Uge Tretten (Week Thirteen: 19.04.12 - 26.04.12) - Cultural Development

Saying goodbye to friends from Germany.

This past week has been a very busy one filled with lots of plans, college work and unfortunately goodbyes.  For half the group their stay here is complete and it is time to go home, leaving a much smaller group of us behind.  I found it very hard to say goodbye, knowing that I probably won’t see a lot of these people ever again but I do hope to keep in touch.  Before coming here I never would have imagined I would make so many friends from places all around the world and I have definitely learnt a lot.  Slow speech being now my greatest skill!  I have learnt how people really live in different parts of the world, what they like to eat, their traditions, practices and culture of their country.  It is nothing like the pre-conceptions I had and I will definitely be leaving this experience more open-minded and knowledgeable.

We completed our classes this week and it gave us the chance to reflect on our experiences as the tutors produced the posters we made from our very first weekend here.  Looking back it is hard to believe that when it was created, we had only just met our partners and it was a bit awkward attempting to interview them but now after thirteen weeks we could comfortably sit and interview each other and reflect on our experience.  What we felt we had achieved was both quite similar, we felt we had gained independence, confidence in our own abilities and more relaxed.  I definitely think the laid-back atmosphere in Denmark ensures you become this way.  Culturally we both felt we had learned a lot about the Danish way of life, their food, their school system, traditions and history.  We have learnt some of the language, although on a very basic level and professionally we have developed as teachers with new ideas, techniques and questions to return with to our home countries.  So far, it has definitely been worthwhile coming here; I just wish I had longer than five weeks left.

Our landlady Kirsten took Jemma, Yon and I to the theatre this week.  I was a little apprehensive as she told us it was in Danish so I was worried we would be bored and not understand what was going on.  In reality I really enjoyed it.  Even though I couldn’t understand the speech, I could still figure out the story line and their actions and facial expressions helped.  The theatre was a very small, old one with a unique, cosy decor and it was great to do something different and witness more of the Danish culture.

I finally got two wheels this week and now I really feel like a Dane as it is a big part of their culture.  Cycling is not something I’d ever of imagined I would love so much but I find it really therapeutic, healthy and a much quicker way to get around.  I’m looking forward to taking advantage of my last few weeks, cycling to some places where I haven’t yet been with the rest of the group who are left.

My new wheels.

Uge Tolv (Week Twelve: 12.04.12 - 19.04.12) - Professional Development

I have now reached the end of my teaching practice placement and it has been a very interesting experience although challenging at times. I have experienced an entirely different school system to what I am used to but it has opened my eyes and definitely been rewarding. I feel that my Professional Competences have developed through this experience in particular ‘Competence 7 – an understanding of the significance of pupil voice’ and ‘Competence 10 – strategies for communicating effectively with all pupils.’  Danish teachers really do value the voice of their students and in turn the students are not worried or scared about voicing their opinion or even questioning the teacher.  As the classroom is so relaxed students often speak without raising their hand first or waiting to be spoken to and therefore are all confident in communicating their ideas.  This is something I would like to be more open to in Northern Ireland as it is difficult to get all students to speak out in class and many students lack the confidence to do so.  As I don’t speak Danish I have had to find many other ways of communicating with the students through using my voice, body language, gestures and pictures and I feel this will be extremely useful when working with children who have SEN or EAL.  I have also struggled on previous teaching practices to slow my speech when in the classroom and studying and teaching here has definitely helped me to achieve that.   

This week I spent time with a variety of classes and age groups from 1^st Grade to 9^th Grade.  After my first visit I am surprised by how comfortable I now am in a class filled with 16 year old students as this is not something I ever wanted to do but I think that the confidence and trust shown to us by the class teacher even though we were Primary Teachers made us feel a lot more comfortable and at ease.  The older students had a project week where they could take different classes each day in graffiti, poetry, rap and breakdancing.  I thought this was a great idea and you could see that the students really appreciated the fact that the teachers had organised this creative project for them and valued their interests.  Creative appreciation is something I have noticed whilst in my practice school and because of this the children really do flourish. 

As well as attending teaching practice, we have had to write a 10 page assignment for our Comparative Education Module and it has made me reflect a lot on my experiences.   After initially seeing more negatives than positives in the Danish school system my opinion has completely changed and not only have do I appreciate it and see the real benefits, I have begun to further question the school system in Northern Ireland. 

A typical laid-back classroom.

The children here are all happy and content in school and it is obvious they are relaxed and at ease with the lack of structure or routine.  There is no pressure in the classrooms due to very little testing, the teachers aren’t inspected and they have very little paperwork or assessment so they can focus on forging relationships and teaching what they want to. I have talked informally with the teachers frequently and they have explained that the emphasis isn’t so much on the academic side of school but on making it a fun, happy and positive experience for children so they want to be there.  This struck me as a stark contrast to home as although we work hard to try and make learning fun and enjoyable ultimately a lot of the children dislike school and don’t view it as a positive experience.  I think the informal Danish system, with its lack of rules, discipline or structure may initially come across as chaotic but their system works and not only that the students are confident, independent and creative individuals.

