Homeward Bound

Week 18 (23/05/16) – Personal, Professional and Cultural

As I begin writing this final blog, I feel the same sense of unbelief that I experienced when we landed in Denmark on the 18^th January 2016. Time has moved so rapidly and I cannot believe that, after living here for four months, our way of life that has become so familiar will soon be nothing but a distant, albeit happy, memory.  I have been inspired by the many places we have seen during this time and now have a newfound desire to travel to more new places in the not too distant future. As Palin (2016, np.) notes, “Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life.”

On Wednesday evening, we visited one of Copenhagen’s most iconic tourist attractions, Tivoli Gardens, the second-oldest operating amusement park in the world. After exploring the gardens, we decided to go on the ‘Rutschebane’, one of the world’s oldest wooden rollercoasters. Indeed, sitting beside Naomi as the tears streamed down her face and she gripped my hand as hard as she could will forever be one of my funniest memories from Copenhagen!

Tivoli Gardens by night

Naomi 'enjoying' the rollercoaster

After our last service at church yesterday, those who so warmly welcomed us when we first arrived wished us well for the future; it was sad to say goodbye and I know that it will be even harder tomorrow evening to leave Life Group for the final time and bid farewell to so many special people who have supported and encouraged us during our time in Denmark. As I reflect on how thankful I am for these people and how glad I am to have met them, Randolf’s (2016, np.) words are especially relevant: “Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave and impossible to forget.”

First International Baptist Church, Copenhagen

Participating in the Erasmus programme has also contributed to the development of my competences as a student in Initial Teacher Education. Throughout my time in university, as well as various school visits, I have reflected on many of the values and competences outlined by the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (GTCNI) (2011) such the importance of using a range of teaching strategies and resources (Competence 20) and the onus that rests on the teacher to plan lessons that will motivate and meet the needs of all pupils (Competence 21). I also believe that I have developed a broader understanding of the nature and purposes of education (Competence 2) and am now more aware of the centrality of reflective practice within the teaching profession. The GTCNI (2011) emphasise, however, that the competences are not to be viewed as a set of discrete skills; rather, “…the acquisition of any competence should be seen on a continuum reflecting the dynamic interplay between the nature of professional knowledge and the opportunities afforded to teachers by the context of their school and professional lives...” (GTCNI, 2011, p. 11). Indeed, I am grateful for the opportunity that has been afforded to me through the Erasmus Programme and I believe that it has served to enhance my professional development by allowing me to connect the knowledge I have gained to the teacher competences and better understand how they can be applied to the classroom.

I have had a wonderful time here in Copenhagen and, inspired by all of the places I have visited and the people I have met, I am truly thankful for the entire experience. I am excited for what our last week will entail and, of course, for the reunion that will ensue in Dublin on Saturday! On that note, I feel it is appropriate to end with the famous words of Baum (1900, np.); in spite of the unforgettable experience I have had and the memories I will treasure forever, I can say with certainty that “There’s no place like home.” For the last time, farvel!

Reference List

Baum, L. F. (1900) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chicago, George M. Hill Company.

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

Palin. M. (2016) Goodreads, available at http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/346814-once-the-travel-bug-bites-there-is-no-known-antidote (accessed 23/05/16).

Randolf, G. (2016) Goodreads, available at http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/562151-truly-great-friends-are-hard-to-find-difficult-to-leave (accessed 23/05/16).

 

 

 

Home on a boat

Week 17 (16/05/16) – Professional and Cultural

Crêpes at Nyhavn 

Between picnicking with ice-cream in the park after church and enjoying homemade crêpes along the water’s edge at Nyhavn, we have had a busy week trying to spend time with as many people as we can before we return home. There are mixed feelings of nostalgia and procrastination in the flat as we are strangely beginning to do a lot of things for "the second last time" and the day when we have to open our suitcases and begin packing is fast approaching!

