Academic year 2026/2027
Overview
This practical language course covers the essentials of communicative competence in English at the B1 and B2 levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Through a holistic approach, this course focuses on building communicative ability in everyday and study-related situations, where language development takes place in a supportive and participatory learning community. Teaching materials, assignments, and classroom activities are closely intertwined with the wider learning environment of the school. Students learn not only through lessons but also through shared experiences, collaboration, and active involvement in the school community. The course supports personal growth, democratic engagement, and the development of the whole individual, in line with folkhögskola traditions of inclusive, supportive, and meaningful lifelong learning. Through dialogue, storytelling, group conversations, shared reflection, and creative, exploratory activities, participants engage in democratic learning processes that deepen their understanding of themselves and others. In this collaborative environment, each individual’s growth is supported while the group as a whole develops together.
Learning Approach
At Sankt Ignatios Folkhögskola, the overarching principle that guides learning is that all knowledge is intersubjective.
Knowledge is dialogue, which requires humility and empathy.
This course is built on collaborative and dialogical learning where participants actively shape not only their common learning journey but also the course itself. The content, materials, and methods will be adapted in real time based on participants’ needs, interests, and input. Beyond mastering subject matter, a central goal is for each participant to become aware of how shared learning experiences and dialogue transforms their thinking, practice and identity. Through dialogue, narrative, group discussions, shared reflection, creative expression, and collective exploration, participants develop awareness of their own growth while supporting others’ development. The learning community becomes a space where everyone’s experiences and questions not only enrich understanding but actively guide the direction of the course, helping each person to integrate learning into their own life context in meaningful, personally transformative ways.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course, the participants are (individually and collectively) expected to be able to:
- take active, shared responsibility for their advanced English development, engaging in the everyday life of the folkhögskola, setting personal goals, and contributing to an inclusive and supportive study environment;
- understand and take part in everyday and more formal communication connected to school, work, community involvement, and civic life, based on the group’s diverse perspectives as a resource for learning;
- read, interpret, and discuss more complex texts, including academic materials and texts about social and cultural questions relevant to both the school and Swedish society;
- move confidently through a variety of social, study-related, and practical situations, developing their own communication strategies while actively supporting others in the group;
- participate freely in spontaneous and structured discussions that arise in community life and in the classroom, fostering meaningful dialogue across different backgrounds and experiences;
- produce clear and coherent written texts on topics of personal, group, and societal relevance, contributing to the shared learning environment through reflective and purposeful writing;
- develop detailed presentations in both speech and writing, showing the ability to explore different viewpoints and connect course topics to real issues discussed within the school community;
- express personal experiences, hopes, and reflections with increasing confidence, while engaging openly with others’ perspectives, helping strengthen the collective learning culture of the folkhögskola; and
- reflect on how learning English in a collaborative and democratic environment has influenced their communication skills, identifying concrete ways that shared learning, dialogue, and community life have supported their linguistic, cultural, and personal growth.
Other requirements
Attendance is mandatory. Students are expected to participate in all course activities, both by being present and playing an active role in scheduled sessions and by completing assignments outside of scheduled lessons. If participants miss lessons, they may be required to complete extra assignments to fulfill the learning outcome requirements of the course. For the course to be considered complete, 80% attendance and participation are required.
The Deans Council revised the syllabus on 14 January 2026.