of school and into real life.

AN APP that helps you set yourself real world missions and cheers you on as you complete them.

LEARN THROUGH CONVERSATION Practice Icelandic conversation skills and learn by immersing yourself in the language and interacting with Icelandic speakers.

LEARNING THAT FITS AROUND YOUR LIFE Personalise your learning journey and practice a little bit everyday, based on what is realistic for you.

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

2. TALAÐU! - PLAYER JOURNEY

PERSONALISE YOUR JOURNEY

FROM PRACTICE...

You create your own learning journey by picking a series of topics and a level.

You set your own time fo daily practice. You get given conversation tips, vocabulary and memory exercises around the topic you are currently studying.

CONVENIENCE

CLARITY

Players are encouraged to keep learning daily, and can choose how much time to commit.

Players are given conversation building blocks that they can directly put in practice.

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

... TO REAL LIFE

SEE YOUR PROGRESS

You get daily (or weekly) missions to put into practice what you have learned.

You unlock the next level as you complete your missions.

This can only be done through a real conversation in Icelandic.

You can choose from a menu of suggested missions or set your own (eg: order a coffee in Icelandic or ask your father in law about his childhood)

CONNECTION

CONFIDENCE

Players have to engage in real conversations with Icelandic speakers.

Players grow their confidence by achieving real tasks beyond the classroom.

GROWTH Players stay motivated because they can tick tasks off the list and have to conquer different areas of the game.

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

3. DILEMMA beygjing + eyja) ISLAND or BEYJA ( A BOARD GAME FOR MEANINGFUL CONVERSATIONS

A BOARD GAME that pushes you to express opinions and connect with other players on a deeper level.

Be the first one to conquer a strange island and get people on your side by discussing meaningful topics.

BEYOND ‘SURVIVAL GUIDE’ ICELANDIC Practice expressing your thoughts, feelings and values so you can really be yourself when you speak Icelandic.

Would you rather...

A GAME FOR EVERYONE Play with friends and family.

All levels can participate.

be able to able to play any instrument you touch?

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

nd understa ge any langua ? you hear

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

3. DILEMMA ISLAND - PLAYER JOURNEY Would you rather...

be able to able to play any instrument you touch?

GO ON A JOURNEY TO SETTLE ON DILEMMA ISLAND You are given a character, who lands onto a strange island.

You are given a mission to go from one location to another while passing through all the other locations on the island.

You are also given some cards with langugage cues on them (phrases, vocabulary, etc).

Each location is a topic that relates to making a home in a new place (eg: friendship, housing, food, language, traditions, etc)

understand any language you hear?

SPEAK FROM THE HEART

SUPPORT EACH OTHER

Once you reach a new location, the other players set you a dilemma relating to the location’s topic.

Other players can help you by giving you language cues from the cards they have in their hands in exchange for you supporting them in the next round.

Choose an option and explain your choice, using as many of the language cues you have in your hand.

CONNECTION

CLARITY

Players get to express their thoughts, values and form and deeper relationships with other players.

Players are given language cues that they have to put into practice immediately.

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

If most players agree with your choice, you can progress to the next location.

CONFIDENCE Players support each other.

GET REWARDED FOR USING YOUR LANGUAGE CUES The game stops when one of the players reaches their destination.

Points are added up at the end of the game. The more language cues a player has used correctly, the more points they get.

GROWTH Players can choose the complexity level of the language cues.

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes

LEARNERS FEEDBACK Based on their feedback, I have chosen to develop Idea 3, integrating some elements from Idea 1.

I presented the ideas to 7 learners and 2 teachers to get their early feedback through remote mini-workshops.

In the long-term, the aim will be to use what has been learned from developing the board game to build the app.

Project developed by Fanny Sissoko with the support of Hönnunarsjóður

fansissoko@gmail.com - @whatfandoes