Schools can be a vehicle for social mobility and developing a sense of belonging to the local community. Within schools, teachers are key for creating opportunities for learning and participation. However, they may also inadvertently reinforce the barriers due to the assumptions embedded in the institutional structures.
TEAMS project focuses on teachers’ work within institutional structures, and in relation to other professional and social groups and networks, including students, their families, school colleagues and specialists. The aim is to address the urgent need to understand and help teachers support migrant students integration in terms of their academic success and cross-cultural socialisation, and a sense of belonging in the school community.
We conduct social network analysis and ethnographic fieldwork using a participatory methodology to engage school staff and students throughout the project, including photography and film workshops for students to express their experiences in creative ways.
Teaching that Matters for Migrant Students from CAHSS Webteam on Vimeo.
The increase in migration has put considerable strain on receiving school systems in many countries. Countries have differing policy approaches to the education of migrants, arising from historical or contextual factors. The characteristics of receiving school systems is a stronger predictor of migrant students' learning than either cultural background or prior education (OECD, 2015).
TEAMS will work with six schools in Scotland, Finland and Sweden to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the institutional structures and teachers’ day-to-day interactions for supporting migrant students. The cross-country design allows us to gauge the impact of particular policies and strategies on migrant integration across contexts.
Featured posts
CRFR Briefing: What makes the difference in migrant education? Analysing teachers’ agency in universalist and targeted approaches
We are pleased to share the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships' briefing: What makes the difference in migrant education? Analysing teachers’ agency...
Resources for Teachers and Schools from the TEAMS project
The TEAMS Project has compiled a booklet full of resources for teachers and schools based on findings from the project.
Policies and Practices of Teachers’ Agency to Support Migrant Students in Scotland
In recent years, the school population has undergone significant shifts, mirroring the evolving demographics of societies worldwide.
The importance of engagement through knowledge exchange
By Tuire Palonen and Tom Richardson Colleagues from Scotland, Sweden and Finland have been busy presenting results of TEAMS research to schools, in a...
Agents of Change toolkit to address migrant integration
The Agents of Change Toolkit (ACToolkit) facilitates schools and educators acting as agents of change to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN...