Personal Development Week 13

Week 13-  20^th-26^th April 2012

This week marked the end of our classes here in Denmark. Our university here offers both a three and a four month ERASMUS program, so as of this week 15 people will be leaving our group to return to their home countries. Over this next month we will not have any concentrated class time but will be required to write an individual assignment in which we will be comparing aspects of our home countries education system with that of Denmark. To do this we will need to visit schools, interview teachers and carry out a lot of research, so class might be over- but the work definitely isn’t!

With so many people packing up to go home, this week has made me reflect and think back over my time here in Denmark. We had a final class on Wednesday in which we brought out our posters we created right back in week 1, and had to add the new things we had discovered about ourselves since being here. Immediately I could identify so many ways in which I had not only changed, but matured and grown. I came here as a quite shy person, who often sat in the background, but now I realise and can see myself that I have become much more outgoing and definitely more independent! Other things have changed about me too over these last 3 months; I do cooking, cleaning, washing, and can figure out directions and where I need to be by myself. Once you are “thrown out” into the real world you begin to realise that you really can cope. I was so nervous before arriving here, I didn’t think I would be able to manage, and to stay on top of everything, I thought I’d be living on cereal for a lot of my meals! I’m out of my home comfort zone, but honestly I feel like I’ve settled here, and now living like this has become second nature to me. I have a more developed understanding of Denmark’s culture, and their education system, and I know that over this next month as I go out myself into new schools and environments I will further my understanding of this even more, and this is something I am really looking forward to having the opportunity to do.

This has been a reflective week, I have thought about how those 15 people I have become friendly with over the last few months are returning home, back to reality, and although part of me is a little jealous, I know that I am not ready to leave Denmark yet. I am still growing and maturing, and being here is encouraging me to do that. It might be strange here, how when we arrived things like the language seemed so scary, the food seemed strange, the accommodation wasn’t what I expected, but I have managed to cope. I can’t believe how much I have changed over these last 3 months, how much I have developed and therefore I look forward to seeing what I am going to be like, and how much more my views and opinions will have changed by the time I return home!

Week 12- Professional Development

Week 12-   13^th-19^th April 2012

This past week has been one of my busiest and most tiring since I arrived in Denmark. We had our final few days of our school practice, and I had the opportunity to experience “project week” something that features a lot in the Danish school system. I automatically assumed that the week would take place around a specific theme as this was the sort of thing I am used to at home, but we were told that the during the week each day would focus on a particular subject and all the activities would not be linked to any overlying theme.

The days we observed and took part in were art, maths and physical education orientated, and each one was organised by a different teacher for the entire second grade year group. Normally in this grade the pupils do not have one teacher for the full day, but different teachers for each subject, which I think is one of the reasons for the relaxed and often disorganised and chaotic atmosphere within the classroom, as each teacher has different rules and ways of teaching. However the stability that this day provided as they stayed with one teacher allowed the class to understand what was expected and how they were required to act. At first I had thought that I could never deal with being in the classroom here, because of the totally different atmosphere but I have begun to realise that it entirely depends on the teacher, and if or when we are involved the children have respect and will be keen to listen and try to understand what it is we are going to say. Due to normal classes being taken by different teachers this limits the amount of cross-curricular work the children have the opportunity to take part in as everything is kept so separate. This was something else I found strange as at home the curriculum provides so much emphasis on cross curricular skills and themes.

However this first art day quickly changed this as the children were introduced to basic geometric shapes and were to create collage pictures using these shapes which they were to draw themselves using a variety of methods, such as compasses, tracing, drawing round other objects. The maths day was totally different again as it allowed the children to come out of the classroom and work in teams to find and solve various maths problems which were hidden around the school. This was something the pupils really enjoyed and the children were mixed into random teams to develop their social skills and interaction with people they didn’t know previously. The final day was the sports day and again the children had different tasks to complete in teams as they competed against each other. Overall I found that although this week was totally not what I expected it to be, it was enjoyable and allowed the pupils to move outside their normal classroom environment.

I have noticed so many similarities and differences between the Danish and Northern Irish school system over these last weeks, and I really enjoyed and found it beneficial to have this opportunity to learn and find out more about their ways of teaching. Although there were times when it was difficult and frustrating as we couldn’t make the pupils understand what we were saying, I am going to miss my practice school here in Denmark. (Although, I can’t say I’m going to miss those 6.30am starts!)

Week 11- Professional Development

Week 11 - 6^th-12^th April 2012

The last two years of teaching practice have taught me that no two days will ever be the same, and to expect the unexpected! This has been no different during teaching practice so far here in Denmark!

The main classes I am to be in are Maths for second grade (aged 8/9) and English with 4^th and 5^th grade (10-12). Our first day began with a maths lesson with a class we have visited before and here I knew that although I was not going to be able to actually teach anything due to my limited vocabulary and their lack of English, I was going to be able to work as a type of classroom assistant for these two hours.  Using different techniques and the little Danish I know I was able to help the children with any problems they had with their work. Although this was challenging, I felt proud at the end that we had been able to cope and to help the children, and some of the girls even managed to learn the words “You are very good teachers, thank-you” in English to say to us at the end of the class!

