school visit: Kristne Friskole

On wednesday the 25th of February we (Misa, Eliska and me) went to the Kristne Friskole in Harderslev. When we arrived the teachers invited us to the staff room. It's was very nice in there. All teachers spoke with us, offered us coffie, the, Danish bolls, breakfast,...This school is a smaller school then the last one we visited. This one is a private school with 150 pupils. Every morning they start with a prayer. All pupils and teachers are gathered in the hall were they sing and pray.

After the prayer we went to see an English lesson. We had to introduce ourselves in English, so that was easy. Wait till we had to do this in Danish... They had to read a text. I think this took to much time, some of the pupils started to wisper, started to move on their chairs,... . After they read the text, they had to do a grouptask. They had to combine sentences from the text. It's good that they do this in groups because they will learn from eachother. I noticed that groupwork and learning from another is very importent in the Danisch schools.

The next lesson we saw was again an English lesson with the same teacher. I don't have to teach English but I thougt that maybe I could find a new practice method to teach language. The children had to read a text and after that they had a listening exercice. In this class there were 2 teachers. The other teacher was helping 3 other pupils who had difficulties with English. Maybe it's good to have a helping hand in the classroom. The weak pupils get extra help and the stronger one's can continue on their own level.

After two lessons of English it was time for something else! A music lesson, I really looked forward to see this lesson. Maybe it will give me some new ideas! And yes, I found one! All the children listend to Vivaldi and the four season. There was a stop after every season and the children had to tell what they tought, how they feld,... Then they listend again and they had to tell which season it was. I will use this in my own music lessons. Nice detail: they had their own music class. Wauw, this was so big en so much space. There were instruments all over the place. I want this to! You have so many possibility's in a big room then in just a small classroom.

And for the last lesson, we saw English again. But this was special... We introduced ourselves in Danish. Jeg hedder Anja. Jeg kommer fra Belgien. Jeg er treogtyve ar. (It's a special a but I can't do this on my computer...) After the introduction the pupils asked if we could say something in our own languages. I said something and the teacher answered me back in Flamish... Finally, I could speak in my own language! Woehoe! After the lesson I spoke with her in my language and i turns out that she lived in Roosendaal, 5 kilometers away from the place where I live. Small world, isn't it?

I have found a few differences comparing to Belgium:

- Teachers are teaching 28 hours a week. I have to teach 36 hours. Teachers in Denmark can correct tasks and evalutions when they are free. We have to do this in the evenings.

- When teachers are free they can help weakers students in the classroom. In belgium we have special 'remedial teachers' to help those pupils.

- In the Kristne Friskole they work with grades and I still don't know what grade is what age. I know they have a primary and lower secundary school. The children are going to the same school till they are 15 or 16 years old. In Belgium that age is 12 and after that they go to the secundary school.