M3 – Globalisation and Citizenship – Torbjorn´s lessons

In week 12 and 13 (+week 8) we had mostly lessons of Module 3 - GLOBALISATION AND CITIZENSHIP.
On Tuesday 17th we discussed what democracy is. We also spoke lot about tolerance and freedom and where the boarder, the limit of freedom is. We come into the topic of the controversial cartoons (depicting Muslim prorogues etc. - see e.g. http://www.cynical-c.com/archives/bloggraphics/JP-011005-Muhammed-Westerga.jpg) and spoke about Durban II…Really interesting! And for sure those cartoons became a part of Danish culture and history and it was good to speak and learn more about it…

On Thursday 19th we dealt with how to LEARN DEMOCRACY. We worked in groups and we were made “theories” and “signs”. Then we introduced all of our ideas (we filled all the blackboards in the classroom - so many thought we had had :)).
And then we tried to use constructive critics to find and discuss weak points of these ideas and find a way how to deal with these weak sides or in which situations is better to use another approach. I found that making a really good and useful “constructive critics” without any pressure is very difficult.
Some good ideas from the lesson – how to teach and learn democracy:
- to make common decisions (e.g. eat and drink in the lesson?, using the mobile phone? – either no one or the teacher too)
- don’t compare students too much
- not too hard punishments
- integration
- evaluation by both teacher and students
- feedback
I found the lesson very interesting and practical.

On Wednesday 25th we watched some parts of films on YouTube connected with learning democracy which we prepared (e.g. Take the Lead, Dead Poets Society, Freedom Writers or Dangerous Minds…). I am sure I will watch some of them. Then Torbjorn introduced us to a non-violent communication theory by Marshall Rosenberg – the language of giraffe and jackal (NEEDS x judgements, analysis and diagnosing). That was very interesting and in my opinion really useful in everyone’s life. It made me thinking about many situations in my life and many mistakes of people’s communication. A lot more to learn!

What I really liked about Torbjorn´s lessons was that they “opened me another door”, they brought me some questions, they made me thinking…

12th March - IW - Reflection on the School Experience

On Thursday the 12th we had altogheter a lesson for reflections on the school experience. Erasmus students didn´t go to a school-visit that day, but we had the lesson together with the "international students", who had school-visits that morning. We spoke about the differences noticed in Danish schools in comparison with our systems. I would like to mention two more features in Danish schools, about which I haven´t spoken before and which I found very important:

• no marks until the grade 8th (really!)
• knowing answer by understanding, not by heart

Then we spoke together more about WHY are there differences in European school-systems, what is behind. And we found 3 things very important:

• climate
• economy
• religion

Maybe I wouldn´t agree with religion, I would say "history" instead. We were speaking about the Protestant Church (in fact a lot of small churches) - that people had to be much more tolerant and democratic there. However, I would say that people had to have been tolerant and democratic even before the Protestant Church "succeeded", was accepted and adopted in Nordic countries. That this way of thinking was in peoples minds and culture before protestantism. And this way of thinking allowed the reformation to succeed in the North.

The second thing about what we spoke then was - why in the North. And suprising thing for me, that that is not only geography, but also historical impact. Since Danish and other nations in the North never experienced absolutism. Absolutism never reached this area, e.g. Roman empire was almost in the whole Europe, but not here...
Interesting. Sometimes you are surprised how many things can be behind!
And what I really like about this study-programme is that we go behind. That it is not just only about observing the differences, but also thinking why. And it helps you to think more about your own system too; what from another system you can use in your country, what is difficult to change, what can help you to do things different way etc. ...

2nd to 6th March - The Fifth Week

On Monday 2nd we had a Special Needs lesson with three nice teachers. They introduced us a "Trivsel piloter" - a program for feeling comfortable and a prevention of bullying. We tried some "Telling circle" activities, which helps telling feelings and thinking possitive - for example : We have in common..., He is good at...
I think I can use some of them in English lessons with pupils.

I was surprised that some schools have a special "AKT" teachers (A.K.T.=behaving, concentration and wellbeing) who help prevention of bullying, do special lessons for pupils and work with special needs pupils.

Then we tried a "taktil massage", wow it was very plesurable. :) The point of the massage is " the one you touched you don´t bully" - very interesting. In my opinion this taktil masage can be used also to small children by their parents to support the relationship between them.

Then we spoke about special needs pupils at Danish schools. But I don´t think that the situation in Denmark is satisfactory enough. Special need pupils should go to normal schools, but for example the future teachers are not trained in special pedagogy at all. So the idea is good - not to separate the special need pupils, but the programme for them and realisation I didn´t found very complex.

