Vecka åtta

This week I will do a cultural blog which will also include many professional aspects also. Similar to my last blog I will reflect on my experience of the week-long visit I made to the primary school. However, in this I hope to make some comparisons between the Northern Irish Education System and the Swedish.

I found that the Swedish education system is very informal. The teachers are spoken to on a first name basis, which I think is good in a way as pupils can relate to teachers better and they appear to be more comfortable with the teacher. Although I do feel that use of the first name makes the teacher appear to have less authority and be more of a friend to the pupils which can make life a little difficult when disciplining them.

Schools in Sweden also have no uniforms. Pupils can wear anything they wish to school. Personally I feel that uniforms create a sense of unity within a school and also lessen the risk of bullying in schools. Pupils here feel under pressure to keep up to date with all the latest fashion, something which I feel is very unnecessary for children of 10/11 years old. Pupils also take off their shoes upon entering the school, something which again I found very unusual in comparison to back home.

Here in Sweden all schools have large dining halls which provide children with a hot meal everyday; free of charge. Most teaching staff also avail of free hot dinners daily. I know at home in the South of Ireland, most pupils take a packed lunch to school and so I was shocked that teachers also eat for free! In Sweden, pupils’ books and stationary are all supplied for free. Again in Ireland pupils are required to buy their own books and stationary for school. I see that the Swedish government have a huge focus on education and are of clear assistance to this.

During my visit to this school I noticed that children could walk around the class and discuss each other’s work. This is very different to Northern Ireland as pupils would do most work individually with little or no talking allowed. I found that this informal method can be good and bad. I noticed that some children took advantage of this and walked around the classroom chatting to other pupils, not discussing the work. However, if done correctly I feel that this is a good method as children can learn from each other’s opinions and ideas.

I also had the opportunity to look at the Swedish curriculum and the requirements. This wasn’t as detailed as ours and so I noticed that teachers here can teach more freely using methods as they please, whereas at home, the curriculum is much more structured and doesn’t allow for as much personal input from the teacher.

Although very informal, I feel that the Swedish Education system has many strengths in comparison to the Northern Ireland system. Teachers have much more freedom to teach using their own methods. Pupils partake in much more group work and discussions where they can learn from each other. I loved this school visit and  have taken some tips from this visit which I can hopefully use when I become qualified.

That’s all for this week...

Vecka sju

  Last week we had the opportunity of visiting a primary school for the week. I was placed in the school with another student who was from South Korea. I was moving between two classes, grade four and grade five (P6 and P7). I was in two classes to enable me to observe English lessons and other lessons taught in English so that I wasn’t observing too many lessons in Swedish, where I couldn’t understand the content. However, in some cases this was not possible and so I observed some lessons which were taught in Swedish. During these lessons I was not able to assist pupils when they were stuck on something as I didn’t have enough Swedish to understand all of the questions. I found this very difficult however, I these lessons enabled me to experience what life is like for EAL students who come to our schools in Northern Ireland and do not speak much English. I learned that it is definitely very important to learn a couple of words of the new-comer’s language to assist with some explanations. The speed at which the teacher speaks at is also something I will remember for when I get an EAL pupil. In many cases the teacher spoke very fast to the pupils in Swedish, making it almost impossible for us to pick up any words. I would try to speak slowly to enable the newcomer to pick up some words and follow the lesson.

The grade four class have been learning English since the start of this year, seven months. I was amazed at the level they were able to speak at. All of the children could hold a conversation with both Chi Yeong and I and where not shy or afraid to try which was excellent because we could talk to them and help them with their numeracy and geography lessons too.

I noticed that the grade five class, who have been learning English for almost two years, were all extremely shy and didn’t like to speak to us incase they made a mistake. However, after much persuasion and with the help of an English lesson, the children felt more secure and began to speak with us more confidently. Towards the end of the week the pupils would come and speak English to us without any instruction which was great. I was happy they had overcome the shyness and I could see how excited they were to be able to do this.

In both groups I found that pupils were eager to get their English right and so if they didn’t know a word they would ask their peers and the class teacher any words which they didn’t know. This showed me the interest they all had in the language.

I found this week of school very beneficial as I could experience a totally different school system. The English lessons also enabled me to notice each child’s different strengths and weaknesses in language learning, a topic which i studied for a module last year and which is of great interest to me. I was also able to observe lessons which I didn’t understand enabling to see what life is like for young EAL pupils who come to our school in Northern Ireland. I can appreciate how difficult life will be for these pupils.

Next week’s blog will outline some of the differences I have noticed between the two school systems.

Until then..... Hej då!

Vecka Sex

This week I hope to speak a bit more on the personal aspects of my experiences. I have been meeting with friends a lot for the past few weeks. We are all getting closer with each other which is great as can do so much more together now that we all get on so well together. This weekend our American friends went to London travelling and the Australians went to Lapland. On Sunday when they left I found myself feeling very down and just wanted to be at home. I spoke with my family on skype and felt really homesick. I then realised how much time my friends and I have been spending together as they had only left and already I was bored and lonely.

That evening Michael and I went to Niall’s for dinner, and Irish Stew which was delicious! I then started feeling a bit better as I had company. I have now realised how much I can miss home and how much I love to be surrounded by people, that I prefer company than being on my own. I then began to appreciate how difficult Erasmus can be for some people, I can’t imagine what going further afield on international travels would be like. So well done to everyone that did go!

However, these few days of homesickness are nothing compared to the great moments and memories I have made here. These days just make me want to experience the comforts of home. I know that things at home have not changed and so I realise that I am missing nothing at home but am so lucky to be able to be studying in another country.

I am still finding Swedish language classes very difficult. These classes have a lot of emphasis on grammar rather than conversation and so it can be very difficult. These classes help me to appreciate the power of English. At least I can understand what is being said by the teacher in English however those from non-English speaking countries have a much more difficult time in learning Swedish.

Although I’ve had a few days of homesickness I continue to love each day here and am becoming more and more comfortable and independent.