Swedish for Immigrants Purpose of the education The aim of the Swedish for Immigrants (Sfi) language instruction program is to give adults who lack basic skills in Swedish opportunities to develop an ability to verbally and in writing communicate in Swedish in everyday life, societal life, working life and education, based on their different requirements, conditions and personal goals. The program also aims to provide knowledge and understanding of the basic values of Swedish society and how it is organized, to facilitate the student s integration, active participation in- and contribution to the development of societal life, working life and culture in Sweden. The program aims, in addition, to provide students with information and direction that enables them to plan continued education, employment and learning in everyday life according to their own needs and educational goals. Goals Schools shall strive to ensure that students have the desire and interest to learn the Swedish language and ventures to use the language in different situations, develop the ability to communicate in Swedish in speech and writing in everyday life, societal life and working life, develop strategies for continued learning both within the education program and in the surrounding environment, and develop an ability to plan their learning both individually and in cooperation with others, develop the ability to make comparisons between their own experiences of languages, cultures, societal life and working life, and the Swedish language and conditions in Sweden, develop knowledge of societal life, working life and education in Sweden and plan their continued learning according to their life situations, and develop knowledge of democratic principles and forms of work, as well as the values upon which Swedish society is based. The nature and structure of the Sfi program Sfi is characterized by development of the student s language skills and knowledge of society in the country where the language is spoken. The surrounding environment constitutes an inexhaustible resource, and various aspects of Swedish societal life, working life and culture are integrated into the program. The program gives students the opportunity to develop strategies that enable them to continuously build on their Swedish skills and their knowledge and understanding of everyday life, society and working life in Sweden with the help of spoken and written Swedish in the environment. Starting points for the program are the students different first languages, other language skills, occupational experience, educational background, and their needs and interests. The program includes observing the Swedish language and conditions in Sweden and comparing these to the first language and the students own experiences of everyday life, societal and working life.
The education given in the Sfi program also provides a background to- and a broader perspective on different social and cultural manifestations that the students encounter. The program includes both drawing linguistic benefit from- and examining the content conveyed by the language. The program helps the student develop a comprehensive communicative ability built up of different skills. One of these is the ability to master the form, including prosodic aspects, phraseology, vocabulary, word formation, grammar and spelling of the language. The skill of constructing linguistically coherent units is developed and the student s communicative ability gradually becomes increasingly better adapted to situations and recipients/listeners. When the student s own linguistic abilities are insufficient, he or she must compensate for this by employing strategies such as paraphrasing, synonyms, questions and body language. The ability to reflect on the similarities and differences between one s own cultural experiences and cultures encountered by the student in Sweden is a part of the education and helps to form an understanding of different cultures and thereby intercultural competence. Another skill is the awareness of how language acquisition occurs. The program also includes planning one s continued learning of the Swedish language and about everyday life, societal life and working life in Sweden. Swedish language instruction for immigrants is designed for students with different educational goals and students can vary greatly between one another with respect to things such as age, educational background, and life- and work experience. The program is therefore configured in three different ways. The three alternative paths of study Sfi 1, Sfi 2 and Sfi 3 are oriented to students with different backgrounds, requirements, conditions and educational goals. Each study path is made up of two separate courses that define the progression within the program. This enables the student to plan his or her studies with the help of goals that can be achieved within a reasonable time period. The Sfi 1 study path consists of courses a and b, Sfi 2 of courses b and c, and Sfi 3 of courses c and d. Thus, two of the courses are included in more than one study path. Depending on the path chosen, each of these, course b and course c, can be either a beginners course or an intermediate course. The course objectives are the same whether the course is given at the beginners or intermediate level, but will have an entirely different configuration depending on the study path. The students requirements, conditions and study goals are different. SFI1071 Course A venture to and be able to communicate verbally in simple everyday situations and be able to understand and use a number of written messages, be able to learn Swedish in different ways, both through education and in everyday life, be able to easily give a verbal description of his or her own knowledge and experiences, and be familiar with important functions in his or her local community and basic rules and laws in Sweden. Course a: The student is able to follow simple verbal instructions. The student participates and makes him/herself understood in simple conversations about everyday and well known topics. The student is able to verbally tell about something that he or she has experienced in an understandable manner with some coherence.
The student is able to handle a number of everyday situations where written language is used. The student is able to give examples of how his or her own language acquisition occurs. The student is able to give examples of experiences of societal life, everyday life and working life in Sweden. The student is able to give examples of basic rules and laws in Sweden. SFI1072 Course B venture to and be able to communicate in speech and simple writing in everyday contexts and occupational situations relevant for that individual, be able to try out and comment on different ways of learning Swedish, be able to describe his or her own knowledge and experiences and compare these with impressions of life in Sweden, and be familiar with societal life in Sweden and have knowledge of how democratic values are expressed in Swedish society. Course b: The student understands and can reproduce essential points about a familiar topic in clear speech. The student is able to reproduce information in everyday texts in an understandable manner. The student participates in different types of conversations in everyday contexts for the student. The student is able to verbally tell and inform about something well known to the student in a clear manner. The student is able to communicate in writing, e.g., by writing simple messages. The student is able to comment on his or her own learning. The student is able to tell about and reflect on his or her own experiences of societal life, everyday life and working life in Sweden. The student is able to give examples of how basic democratic values are expressed in Swedish society, e.g., with respect to freedom of speech, equality, and children s rights. SFI1073 Course C be able to communicate verbally and in writing in simple situations in everyday life, societal life and working life, be able to use different strategies for learning Swedish and have experience of planning his or her own learning, be able to describe his or her own experiences of languages, working life and cultures, and compare these with different conditions in Sweden, and have knowledge of everyday life, societal life and working life in Sweden, and know about his or her own rights and obligations.
Course c: The student is able to reproduce the main content about a familiar topic in clear, coherent speech. The student participates in conversations and discussions of an everyday nature about familiar topics. The student is able to express him/herself in a coherent and understandable manner in speech and writing, in order to convey experiences and opinions. The student is able to read and understand commonly occurring information and instructions in written form, as well as graphical representations such as pictures, diagrams and tables. The student is able to read and comment on simple everyday narrative or descriptive texts as well as selected literary texts in well known areas. The student is able to express him/herself in writing, in an understandable and coherent form, in order to tell about or describe something in everyday-, education- or work situa tions. The student is able to reflect on his or her own way of learning Swedish, and describe a number of strategies that facilitate continued language acquisition. The student is able to discuss Swedish everyday life, societal life and working life, and make comparisons with other countries. The student is able to describe his or her experiences of democratic values, rights and obligations in society, give examples, and compare with other countries. SFI1074 Course D be able to communicate verbally and in writing in different situations in everyday life, societal life and working life, be able to use different strategies in order to learn Swedish and be able to plan his or her continued learning, be able to compare his or her own and others experiences of languages, cultures, societal life and working life in Sweden and another country, and have knowledge of how Swedish society is constructed and functions, as well as norms and values, rights and obligations. Course d: The student is able to reproduce the content about a familiar topic in coherent speech. The student participates actively in conversations and discussions about everyday life, working life and societal life. The student is able to express him/herself clearly, understandably, and with some degree of linguistic variation in coherent speech and writing, and in following expresses personal views and opinions.
The student is able to read and assimilate different types of texts and reflect on their content and purpose. The student is able to make comparisons between his or her own and others experiences of language, culture, societal life and working life. The student is able to describe how democratic values are expressed in society, and describe basic rights and obligations.