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).