4-5th March - My Birthday...Party

You realize that you are far away from home especially on some kind of "special days". To be honest, one day before my birthday I found myself pretty homesick. It had happened me maybe for the first time in Denmark - I was really homesick.
...I will not be able to celebrate it with my dear family as usual (I have 2 sisters and 1 brother - we are quite a big family, all of the members are very important to me. So, everytime the celebration is in 6 people (at least;)), it simply belongs to all celebrations, it belongs to my life...so far...). And I even can´t go for a beer or Kofola (Czech kind of Coke ;)) with my closest friends...That was, what was in my mind that evening. And I also got a very nice mail from my parents...Therefore I started to miss all of that so much. And the day with lessons until 5 pm was before me and my back was aching so much... So after school - swimming instead of a party...

Anyway, I decided to enjoy the day as much as possible. There are a lot of other people with whom to enjoy it - it is just different. So don´t worry, be happy. :)

In the morning I brought candies for my schoolmates (a Czech birthday-tradition:) ) and all of them started to sing "Happy Birthday" for me. How nice...:)
The lesson of arts in the morning was very pleasant. Moreover, we finished earlier, so there was about an hour before the afternoon music-lesson. That´s why we decided to go for a cup of coffee and pizza together with my friends - Zep, Carlos and Anja. Yum yum :)
Then I spend afternoon in the music lesson, but we were allowed to leave earlier...
And my flat-mates prepared a decorated table for dinner - with a (in Denmark essential during a birthday:) ) Danish flag. :) I was surprised why there is also a small drum from the house on the table, but I didn´t say anything. However, after the dinner, my flat-mates asked - how do you like your present. ...Present? :) Therefore I realised - look under the drum :) Bingo! There was a Nutella for me :D Many thanks, people! It´s very nice that somebody is thinking of me.

I also get a lot of SMS and messages on the intenet from my friends. And I bought a flower for me, just to enlighten my room a bit :)
So in the end, it was a very nice day! I finished it in the swimmingpool and sauna, relaxing...

On Thursday I organized a "Apple-Pie, Pudding and Masala-Tea party."
That was very very great, we enjoyed it so much. There are some pictures, you can see, how happy I was...
And some "thanks" at the end: to everybody that they came, to Misa and Vasek for the sweets and candles (I can have a lot of hygge now ;)), for all people from the dormitory for the balloons - especially to Lilla who bravely rode a bicycle through the whole town with them!:), for helping with cleaning to Noemi + for good mood, games, fun and very nice time again for all of my Erasmus schoolmates! :)

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! :)

28th Feb - Trip to Kolding

At weekend we made a trip to Kolding with Máté, Noemi, Zep and Anja.
We visited a honey-shop on the way and then the old Kolding castle, nursery museum and we walked along the fjord. I was also in the swimming pool in Kolding to stretch my achy back. There are a few photos...

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.

27th Feb and 2nd March - English lessons

Me, Míša and Vašek had on Friday 27th an Enlish lesson with Danish students too.
I was surprised that

• around 2/3 of the students were adult people - already teaching. In Czech Republic we have a daily study for young students and distant learning for adults - but in Denmark they go to one class. One of the girls even have a small baby in the classroom during lessons!

A few more things which were really interesting for me:

• the atmosphere in the classroom was very friendly and cooperative, the students could be much more critical and express their oppinions (what is more - they were expected to do that :) ) The relationship between university teacher and students is more friendly and "equal" then in CR.
  
• The students are pretty good at English, much better than most of the Czech English-teacher- students. But you know, English is much closer to Danish. Nevertheless, if the pupils at schools have such a good-level English teachers with good pronunciation, that is also better for their beginnings.

• the whole study is much more focused on practice than on learning something by heard (there is no point in it, anyway). In CR we have to study English literature for 4 semesters, British history for 2 semesters, USA history, USA and colonial literature etc. ... And Danish students don´t have to know all these information by heart. Lucky them! They only read 1 English-written book per semester, for example they are reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher´s Stone for analysis at the moment! Good choice :)

The part of their final exam is for example an analysis of a pupil´s essay. They have to characterise the text as a whole; find, cathegorise and analyse the pupil´s mistakes and offer 3 most important things on which to work with the pupil and how to explain it to him/her. That is grammar (+methodology, stylistics and syntax etc.) IN PRACTICE! :)

We also did a group work - comparing English teaching books. Very practical (and much more useful than many parts of my university studies in CR).

On Monday 2nd we did another practical groupwork - focused on usage ICT in English lessons.

We were nicely welcomed by the Danish students in the lessons, thanks. ;)

23rd to 27th Feb - Fourth week

First of all I would like excuse myself : I am sorry, I have to write much more shortly since now, because unfortunately I have bad backproblems and I can´t spend so much time on computer. Thank you for understanding.

Anyway, I am still enjoying time in Haderslev very much!
On Monday 23rd we had a lesson with Karen about Language and Identity. We were making our body-pictures according to languages. It was very interesting to thing about what the languages I know mean for me, how can I express myself in them and how I feel using them. I think I can use this activity at lower secondary school with my future pupils too.

On Tueday 24th we had a continuation of history lesson with our excellent teacher Jorn. :) Thas time it was more focused on Danish history (but still in very European context) in last two centuries. Therefore we learnt a lot about the history of South-Juttland area, which was very connected with Germans. There was even a referendum whether the inhabitants want to join Denmark or Germany after WWI - and the present boarder is made according to that referendum. Amazing!
In the afternoon I had my first piano lesson -- Annette had offered me some piano lessons and I started to work on some short Danish pieces of music with her. Thank you very much Annette! :)

I had also a two Danish lessons. Plus school-visits and optional English with Danish students too (more about that later ;) )

20th Feb - Carneval

We were all really looking forward to Friday evening, where the Danish February-tradition was to come - the CARNEVAL.
Last days my flatmates had been working in secret in their rooms, they didn´t want to say anything about - it was supposed to be a surprise :-)
And Friday evening the Danish queen (Zep), a bottle of beer (Máté) and an opener (Noemi) came out from the rooms. Wow! I was pretty surprised, how imaginative and skilled they were, really! :-)
Zep used her field of studies too - she sewed the dress on her own. You know - a fashion designer!:)

On midnight we saw a Danish carneval tradition - hitting a bag (filled usually with sweets) with a stick.

Unfortunately the party was a bit boring to us. Why? The two bands who were playing there were quite good for listening, but not for dancing. Erasmus students were almost the only ones who danced sometimes (when the music wasn´t too slow or too hard!), Danish people were only sitting, drinking beer and chatting. We were said that it´s quite typical for Danish parties. Oh, Czech (for sure Polish, Spanish, Hungarian etc. too) people can manage dancing too!
Nevertheless, I met with four more Czech people at the party - another Erasmus students in Denmark, who came to visit Míša and Vašek. Therefore we made a kind of Czech party within the carneval. I was glad to see so many Czech people after a long time, we enjoyed it a lot! :))