Happy birthday Queen Elizabeth II

Week 14 (23/04/16) – Cultural and Professional

With assignment deadlines looming it has been another quiet week, with the majority of our time having been spent on our work. One particular highlight, however, was our visit to ‘Jægersborg Dyrehave’, a huge forest where we saw lots of deer and, for the first time in a long time, got to experience the natural beauty of the countryside; this is something that I certainly take for granted at home and have missed a lot during my time in Copenhagen.

 

With our friend Tom at 'Jægersborg Dyrehave'

 

 

 

 

 

 

After celebrating Queen Margrethe II’s birthday in style last week with a visit to the royal palace, we decided to celebrate the birthday of our own Queen this week by hosting a Royal Tea Party at our flat on Thursday. Preparations were underway on Wednesday evening; whilst Hannah and Emma made top-hats, I started on the chocolate cake. To my despair, it came out of the oven burnt and after sampling, was declared inedible, due to a peculiar taste. After an initial panic that my baking skills had caused this disaster and ruined what was to be the centrepiece of our table, it transpired that Hannah had bought the wrong butter; thankfully my culinary skills were no longer to blame! The cake was quickly binned and replaced with a traditional egg sponge topped with cream and raspberries; this looked far more British than a chocolate cake would have anyway! Upon our return from class on Thursday we quickly got ready; a quick clean of the flat, some homemade Union Jack bunting and a batch of scones later, we were ready to welcome our guests. When our friends arrived, we gathered around the table and tucked into the food; introducing three Austrians, two Belgians, a Lebanese and an Italian to a traditional ‘cuppa’ accompanied by scones with cream and jam was particularly enjoyable. After food and a few mandatory rounds of ‘Jungle Speed’ the noise complaint we received from the flat below was evidence of a great night’s craic had by all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One class in particular this week, the ‘Learner’s Academic, Social and Personal Development’, was also particularly interesting and beneficial for me in my professional development. In Professional Competence 21, The General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (2011) outline that teachers must employ strategies that motivate and meet the needs of all pupils. During class, we examined the definitions presented by Long et al. (2011) regarding intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as well as the use of positive and negative reinforcement as behavioural approaches to motivating students. It was useful to consider a controversial point discussed by Long et al. (2011); the idea that, in terms of motivation, punishment is best avoided and positive reinforcement is preferable. When it comes to praising students in order to motivate them, the authors also discuss the importance of teachers drawing attention to both students’ efforts and strategies, rather than simply providing meaningless feedback which is centred only on ability or achievement. Interestingly, this point is also made by CCEA (2009) who discuss the concept of an ‘AFL’ (Assessment for Learning) culture with its emphasis on effort rather than ability. It is evident, however, that different forms of motivation and praise work for different students and that teachers must adopt the approaches that they think are best in order to ensure that all children are enabled to reach their full potential.

It is hard to believe that five weeks from today we will be boarding our plane to Dublin; with so much still to see and do, we have a busy time ahead! But, for now, farvel!

Reference List

CCEA (2009) Assessment for Learning: A Practical Guide, Belfast, CCEA.

General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (2011) Teaching: the Reflective Profession, Belfast, General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland.

Long, M., Wood, C., Littleton, K., Passenger, T. and Sheehy, K. (2011) The Psychology of Education (2^nd edn), Oxon, Routledge.

 

Getting more and more Danish

Week 13 (16/04/16) – Cultural and Personal

After a busy few weeks entertaining friends and family members and discovering more about Denmark’s education system through visits to different schools, it has been refreshing to have had a quieter week, even though the majority of it was spent doing our assignment together! Of course, however, we took a few complimentary breaks from our work and embraced some rather interesting and exciting cultural experiences.

On Monday night, we were invited to attend a food crawl hosted by KFS Copenhagen (Kristeligt Forbund For Studerende). This is a Christian society organised by students from Copenhagen University who meet together on a weekly basis for prayer, Bible study and fellowship. Having been used to the welcoming, homely nature of Stranmillis Christian Union for the past two and a half years, coming to Denmark and initially having no such support network of Christians to both have fellowship with and socialise with was particularly challenging; thus, we were extremely excited when we heard about KFS and we have truly appreciated the welcome we have received from the students who host the various events. Monday evening’s event saw us travel around three different Danish houses for starter, main course and dessert. The Danes were extremely polite and hospitable, making every effort to speak in English the entire time whilst hosting us in their homes and providing us with some delicious food; it was encouraging to meet and talk with different students and the dessert in particular, which consisted of crepes filled with fruit and ice-cream, was an added bonus!