On Tuesday and Thurday we had very interesting lessons with Tove - Comparative Education. We spoke about different types of educational systems in Europe - Encyclopedist(French), Humanistic (British) and Naturalistic (German-Scandinavian) approaches.

It was interesting to speak not only about the differences (aftefacts), but also things which are BEHIND (values), to go deeper. We also run into differences in having lunch at schools - canteens (e.g. in Czech), lunchboxes from home (Denmark) and lunch at home during 2-hour break (in Spain) - and which values are behind that. Therefore we get to question of maternity leave through that. For me it is surprising that in Denmark you have only around one year to stay at home with your child (insted 3 +1 optional in CR). I know - one of the most important values in Denmark is independence and equality - but also a freedom of choice.
However - if you want to stay at home longer than one year with your child (and I think it is important for the child) instead an immediate career, you don´t have a freedom of choice, because your maternity leave is over. And don´t get money from government, so you aren´t independent. One year seems to me too short. Strange. I found this attitude to children a bit similar to England - someone else takes care of your small child. Isn´t it cold?

Tuesday afternoon we had an Intercultural dimension lesson with Jette - we presented our videos - advertisements or dialogs about our countries. It was really good fun, every group did a good job! :) We also compared some customs of European countries - since this lesson I know that in Turkey it is impolite to blow the nose in public!;)

On Wednesday we had a wonderful Art lesson with Dorthe - we were making our own portraits. The interesting thing was that we didn´t start with the real portrait immediately - we did some different quick sketches (e.g. looking on the mirror and draw our faces without looking on the paper. Then the same with only one line...)- to learn how to see the most important things and shapes. Then we think how to make some parts of face more "real" - like nose and mouth and Dorthe taught us how to measure proportions with a pencil. And then we started the main portrait. And - I was shocked that I was able to draw what I had drawn. It was for the first time my face had looked quite like a MY FACE. Thank you Dorthe that you showed me the way of seeing and take down the things.
Then we did some "experimental things" - drawing face on the mirror with watery colours and then copy them on the paper (good "starter" for children before drawing the portrait).
At the end of the lesson we got some papers and crayons from Dorthe - to draw at home too - she wanted to support us in going on drawing. Many thanks.
(By the way - I have already used it once - for Eurovision song contest - to draw cows for our song. And they looked like cows (not horses, not dogs :)) for the first time in my life :)!

On Wednesday afternoon we visited Music lesson for Danish teachers with Zep.
To be honest - I was pretty surprised with the level of music skills of the students at the final year of their university studies. I know, they have much less time then Czech students for developing certain skills at university (we study 2 subjects for 5 years, whereas Danish students are trained to teach 4 subjects - in 4 years. And they have a lot of practice at schools too - therefore they spend by real studies of Music around only half a year altogehter. (We spend 2-2,5 years net time at Music department). I must confes, that their level of music skills is similar to Czech students at ENTRANCE EXAMINATION. That´s a reason why I have to say that am really happy that I study in Czech Republic - I can develop my music skills at Music department at University of Hradec Kralove.

On Friday we had a special "lesson" with Jette - about Danish films. First of all we spoke about "film language" - various ways of expression things in films. Then Jette introduced us most interesting and important Danish films in its history - and showed us many trailers or short passages from some films. Therefore we have a lot of impulses, which films we would like to see. Me for example Out of Africa, Babette´s Feast, Pelle the Conqueror, Dogville, Italian for Beginners and Heritage. Thank you, Jette. It must have taken a long time to prepare this lesson, but it was definitely worth, we got many impulses! :)

25th Feb - School visit II

My second school visit was at Haderslev Kristne Skole - a private Christian school. The day begins there with common singing in the hall every morning and then the headmaster (?) reads a Christian based story to the pupils.
I was there with Míša and Anja and we visited 4 lessons - Enlish in 5th and 6th grade, Music in 4th grade and Enlish in 7th grade with a different teacher.
I didn´t enjoy the first two lessons of English too much. They spoke quite a lot in Danish, read an English text and had some groupwork, but they didn´t check the correct version together at the end. My impression was that the teacher doesn´t enjoy the teaching of young people too much and she is not prepared so well for the lessons. As wherever on the world, teaching depends on teacher and his/her personality very much.

But what was nice in the lesson was that when pupils got a pair work in the second lesson, they started to work and the teacher didn´t sit and wait. The pupils could rise their hands and ask teacher for small helps. They had to work on their own, but still it was a kind of cooperation. And when some pupils had finished, some of them went to help the others.


