Education International Research
by gradually introducing new concepts and deeper meanings of already known concepts. The point is that bilingual classroom assistants are not a passive instrument (pure translators) for conveying the content of lectures and books, but active developers of students’ languages (first and Swedish) and knowledge. Based on a study by Davila & Bunar (2017), it could be argued that schools should focus on the following principles while providing bilingual classroom assistance to newly arrived students: • In the first place, bilingual classroom assistance is provided to all newly arrived students according to their needs. They have the legal right to support and this is the most important pedagogical intervention. • Other staff members are informed that this assistance is being provided and there is a clear understanding of the parameters of the bilingual classroom assistance and the assistants’ roles. • There is a clear structure for cooperation between bilingual classroom assistants and teachers in Swedish as a Second Language. • Bilingual classroom assistants are “tutored” by teachers in various subjects, which means that teachers offer assistance with understanding and conveying the content of lectures and books to students in their first language. • Bilingual classroom assistants need time, resources and recognition in order to perform their tasks to the highest possible quality. It is important that they are included in professional development opportunities and peer-learning activities. • Bilingual classroom assistants often conduct their own initial mapping of students’ prior knowledge. Improved internal communication and cooperation would facilitate the sharing of this knowledge with other teachers. • Bilingual classroom assistants often have good relations with newly arrived parents. Schools should find ways to use this communication channel as an opportunity to improve relations between teachers and newly arrived parents (Bunar, 2015b). • Municipalities have uneven access to qualified bilingual assistants. Therefore, it is imperative that municipalities find new ways to cooperate, not least using various digital platforms, where municipalities lacking assistants in certain languages can get help from other municipalities.12
12 See Bunar (2016d) for evaluation of a project about cooperation on bilingual classroom assistants using digital platforms between municipalities in Stockholm County.
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