As I move close to the end of my stay I am happy to say I have finally completed my individual assignment.
To complete the
assignment I have had to carry out numerous visits to schools and kindergartens
to conduct interviews and observations and this week I had an extremely
interesting school visit. Not only did I
get to interview staff but I got to interview an Irish parent who is living and
working in Denmark and whose children are currently a apart of the Danish
education system. Speaking with him was
very interesting as he was able to offer his opinion having experienced an
early school start himself in Ireland whereas his children began school at a
later age in Denmark. He was off the
opinion that the Danish starting age was better, something I have begun to
agree with and that in Denmark there is a much stronger focus on the
development of social skills rather than academic ability. Having completed the assignment I have came
to the conclusion that both Denmark and Northern Ireland could learn from each
other and that the borrowing of educational practice would be possible. Working on this assignment and visiting
schools in Denmark has challenged many of my opinions of the Northern Ireland
school system, in particular the starting age and pressure we place on children
from an early age. The happiness of
children in schools here is clear to see and they genuinely love school. I think it would be great to see this in
Northern Ireland but I fear because of our strict, formalised system it is hard
to achieve. What struck me most in one
of the interviews with a teacher was that when I asked her why children in
school in Denmark started later she stated that as a country there was a
concern that the child wouldn’t be ready and would therefore fail leading to a
bad feeling for them and trouble throughout their future schooling. This is something that seems to be overlooked
in the UK although through research I have realised that many concerns have been
raised recently over the school starting age particularly in Northern Ireland. However, there are no current plans to change
this. It has been an extremely
interesting assignment and one that for once I have actually enjoyed writing
and researching although I have almost as many new questions as the ones I got
answered.
My opinions have
obviously changed drastically since my arrival here, from initial shock to the
seeming chaotic Danish classrooms with their lack of discipline and high levels
of freedom to a familiarity and admiration of the relationships that the
teachers create with their students. It is surprising how many men work in both kindergarten and the 1st, 2nd
and 3rd Grade classrooms and how tactile they are with the
children. I think this is desirable for
Northern Ireland as a male role model is great for children but unfortunately
many men are put off by Child Protection Rules and strict guidelines. It highlights how trusted the Danish teachers
are. They have no inspections, a broader
curriculum and more freedom in what they teach.
Obviously this also has its downsides but it is definitely a enviable
position. I’m looking forward to getting
back to classrooms in Northern Ireland to see how I view them now I have been
here and hopefully some of my new questions will be answered!
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