It was surprising for me that in some lessons (languages, math...) there is also another teacher in the class, not only the "main teacher". She or he helps some "weaker" pupils if they need that during the lessons. Special needs, disabled, dyslectic, hyperactive etc. children usually go to normal schools in Denmark. However, they don´t have their own assistant - they only get some help in some lessons from another teacher.
We could see the same teacher in the morning as a "main teacher" of English and than as a kind of "assistant" in the last lesson.

The school is quite small - one class for one grade. And I felt in the teachers common room very friendly and team atmosphere. What was interesting for me was that the school has also a substitute teacher - the teacher, who teaches all kinds of lessons instead of ill teachers. In CR teachers has to substitute one another, if some of them is ill. If nobody is ill, he/she goes to a class with some "problematic" or special-needs children to help them.

In Music lesson I was impressed by the equipment of the Music-classroom. We could see three keyboards, quitars and drums, jumbos, two pianos, movable chairs and tables, great sound-system...wow! But the lesson itself was based mostly on listening. The pupils could lay themself comfortable and listen (some of them were more climbing and crawling on the floor than listening). However, for my taste the listening was too long without any specific tasks. They listened to 4 parts of Four seasons by Vivaldi, but it took more than 10 minutes together. Than they discussed their impressions and what it could be about and listened it again - they tried to guess which season was what. And then the lesson was OVER. The Czech system is more, I would say, systematic, active with more specific tasks and much shorter listening (I thing children are not able to concentrate 10 or 15 minutes to a piece of classical music) - even listening shoud be somehow "active". Nevertheless, the lesson still depends on a teacher´s approach within the system a lot.




I liked the last lesson of English quite a lot, because the teacher was young and had a good approach to the pupils. The English learning in Denmark is much more focused on speaking and abbility to communicate than in CR. We are more focused on grammar, following the rules and sometimes pupils are very shy to USE the language. Therefore I found the Danish approach to English much better. And the pupils know many things from media too - most of foreign film are not dubbed, they have only subtitles. Therefore pupils know many things instinctively and they also can learn grammar different way - first they hear it and then they think about the rules. Most improtant and primary is the language usage and experience - not giving the rules and speaking according to them afterwards.

18th - 20th Feb - The Other Lessons of the Third week

We were pretty lucky, because our school started at 12.30 on Wednesday - therefore we could sleep enough after Kafka café. We had a very interesting lesson with Torbjorn. At first he explained us the old and new Danish evaluation systems. I was really surprised - it´s completely different from ours!Why?

I will explain the old one first:
There were grades (from the bottom): 0,3,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 and 13.
0,3 and 5 meant that the pupil hadn´t passed.
8 was the average that teachers could expect.
And grades 11 and 13 were special grades - to appreciate really good students. 13 meant very excellent, above expectations, the very special grade.

I think it was very nice to be able to give an extraordinary grade to an extraordinary pupil - to appreciate him. Unfortunately, this grade disappeared. The Danish system was changed - we were told that the old system was to confusing to the rest of Europe.

And the new system?
There are grades (from the top) :
12 -expectations
10
7
4
2
------------ passed
and 0
- 3 (which is rather exceptional - for example for students who were cheating during the final written exam and failed the oral exam)

Torbjorn said us that he thinks the new system was a step BACKWARD. The previous could appreciate extraordinary students, however the new one measures, how much you don´t fullfil the expectations (from 12 DOWN). I could agree with him, I found the previous system very interesting.

One more note considering evaluation.
This system is from LOWER SECONDARY schools.
At PRIMARY SCHOOLS pupils get "only" written sentences to parents (to avoid too much competition amongst kids).


Then we had a lecture about Learning theories - e.g. three types of curricula:
A) content driven
B) objective driven
and C) process driven

It was very interesting to GO MORE BEHIND the differences at school systems and school approaches. Since it´s nice to observe differences of my country and Danish school system, but then it´s very useful to think -WHY? And this lecture helped me to start thinking about "what I intend to expect from my future pupils. And why? What is more important for me - the content, abilities of pupils or the process of learning itself...?"

All the subects and projects of "Living and Learning Together - not only about school systems, but also cultures - makes me thinking more deeply, to go more behind, to ask questions...not only observe and compare. And that is what I really like about this study programme.

