Pictures in order of appearance:
The first picture is of Kerri-Ann and myself trying out some Danish folk dance.
The last three are of Friday 9th February when the college organised a fancy dress party. I dressed as a pirate and Kerri-Ann as Princess Mary. All in all it was a great night, full of craic and laughs. A good night had by all!
Cultural Differences
On Monday of this week we were given a lecture by Jette Laursen on the Danes and the Danish educational system. I found it very hard to believe that no pupils in Denmark have to wear a school uniform especially when i come from a country where this is a very important part of our daily lives! The system differs quite a bit in terms of the Danish 'folkeskole' instead of the Primary school, and the optional tenth grade 'efterskole' is also an aspect of the system that i am interested in and so I hope to spend my two weeks of practice at this type of school. I believe that the closest type of school that we can compare it to in my home system is a bording school, however I am eager to learn more about it.
From the Photographs above you will be able to see a picture of myself taking part in the Danish folk dance class. I was surprised by how it had strang similarities to Irish ceili dancing but it was definitely not as lively as the Irish dancing that we are used to in Ireland. Nonetheless, we all had great fun doing it and I have to admit that we all caught a good grasp of it eventually!
School and College Experiences
On Wednesday of this week, Petra, Judith, Kerri-Ann and I caught the bus from Haderslev bus station to Kolding to visit Brændkjærskolen, a type of primary school for children from the age of four to fifteen. The school was absolutely beautiful and I couldn't believe just how well equipped it was with 'Smart boards' in every room, wide open corridors and a very up-to date staff room. I was extremely impressed with the first class we visited, with children in the 8th grade. Their English was of a very high level and they could introduce themselves precisely and usually understood the questions I asked them concerning themselves. However, i notised a distinct difference in the relationship between teacher and pupil as it was undoubtedly much more relaxed in this school in comparison to Ireland. However, the second class I visited gave me great disappointment. It was a class of the same age group but instead of English it was Art. The children, in my opinion, were allowed to run riot around the classroom and the teacher had little or no knowledge of what the children were doing. There was no programme for the class and many were doing nothing at all. I noticed that the children were of many different intelligence levels and i felt as though some of them could have benefitted in being in a class for children who need slightly more attention in order for them to learn. The behaviour of the children was very disrespectful both towards the teacher and the other students and they used very in appropriate language throughout their so-called lesson.
On the other hand, this is the first school I have visited in Denmark and so I will not paint them all with the same brush. Perhaps this was just a poor teacher with an acceptionally bad class, and I certainly hope so as I was so pleased with the first class I visited.
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