Uge Elleve (Week Eleven: 05.04.12 - 12.04.12) - Professional Development

This week saw the beginning of my teaching placement and so far I am really enjoying it.  I spent the majority of my time with the Class 0.  The teacher; Annette, explained that Class 0 is for children aged between six and seven years old and children attend after they have been in kindergarten and before they attend 1^st Grade in the Primary School.  Initially I found this quite complicated to understand but after observing and participating in this class I have realised that it is almost like a preparation for starting school as although the children mainly play formal teaching does take place in writing, reading, number work, social skills and phonics.  This is very similar to our Year 1 class in Northern Ireland although the obvious difference being that the children start this class at six years old and it is also at the teachers discretion to decide whether the child is ready to move onto 1^st Grade or whether they need to remain in Class 0 until they are ready, meaning that the learning takes place at the child’s pace rather than complying with Government guidelines.  The class consists of 24 children, the teacher and a classroom assistant as there is a child who requires extra help.  However, the classroom assistant has undergone no training and this was something I found very strange as in Northern Ireland you have to complete a course in order to have the correct qualifications.  Through talking with Annette she explained that she also thought it would be better for the assistants to undergo some sort of training as the children need specific help that may not also be possible if the assistant hasn’t been taught how to do so. 

I have realised from my time spent in school that the parents are very involved in every aspect of school life.  Teachers are expected to not only give parents their personal email address but also their mobile number.  I was informed that there was an over-communication and involvement from the parents and that teachers often received calls in the evenings or weekends to discuss small problems, or issues they had with their teaching.  The parents also receive a weekly detailed timetable of the activities and tasks their children are doing.  In some ways I see this involvement as a positive thing as it ensures they know what their child is learning and they feel part of school life but as a prospective teacher I can see the negative aspects, in that out of work hours and during holidays you are being called upon to sort out numerous problems, many of which are very minor.

The classroom was a very welcoming environment and there was a even a bunk bed where children could go to sleep if they felt the need to do so!  This is another good example of how relaxed the Danish school system is.  I was surprised by the freedom they have in their curriculum and the lack of specific guidelines and targets they have to meet.  Children are tested but much less frequently and informally and it is the responsibility of the municipality to do so and report the results back to the government.  It is very different how the local municipality plays such a big role in the school life in Denmark.  Depending on how much the municipality can afford to give to the school determines the quality of equipment and other resources.  This is in a stark comparison to Northern Ireland as schools are Government funded unless private.

Overall I have enjoyed my time in school and I am amazed by the amount of differences and new things I am learning daily.  I feel that through visiting a Danish school I have got numerous ideas, approaches, attitudes and techniques to reflect upon  and I hope to implement some of these in my future teaching.

Uge Ti (Week Ten: 29.03.12 – 05.04.12) – Cultural Development

It is hard to believe that the Easter break that once seemed so far away has finally arrived.  Jemma and I, along with two Italian girls and a Spanish girl decided to take the opportunity to visit another country and experience their culture, so on Tuesday we eagerly boarded a flight to Berlin.

All of us standing by Bradenborg Gate.

 I was immediately impressed by the city and found there were a lot of differences between Germany and Denmark.  The city is huge and the transport system vast – we found ourselves using the plane, train, bus, metro and tram all in our first day!  It is very well organised however and surprisingly we figured out how to navigate our way around it quite quickly.  I found the atmosphere and ‘look’ of the city in contrast with Denmark also, with Berlin seeming a lot more urban with strong architectural buildings in comparison with the almost picturesque Copenhagen.  This may be due to the fact that the city is still under development which we noticed as we took a walking tour, and East and West Germany have only be reunified in the past twenty years.  During the walking tour we saw many of the famous sights of Berlin and it was beneficial to have a tour good who could explain the story behind what we were looking at.  A particular highlight was the Bradenborg Gate which looked magnificent.  It was on this tour that I realised Germany has similarities with Northern Ireland in terms of the East and West divide further highlighting that it is not just our country that has a troubled past and it was very interesting to hear the history surrounding it.

Whilst in Berlin we decided to visit Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp which gave me an even greater insight into the history of Germany.  Although parts of the tour were quite harrowing it was very interesting to actually visit a real camp and not just read or hear about them.  It was surreal to think that we were standing were thousands of inmates once stood.  Quite a lot of the buildings and outside areas were just empty shells but there were lots of pictures and personal accounts given so through using your imagination it wasn’t difficult to picture the scene.  Before visiting the camp I was quite apprehensive as to what to expect and how I would react but I am very glad we went as I learnt a lot and I have always wanted to see a camp as I find the history of them although awful, very interesting.

We spent the rest of our time in Berlin tasting new foods and visiting other sights such as the East Side Gallery, Olympic Stadium and Charlotteborg Palace.  The East Side Gallery was brilliant as the pictures were vibrant and the political statements and accompanying pictures were very well thought out.  I had a great time in Berlin and I really enjoyed spending time with the girls from Italy and Spain.  I feel we have learned a lot more about each other and our different cultures through going away together and I am looking forward to a well-earned rest before beginning teaching placement next week.

Outside the Olympic Stadium.

Holocaust Memorial.

East Side Gallery.