On Thursday we had pretty exciting lesson of History. I had never thought before that history could be interesting. However, it can! Jorn Buch persuaded me :-)! I thought we were going to have a boring lesson about Danish history - dates, people, events...How wrong I was!
Jorn involved all our own countries´ histories - and helped us to see that almost all European countries had very similar history. Christianity, Reformation, Romanticism, Nationalism... Do you see? He surprised us, because he had pretty good knowledge about our countries´history, dates (even better that we had!) - and showed us a plenty of connections.
Astonishing! :-)
And I have to appreciate that eventhough he had had an accident during tennis-playing and has his arm hurt the evening before, he came - because he really wanted to teach us. Thank you very much!


We had also Danish lesson on Thursday - trying to develop our Danish language skills in basic conversations. I learnt a very useful sentence: "Jeg taler ikke godt dansk".
(For understanding use: http://translate.google.com :-) )

On Friday we had a lesson with Torbjorn about Globalisation.
Globalisation and its pros and (mostly) cons has been a pretty discussed topic recently - however almost nobody has been able to explain well WHAT globalisation really is. Therefore I was very glad that we started to think and discuss globalisation from different sides. What is it connected with, what does it cause, mean and what are its both possitive and negative effects...we took it very complexely (or "globally", if you want to :-) ).

The interesting and surprising idea for me was - that this is not the first globalisation in history. Because there was one before - throughout "Christianisation" (- spreading christianity, latin language and ideas).

And then we started to speak about different parts of globalisation
- sociology and antropology
- international politics and economy
- citizenship and democracy
- trade
- and pedagogy
I am really looking forwart to continuation of this lesson...

5th Feb A school musical

On Thursday evening Carsten, me, Mate, Noemi and Zep visited a school musical. It took place at school where Carsten is having his practice.
We came half an hour earlier and were warmly welcome by a subrector of the school. She introduced us the school and told us about Danish school system and the Danes. It was very nice of her. The school building was very snug and the whole environment there was very friendly and creative. Carsten also showed us a car-project which he did with his pupils. I was surprised, how interesting math can be!


At 7 p.m. the musical called "Prince Rock and Prince Swing" started (punctually on time - we are in Denmark ;) ).
I really enjoyed it eventhough it was all in Danish. The performance of the pupils was absolutely great. They weren´t shy at all, they were very self-confident even in solo scenes. And I think they enjoyed the performance themselves too. Amazing! They also played all the music life. The atmosphere in the hall was very friendly and at the end of the musical, all the pupil-actors, -musicians and - sound engineers got a flower from the headmaster of the school.
I found this project very creative and valuable for the pupils. They not only sang, performed and played, but also co-operated and explored and used their abilities and qualities.
It was really good experience to see it life. Thank you for invitation, Carsten!

5th Feb The first school visit

On Thursday we went to our first school visits. Me and Mate went to a 10th grade school in . We were warmly welcome by Annette and all teachers in the teacher´s room. First of all we got a cup of coffee and Annette introduced us more to the Danish school system and 10th grade schools. This kind of schools is very interesting for me, because we don´t have any in my country. Students who finish 9th grade have an opportunity to attend an additional year. It gives them chance to:

• get to know themselves more - and help to find them their way in professional life - the following studies, job suitable for them, if the aren´t decided yet


• gain more knowledge for following studies - they can focus more on field of study they need for their high school (for example grammar school)


• mature more before such an significant life decision about their future career (and enjoy teenage life of course)

There are also quite lot emigrant-pupils, who have an opportunity to catch up with the other pupils during the additional year (they had a disadvantage because of language difficulties in their first years of studies).

These 10th grades schools are therefore optional, Danish teenagers can go there - or continue directly at high school after 9th grade.

As Annette said us Danish pupils can go after finished 9th grade to:

1. A 10th grade school - an additional year


2. Upper secondary schools - Technical

- Grammar

- Business

3. Apprenticeship -technical/business etc. ...

...Then we had a bit more time, so we spoke to other teachers in the teacher´s room and after our first lessons experience was to come. Me and Mate visited together the English lesson with Annette and then Mate observed a math lesson and me another English lesson with a different teacher.

And what about my impressions? What is the same at Danish schools and what is different in comparison with the Czech Republic?

Firstly I would like to tell you THE DIFFERENCIES

(because you notice differencies at first, of course):

• the equipment in classroms is excelent

- in every classroom there was a projector, a computer connected to the internet and a smartboard
-therefore Annette could use Youtube during the lesson
(on the other hand, the classrooms weren´t too decorated - with posters, pictures, useful materials and charts, students´projects, etc. - as Czech language classrooms usually are)

• the pupils were more "free" in the lessons

- the could wear caps, have a lollipop, have their laptops on...
- this is maybe because of that kind of school, I think that 10th grade schools differ a bit from the other schools, but I haven´t had an opportunity to compare yet. I will see...