This week saw us visit our fourth and final Danish school, Trongårdsskolen, which is surrounded by Jӕgersborg Dyrehave, the deer park that we visited in April. Rather than going to the school itself, we met a group of Grade 7 pupils along with their teachers at the entrance to the forest and spent the morning engaging in some outdoor activities with them. I was quite surprised at the flexibility of the school timetable which permitted the teachers and students to abandon classroom teaching for a large portion of the school day in order to meet with us. Apart from having the opportunity to develop their English talking and listening skills, no formal work or assessment of any sort took place. This epitomises the relaxed, flexible approach in Danish schools, as outlined by the Danish Ministry of Education (2003, p. 1) who note that “The teaching of the school and its daily life must…build on intellectual freedom, equality and democracy.” Indeed this informal, democratic ethos, which permits time to be allocated for activities such as those that we engaged in with the students, is notably different to what we are used to in Northern Ireland where the structure is not as flexible and teachers are much more restricted by specific subject and curriculum requirements.

'Speed dating' with Danish pupils

The importance of students developing their social interaction skills was also reiterated to me as we engaged in ‘speed dating’ and other social interaction games with the pupils. The General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (2011, p. 45) note the importance of this, claiming that teachers should “…work with colleagues and others to create a professional community that supports the social…development of pupils.” Indeed, I believe that having many opportunities to interact with Danish pupils during the last four months has contributed to my professional development in terms of my recognition of the importance of developing students’ social skills and my ability to use my own skills to communicate with students from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

 

Last Monday, we had the opportunity to experience more of the beautiful Danish coast during a trip to Tisvildeleje in the north of Zealand. At the peak of the fortnight-long heatwave, we basked in the 27⁰C sun, enjoyed an ice-cream and even managed to get a swim in the Baltic Sea; it was absolutely beautiful and another welcome day away from the business of city life.

 

Beach huts at Tisvildeleje

Swimming in the Baltic Sea!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had another, slightly more terrifying, encounter with the water on Saturday when we went canoeing with our small group from church in the Lyngby Lakes. Stuck in a three-man canoe with Emma and Naomi who insisted on purposely rocking it back and forth, I was, at times, absolutely petrified! However, when the rocking stopped and we got into rhythm, we were home on a boat and spent the morning laughing at our two Indonesian friends, Anne and Lente, who persistently kept rowing into the bushes; a very memorable time was had by all!

 

Canoeing in the Lyngby Lakes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s all our adventures for this week, farvel!

Reference List

Danish Ministry of Education (2003) The Folkeskole (Consolidation) Act, available at http://www.unesco.org/education/edurights/media/docs/db4e18f1f260d4ef8ea9ca6e1d4e08d4532fc083.pdf (accessed 16/05/16).

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

Summer is here!

Week 16 (07/05/16) – Personal, Professional and Cultural

This week has been particularly momentous; Denmark saw the sun come out (eventually!) and with temperatures soaring after the cold winter months, the city of Copenhagen has been transformed with the realisation that summer is finally here. Some of the Danes have abandoned their long black coats and heavy winter boots and it has been refreshing to watch the city come alive with people basking in the sun and children playing in the parks. There is a completely different feel to when we first arrived in January; indeed, if anything were to make me hesitant about going home, it would be the daily dose of beautiful sunshine we are enjoying here that I doubt we will see when we return to Northern Ireland!

First BBQ of 2016!

There is one more thing, however, that really does make me sad that we are going home so soon. Throughout our time in Copenhagen, we have met so many great people and built up lasting relationships with friends from both church and university that we will never forget. The words of Adeney (2016, np.) are particularly relevant to me at this time; she writes “You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.” Indeed, especially through our church’s small group Bible study, I have met people who have inspired, challenged, encouraged and comforted me and whose friendships I am extremely thankful for. It has also been an amazing experience to get to know people in our class who are very different to us and who come from extremely different backgrounds. This week in particular, we enjoyed our first BBQ of 2016 with a few friends from class, having the opportunity to grow closer as we ate together, chatted and played a few obligatory rounds of ‘Jungle Speed’.

Small group

Speaking to and getting to know so many different people who are studying in their second, or even third, language has also challenged me to consider the difficulties faced by newcomer children in Northern Ireland when they enter primary school for the first time. In Professional Competence 8, the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (2011) outline that students in Initial Teacher Education should examine the implications of pupils speaking a different language at home and how this may impact on their learning. Indeed, after being surrounded by so many different languages for 4 months and observing the struggles that some of our friends often have with the English language, I believe that I will be able to extend more empathy towards newcomer children in my classes back at home and understand better how to cater for their very specific needs.