Alongside Hannah and Naomi, I have always been a huge fan of ‘The Sound of Music’ and so when we recently discovered that two of our Austrian friends from class had never seen the film, following a short period of disbelief and bewilderment, we promptly organised a time to watch it with them. On Wednesday evening, our university was filled with the sound of music (literally) as we sat down with homemade apple strudel and popcorn to the singalong version of the film. As could only have been expected, Naomi in particular outshone the rest of us and a thoroughly enjoyable time was had by all, including the Austrians.

 

Enjoying 'The Sound of Music' with our apple strudel

 

Our final cultural experience this week involved a visit to Amalienborg Palace which boasts stunning buildings that are considered to be among the finest examples of rococo architecture in Europe (Renouf, 2003). According to The Official Website of Denmark (2016), the Danes are a nation of people known for their pride of their Queen and Royal Monarchy. Indeed, a passionate feeling of patriotism was evident at the palace as we stood alongside thousands of Danes waving our red and white flags in honour of Queen Margrethe II’s birthday and cheering as she emerged, with her family, onto the balcony; it was a truly memorable experience.

 




Queen Margrethe II and the Royal Family waving from the balcony



Amalienborg Palace

 

We are now three months in and yet, never have I felt more Danish than I have done this week. Perhaps by the time I return home to Northern Ireland, I will have mastered the art of being a true Dane; somehow though, I severely doubt it! For now, farvel!

Reference List

The Official Website of Denmark (2016) The Danish Monarchy, available at http://denmark.dk/en/society/monarchy/ (accessed 16/04/16).

Renouf, N. (2003) Copenhagen and the Best of Denmark Alive!, Oxford, Windsor Books International.

 

Visitors and visits

Week 12 (11/04/16) – Personal and Professional

Having had to say goodbye to my family at the end of last week, I was very excited to welcome our friend Katie to Copenhagen on Monday. After greeting her at the airport with Danish flags and a homemade sign, we took her back to the flat, cooked her some tea and quickly headed out to the infamous ‘Bertel’s’ for what could only be described as the best lemon meringue I have ever tasted. We also took her to see the obligatory coloured houses at Nyhavn and enjoyed eating dinner and catching up with her on Tuesday evening; it was as if the five of us had never really been apart and it was sad to have to say goodbye to her again on Wednesday!

 As part of one of our modules entitled ‘The Nordic Model of Education’, Tuesday saw our class visit Skolen i Sydhavnen, one of Copenhagen’s most modern Folkeskoles, which opened for students aged 6-16 years of age in September 2015. This school has a maritime and natural academic profile and will very soon have full access to its own small harbour. As we explored the school building, we were amazed at the advanced technology and outdoor learning opportunities that were available for pupils of all ages. LTS (2007, p. 5) note that “The classroom of the future should not be limited to a classroom at all – an ‘excellent’ curriculum would go beyond the traditional boundaries and offer real-world learning experiences outdoors.” The outdoor learning opportunities available to students at Skolen i Sydhavnen, which include canoeing and kayaking in the harbour, certainly go beyond the traditional boundaries and contrast dramatically with other schools in Denmark as well as with what we are used to in schools in Northern Ireland. Hence, whilst we did not have the opportunity to make any direct observations, it was particularly insightful to hear about and envisage how these outdoor lessons might take place and I left feeling both inspired and challenged to be more open-minded in terms of how the outdoor environment could be used to support and enhance children’s learning.  Dillon et al. (2006, p. 107) refer to Eaton (2000) who found that outdoor learning experiences were more effective for developing cognitive skills than classroom-based learning. Our visit to Skolen i Sydhavnen has reiterated this to me and in my future lesson planning at home, I will aim to be more creative in an attempt to harness the value of the outdoors for the children in my class.

 

The school's harbour

An outdoor learning area

 

 

 

 





 A learning space outside the classroom

Whilst the opportunities inherent within outdoor learning in Skolen i Sydhavnen are much more radical than in the majority of schools in Northern Ireland, it was interesting to observe that, in terms of technology and the use of ICT, schools at home are quite similar and the opportunities afforded to both teachers and children are equally as innovative. Northern Ireland’s primary school curriculum (CCEA, 2007, p. 7) emphasises the value of technology and ICT, noting that it “…has the potential to transform and enrich pupils’ learning experiences and environments.” It would seem that the attitude towards technology in the classroom is similar in Skolen i Sydhavnen and it was particularly interesting to hear about different ways that ICT is incorporated into lessons and to compare this to, for example, the use of iPads in many of our classrooms at home.