• the relationship between teacher and pupils is different, I would call it more a "partnership"

- the pupils called the teacher with her first name
- the teachers behave more friendly towards students (especially the second one), they didn´t show any superiority
- I think there was more understanding between teachers and pupils, it was more personal (some pupils spoke to the teacher in the corridor spontaneously, that is VERY rare in the Czech Republic)

• the teaching is less frontal, the pupils worked more in pairs, groups, individually

- this kinds of work are also connected with language teaching in the CR, but I think Danish pupils were more independent and quite self-disciplined during their group work (the teacher could even leave the classroom and most of the students keep working)
- their are simply -used to it. In Czech schools is rather unusual for them, because most subject are taught frontally, I think they feel a bit uncomfortable about group work and responsibility then

• the teaching is less content-driven and more objective- and process-driven

- it is connected with the previous point
- pupils are more involved in the lesson
- the teacher is more guide than "the only source of information" (using the internet in the lesson is also connected with less "information-passing" role of the teacher and more showing the way where to find the information and how to deal with it)

• the school is more connected to real life

- this is difficult to explain, but my feeling was that the school is less separated from the happenings outside the building, that it is more about and for the "real life"
(-the teacher for example discused different topics from the book with pupils, they have to think about reasons and solutions of violence in the streets)

• the teachers co-operate a lot to prepare the plans for the subject they teach

- both the teachers used the same (self-made) materials in the lesson
- they can substitute each other easily then if one of them is ill

• the teachers seemed to be more relaxed and less stressed than Czech teachers, they seemed to have more understanding for students, involve more effort for preparing materials, like their job

(Therefore I would love, during my stay in Denmark, to find out "Why?" :) )

AND WHAT IS SIMILAR?

• organization of the classrooms (desks in lines)
• classroom environment
  
• condition of the building
• pupils´ behaviour (not excellent, not bad, but still depends on a teacher a lot, of course)
  

SOME WORDS IN THE END...
The Danish schools reminds me our Czech new system called "Framework educational programme" (it has been introduced since September 2007 to first classes) - in established practice.
It is really valuable experience for me.

I really liked the second lesson, the teacher has really good relationship with students and the lesson, the teaching process seemed to be joy for both sides.

2nd - An introduction to the Danish school system

On Monday afternoon we had a lesson with Torbjorn Ydedard (I am sorry, Torbjorn, I don´t have the strange special Danish letters on my keyboard to write your name correctly). The lesson was a part of the first-four-week module called "Comparative Studies" and Torbjorn introduced us to the Danish school system - its history, current constitution as well as the key ideas.

These are some main and interesting things that attracted me:

In Denmark "All children of school age shall be entitled to free instruction in primary schools."
It means that all children are invited to go to school for free, but still, if they parents want to educate them at home, thay can. (Anyway, they are examined then, of course.)
If they want their children to go to school, they have a free choice out of these:

• public schools (grade 0-9 / 10)

• private schools - grade 0-9 / 10

- "boarding schools (but not similar to English ones) 8 -10 grade

• private teaching
  

There is difference between private and public schools (="Folkeskolen").
Private schools are usually small and the teaching there is according to their own convictions. Therefore private school can differ according to their "beliefs" and ways of thinking and approaches. There can be muslim private schools, German schools (especially in South Jutland area which used to be a part of Germany for about 100 years before WWI) and a great variety of "alternative" schools... And parents have to pay 20% of the cost of the education at a private school.
However, there are some things, which both public and private schools have in common - so called "common goals" for each subject.

And some of the " key ideas" and characteristics of the education system in Denmark are:

• cross-curricular teaching
• cooperation of school and parents
• feedback to the parents - evaluations
• differentiated teaching according to individual needs of pupils
• teacher - pupil cooperation concerning individual- and class- goals
• equality between teacher and pupil
• children learn to be social
• focus on autonomy
• focus on pupils
• teachers often make self-made materials
• motto: "Have a courage to use our own understanding"

This is really interesting for me, because characteristics and ideas of the Danish school system is similar to Czech system called "framework educational programme" (=RVP). This programme has been being introduced to Czech primary and lower secondary schools since September 2007. The Czech programme is therefore in the beginnings (and maybe more in ideas, than in real practice since now, because its changing slowly). It´s why I was so curious about the Danish school system and I really want to see and experience it in practice.
And on Thursday our first visits of schools were to come...

PS: And I forgot - pupils address teachers always with their first names in Denmark!
(Equality and a freedom of speech are one of the most important things for the Danes, so maybe that´s why...) :-)