Skogfjorden

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Skogfjorden is a summer camp operated by Concordia Language Villages outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. It was founded in 1963 and offers intensive full-immersion language instruction in the Norwegian language.

The Skogfjorden permanent site is also the location of the Danish program, called Skovsøen.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Founding

[edit] The Early Years

[edit] The Tove Dahl Years

[edit] Mission


[edit] Camp operations

[edit] Programs

[edit] The One-week Program

[edit] The Two-week Program

[edit] The Credit Program

[edit] The Credit Abroad Program

[edit] Buildings

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
  1. Gimle
  2. Valhall
  3. Utgard
  4. Låven
  5. Stavekirka
  6. The cabins
    1. Hamar
    2. Oslo
    3. Kristiansand
    4. Stavanger
    5. Bergen
    6. Molde
    7. Trondheim
    8. Bodø
    9. Tromsø

[edit] Daily schedule

The Skogfjorden schedule is designed as a mixture of structured and unstructured learning time. The four main structured activities are called Kretser, Kosetimer, Strenggrupper, and the Evening Program (kveldsprogram).

Kretser are two-hour-long simulation times in which villagers experience first-hand the world of the Vikings, life as a recent immigrant to the United States, an appreciation of nature, events and issues in modern Norway, and the history and traditions of Norway's native Sami population.

Strenggrupper (literally "string groups") are small language learning groups. They get their odd name from the color of strings that the villagers wear on their name tags, with blue traditionally indicating beginner language learners, red being slightly more advanced, and so on through yellow, brown, green, and aquamarine. "String group" is the only time during the day in which villagers are together with only people of their same language level. This allows them to learn and practice at a slower pace. Pedagogy experts on Skogfjorden's staff have developed an extensive curriculum that takes villagers through basic vocabulary and expressions in the first few levels and later allows them to simulate life in Norway as a visitor, an exchange student, and finally as someone moving to Norway to live and work. The goal of the String Group program is to build on what villagers already know, and to give them exposure to situations and cultural concepts they would likely encounter on a real trip to Norway. In that way, the program is intended to span over multiple years for the villager.

Another structured learning time is called Kosetime. During Kosetime, villagers are given their choice among physically active activities such as soccer, swimming, or dancing, and cultural and art activities such as music, painting, or literature. The activities offered each summer (and even each session) vary greatly depending on the interests and skills of the current staff members. Staff are encouraged to share things with the villagers that they already love to do, and villagers are encouraged to try things that they might not have the opportunity to try in their lives back home.

The final structured learning time of the day is the Evening Program. Evening programs vary greatly from session to session and year to year. Staff members are free to design the programs as they wish, within a proscribed theme. Those themes can run from the weighty (such as a simulation on the plight of refugee children) to the silly (such as a troll hunt in the woods). Evening programs allow the village as a whole community to experience and discuss a particular issue in an interesting, engaging, and often energetic way.

The rest of the schedule is considered unstructured learning time. The immersion philosophy used at Skogfjorden means that every minute of the day is a potential language-learning moment. Meals, for example, provide villagers the chance to sit at a table with up to seven other villagers and chat about anything that interests them. Staff members at the tables help encourage villagers to use as much Norwegian in those conversations as they possibly can.

Several periods of free time during the day, as well, contribute to spontaneous language usage. In order to buy candy, soda or gifts, for example, villagers must first take money out of their village accounts at the bank window and then make their purchases in one of the two village stores. All transactions are done using Norwegian currency and completely in Norwegian. These are often the first vocabulary words that villagers completely master.

Music also plays a very important role in the Skogfjorden schedule. As with any summer camp, much singing--often spontaneous--can be heard. Singing at Skogfjorden, however, has the added function of exposing villagers to new vocabulary and allowing them to practice unfamiliar and foreign Norwegian sounds. Villagers are also introduced to music that is currently popular in modern Norway. Pop music, rock, rap, folk, traditional, and many other genres can be heard around the village.

Finally, villagers spend time bonding with the other villagers in their cabin. Every cabin is different, based on the personalities of the counselors who run them. Each cabin, though, develops its own mini-traditions, cheers, games, and stories. Cabin time offers staff and villagers alike an enormous opportunity for language-learning moments, whether it be just chatting, writing letters home, or playing a game before bed.

[edit] The Deans

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
  1. Tove Irene Dahl (? - current)


[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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