An 'Active Floor' which projects onto the floor  

A touch-screen tablet board

It has been a fantastic week hosting Katie here in Copenhagen and having the opportunity to visit Skolen i Sydhavnen was certainly a very insightful and inspiring experience. But, for now, farvel!

Reference List

CCEA (Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment) (2007) The Northern Ireland Curriculum Primary, Belfast, CCEA.

Dillon, J., Rickinson, M., Teamey, K., Morris, M., Young Choi, M., Sanders, D. and Benefield, P. (2006) ‘The value of outdoor learning: evidence from research in the UK and elsewhere’, School Science Review, 87 (320), pp. 107-112, The Association for Science Education available at http://www.ase.org.uk/journals/school-science-review/2006/  (accessed 09/04/16).

LTS (Learning and Teaching Scotland) (2007) Taking Learning Outdoors: Partnerships for Excellence, available at https://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/Images/TknLrnOutA4_tcm4-402066.pdf (accessed 09/04/16).

 

 

School visits and family visits

Week 11 (06/04/16) – Professional and Personal

Between entertaining family members and having to be up at 6 o’clock every morning in order to journey to school via public transport, the past week has been an extremely busy one and unlike any others that I have experienced or will experience during my time in Copenhagen.

Having spent five days in the Danish ‘Folkeskole’, I have gained valuable insights into what I believe to be both positive and negative aspects of the education system in Denmark. Sharpe (2004) claims that professional knowledge is no longer viewed as consisting simply of a standardised, explicit and fixed knowledge base. On the contrary it is, by nature, evolutionary and is changed by experience. Indeed, my experience in Måløvhøj Skole has allowed me to develop my professional knowledge by enabling me to make comparisons with Northern Ireland’s education system and discover transferable strategies that I will be able to use in my lessons at home. Whilst leading small-group work and doing whole-class teaching, I have observed some particularly noteworthy differences; these include the pupil-teacher relationship, discipline and teaching techniques.

Children's artwork displayed in the school corridors

Interactive whiteboard in use in the Kindergarten classroom

The General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (2011) expects teachers to maintain professional relationships with their pupils which respect the pupil as a person and encourage growth and development. This formal relationship has been evident during both of my previous School-Based work experiences and so I immediately noticed a remarkable difference when I began observing lessons in my Danish school. The relationship between teachers and their pupils in Denmark is very informal compared to that in Northern Ireland and I believe that the teacher in the Danish classroom has a much less authoritative role, perhaps partly due to the fact that pupils address teachers using their first names rather than their surnames. Whilst not being seen as equals, students in Denmark are also not looked upon as being inferior and I believe that this more informal relationship has an impact on the discipline that exists within Danish schools. The classroom management strategies in Denmark contrast significantly with what I have seen in schools in Northern Ireland and I was shocked at times by the lack of respect, inattentiveness and unacceptable behaviour that was simply overlooked by the teachers. Another marked difference that I observed was the use of Cooperative Learning, a teaching technique that Li and Lam (2013) believe is particularly advantageous for the development of social skills. Indeed, having actively participated in a cooperative learning activity with a 9^th Grade class (15-16 years of age), I have witnessed the potential of this technique to enable all students, especially those who are more introvert, to contribute to a whole-class discussion. I would definitely consider employing it in my lessons at home, particularly with students with Special Educational Needs who often have difficulties with social interaction in large group contexts.

Wall displays and resources in the Kindergarten classroom

The 'Creative Room' used by Kindergarten children

 

 

 

I have thoroughly enjoyed being immersed in such a contrasting education system and it has been refreshing to observe teaching and learning that is radically different to what I am used to at home; I hope that the professional knowledge and experiences that I have gained will stay with me and serve to enhance my teaching when I return to Northern Ireland.

On top of my school placement this week, it meant the world to me to be able to welcome my family to Copenhagen and show them around for a few days. I had a fantastic time with them and was devastated to have to say goodbye once more; it’s safe to say that I am very excited to see them again in 8 weeks’ time!

 

Reference List

General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (2011) Teaching: the Reflective Profession, Belfast, General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland.

Li, M.P. and Lam, B. H. (2013) Cooperative Learning, available at https://www.ied.edu.hk/aclass/Theories/cooperativelearningcoursewriting_LBH%2024June.pdf (accessed 06/04/16).

Sharpe, R. (2004) ‘How do Professionals Learn and Develop? Implications for Staff and Education Developers’ in D. Baume and P. Kahn (eds) Enhancing Staff and Educational Development, London, Routledge.