On Wednesday, Kai, the teacher who we follow the majority of the time had told us he was taking his 4^th grade class on a trip to visit all their houses and their pets! This seemed a little strange to me, especially when he explained it was for a Science lesson, but I thought it would all become clear on the day.  Having witnessed a totally different attitude to learning inside the classrooms than what I am used to seeing at home, I was intrigued at how this walk would work, especially when it came to crossing roads and arriving at the children’s houses! It was a totally different experience to what I expected, the children ‘followed’ Kai as we walked, although they were often running ahead, lagging behind, climbing trees or walking on the other side of the road from every-one else. It was a complete contrast to what I expected, or what you would witness in Northern Ireland where consent forms would have to be signed, children would be paired up and counted continually during the walk, instead Kai just had faith that the children would follow him, or at times even lead him to where we were going. Although this was an interesting experience, I felt jumpy and nervous the whole time, constantly wondering if all the pupils were with us, or were walking safely. Education here is totally different and has a much more relaxed atmosphere which it is definitely taking some time to get used to! I kept thinking how a walk like this would go down at home, some parents didn’t even know the whole class was going to turn up at their house!

I have also had the opportunity to do small group work exercises with a 4^th grade English class, just basic conversation skills encouraging the children to try and work together to figure out words they didn’t know and to ask and answer questions. I really enjoyed this as I got to work with three different groups and it was nice to finally be able to communicate and get to know some of the pupils a bit better as this is something I am finding strange as we move around so many different classes each day.

Overall I am enjoying the beginning of these two weeks, and although it is pushing me out of my comfort zone in the classroom, it is a challenge I am keen to face. Teachers may not know where all the pupils are, they may not know what they are going to do each day, but somehow the whole system seems to work, and with a relaxed atmosphere meaning the pupils can enjoy themselves. Next week brings a whole new challenge as we embark on a project week, so I look forward to seeing what new challenges this brings!

Week 10- Cultural Development

Week 10- 30^th March- 5^th April

This past week has been a busy week of sightseeing and being like a proper tourist. I have had the opportunity not only to be a tourist in Copenhagen but also in Berlin where Alison and I went, along with two Italian girls and a Spanish girl from our class for our Easter break.  This week I have seen so many new things and had the chance to visit a variety of different places and developed my cultural awareness of both these countries.

The week began with a visit from my Dad and my younger sister! This was something I was so looking forward to, as I knew it would give me the opportunity to show them where I have been living for the last two months, but also to show them how well I have learnt to navigate myself through this totally different city and to finally go to many of the places I myself have not had the opportunity to visit. We went on a canal tour which not only showed us the various famous sights of Copenhagen, but also provided me with new information and understanding of these areas.  I really enjoyed getting to see Copenhagen in a totally different light, as over these past months I have become so used to the culture and way of life here it was interesting to see it again through the eyes of a tourist and to see how well I have adapted to this way of living.

After my busy weekend with my family, we took off for Berlin early Tuesday morning.  This was a trip I was really looking forward to as Germany is a country I have never visited. As we landed we discussed all the different things we wanted to see, and I quickly realised that our 3 day visit was not going to be anywhere near enough time to see everything! We however managed to squeeze so many different activities in, visiting Charlotteburg palace, the East side gallery, and the Olympic Stadium, as well as doing a 4 hour walking tour which showed us sites such as Hitler’s bunker, the Brandenburg gate and Checkpoint Charlie.  Germany has a well known history, but I discovered that I actually knew so little about the people living there and the conflicts that occurred within the city boundaries.  This trip was so informative and I have a whole new awareness and appreciation for the city.  I found we were all constantly asking each other various questions, eager to develop our knowledge and understanding of the culture in this city.

Sights like the Berlin wall, the east side gallery and the concentration camp we visited really hit home about how life was here, and how recently the conflicts ended.  We met a group of people who were on a trip from Northern Ireland to compare the conflict at home with the conflict between East and West Berlin.  This was something I had not previously considered but after talking with them I was able to recognise many similarities between the two places. 

Berlin was an amazing city, filled with things to see, and is a place I will want to visit again, as I feel we only scratched the surface of discovering the culture of this place.  Going away with girls from other countries was a great experience also, as we were all able to learn from each other about how things are in our own countries.  I loved asking them questions about their home lives and discovering more about these countries as well.  Our only issue was over meal times, as the Spanish and Italian prefer to eat so late at dinner, and Ali and I were always far to hungry to wait until 9pm!

This week has been a week of learning and developing my knowledge and understanding of a variety of different towns and cities, and I am now defiantly keen to get more sightseeing and discovery in during my remaining time here!