The highlight of this week, and certainly one of my favourite experiences of our Erasmus adventure so far, was a visit to ‘Stevns Klint’ on the south-eastern shore of the island of Zealand. We were joined by some of our friends from class and as we walked along the cliff edge, we were amazed by the breath-taking scenery that we saw. The clear blue sea, the limestone cliffs and the rocky beaches were very picturesque and it was extremely refreshing to be out of the hustle and bustle of the city and amidst the stillness and beauty of creation. It was a very memorable day for all and the 13.94 mile count was definitely worth it! That’s it for now though, farvel!

 

Limestone cliffs at 'Stevns Klint'

 

 

 

 

 

Living life on the edge!

 

Reference List

Adeney, M. (2016) Goodreads, available at http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/884213-you-will-never-be-completely-at-home-again-because-part (accessed 07/05/16).

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

 

 

Four weeks to go!

Week 15 (02/05/16) – Professional and Cultural

With the countdown until we return home well and truly on and so many things still to do in Denmark, we have had an extremely busy week visiting different places, entertaining friends and, of course, doing assignments! I am ashamed to say that this week saw me mount a bicycle for the first time since arriving in Copenhagen, given the city’s world famous biking culture which is as old as the bicycle itself (The Official Website of Denmark, 2016). Inspired by the Danes, we were adamant that we had to bike at least once during our time here and, after a thoroughly enjoyable cycle along the beach, I think it’s safe to say we’ll definitely be doing it again!

Snail-themed display

A Grade 0 classroom

On Tuesday morning, we had the opportunity to visit a third Danish school, Skovbrynet Skole, which is located north of Copenhagen. It was encouraging to visit this school and see the well-resourced play areas and bright, colourful classrooms that I felt were lacking in my placement school. The enthusiasm amongst the teachers to integrate play and active learning into their lessons was also particularly inspiring. We spent the morning with the children from the two Grade 0 classes (6-7 years of age) and got involved in the Science, baking and creative activities that they were doing which were all based on the theme of ‘Snails’. The importance of thematic learning, which is advocated by the Northern Ireland primary curriculum (CCEA, 2007), was re-iterated to me during this time as it was clear that the connections that the children were making in their learning served to contribute to their overall understanding of the topic. Smith (2008) also makes this point, noting that connected learning provides suitable contexts for basic skills to be developed and gives teachers the opportunity to exploit children’s interests in ‘real world’ topics and contexts which usually cut across different subject boundaries. Indeed, I left Skovbrynet Skole inspired by the enthusiasm of the teachers to integrate more ‘real world’ topics into my teaching at home and use them as themes under which children can be involved in a range of hands-on, practical activities, in order to enable them to make relevant connections in their learning. 


Making pesto snails in the baking workshop

 




Designing and painting shells in the creative workshop

 



Experiments with snails in the Science workshop

This week, we also enjoyed a journey across The Øresund Bridge, the longest combined road and rail bridge in Europe, which stretches 16km across the water and directly links Copenhagen to the Swedish city of Malmö (Visit Copenhagen, 2016). After the initial excitement of journeying across the bridge on the train, we took advantage of the beautiful sunshine as we walked around the distinctly Swedish streets, drank coffee in the quaint medieval ‘Lilla Torg’ and visited the architectural marvel that is the ‘Turning Torso’. By the time we arrived back in Copenhagen, our tired and aching legs were evidence of a thorough exploration around Malmö and an enjoyable day had by all!


The 'Turning Torso'

'Lilla Torg'

Our week ended with a visit to the small fishing village of Dragør, followed by a picnic in the park with our small group from church. This was a really memorable afternoon; I am extremely thankful for the relationships we have built up at church that have made our time in Copenhagen so special and I will certainly find it hard to say goodbye to a lot of people in the last few weeks that lie ahead!

 

Picnicking in the park!

 

Reference List

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

Smith, J. (2008) ‘Reconciling subjects and contexts: the case for a pragmatic primary curriculum’, Educational Futures, 1 (2), pp.  62-74.

The Official Website of Denmark (2016) Bicycle Culture, available at http://denmark.dk/en/green-living/bicycle-culture/ (accessed 02/05/16).

 

Visit Copenhagen (2016) Øresund Bridge, available at http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/oresund-bridge-gdk711853 (accessed 02/05/16).