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.  

Vecka Fem - Understanding Cultures

Since coming here I have been given the opportunity of learning about many different cultures and how their education systems work. Our regular class presentations enable each of us to gain a better cultural understanding of countries from all over the globe. In this blog I hope to give you and insight into some of the interesting facts I have learned since starting study here.

In both China and Turkey teachers to have to work with large numbers in the classroom, in China for example 80-100 pupils is quite common in all classrooms. Imagine in Northern Ireland people complain of large class numbers when a teacher has over 30 pupils. I couldn’t imagine being able to remember each pupil’s name. It would also be impossible to develop a personal relationship with each pupil – something that I think is very important for a teacher and pupil to have.

In Sweden and in China, the common age for pupils to being primary school is 7 years old. I personally feel that this is quite late, especially when I can see what children are capable of at school in P1. Many students in our class were quite amazed at the fact that pupils can read and write many letters and words in P1, and also that in Ireland pupils also learn to speak Irish from the age of 4. It is normal in China and Sweden for children of this age to remain engaged in play activities all the time until they begin school at 7.

I also learned that in most of the countries we have learned about (around 10) teachers haven’t as much of a status as many others careers and aren’t paid very well either. On a recent visit to a vocational school we were told that particularly here in Sweden, there are very few post-primary teachers; something which I was shocked at as teaching is a career that many people at home tend to choose. Also the wages for teachers in Ireland/Northern Ireland seem to be significantly more than other parts of Europe.

We also had a discussion about disciplining the children. Many Asian students talked of how teachers in Asia are allowed to hit the children with a long stick. We were all quite shocked at this, but whenever we then talked about how in Northern Ireland it is not even permitted to hug a child or allow it to sit or your knee, most people were gob-smacked! They couldn’t understand how we comfort an upset child without engaging with he/she. This is completely normal in most other countries, we also learned of teachers carrying younger pupils around in the playground, something which would be unacceptable in most cases in Northern Ireland.

In Stockholm there are small schools which have no classrooms but rather one large room where all pupils work together., called Vittra Schools. In this school pupils are grouped in accordance to their ability not their age. I feel that this system would be very beneficial to pupils all over the world as not all pupils of the same age range have the same abilities. I think that it would be good to have some of these schools in Northern Ireland also for pupils who do not match the same ability range as their peers.

I am really enjoying my class – Intercultural Competence and Understanding, as I learn more and more about other cultures and how their education systems operate. I often come out of class wondering how we would have turned out had we attended some of the schools we have heard about.

Vecka fyra

 This week my sister was over visiting. We went to Stockholm where we did some sightseeing. We went to the Royal Palace which was exciting as I’ve never seen one before. We also saw the changing of the guards where there was a short parade. We also saw some beautiful sights of Sweden during our travels around. We also went skiing for a day which was unbelievable, and we survived with no injuries! During the ski trip I noticed the tiny children, some no more than 4 years old skiing down the mountain with absolutely no fear. I was amazed as children of this age at home can’t even tie their shoes and here are children putting on their own skis, getting the chairlift up the mountain, and skiing down successfully all by themselves. It’s amazing to see the difference in cultures, even for little things such as this.

In front of the Royal Palace in Stockholm

We also went to an ice-hockey match with some friends which was exciting as I’ve never seen one before. We were standing in a perfect spot for the game as we were beside all the real fans, chanting and playing drums. As all the chants were in Swedish they were quite difficult so we will have to get practising for the next time we go to one.

My sister and I also went to Goteborg this week. I absolutely loved it. It is a fantastic city. W e went to a huge park which had a small zoo in it and I got to see an elk! We also went to an aquarium where we saw some sharks and some really beautiful fish.

During my travels throughout Sweden I noticed that there are not very many people suffering from poverty or homelessness. Compared to Ireland where one could note poorer people/homeless on almost every street, I think on my trip here and after visiting the different cities I noticed three in total. Presumably this is due to the high tax rates and the benefits which people can avail from due to these. It’s seems that most Swedish people are of the one class whereas in Ireland one can clearly notice the differences in people from different areas.  I think Ireland could learn a trick or two from the Swedish system!

I met up with my buddy again this week. She was helping me to practise my Swedish. I’m still working on it, it’s very difficult, but I’m getting there, hopefully by the end of the semester I will be able to have a full conversation!

Until next time.....

Vecka tre - School life

It’s not getting and warmer here in Vȁxjӧ it was -20 at some points! But it’s great to still have the snow, everything looks so much nicer.

This week I was enabled to look at elements of professional life here in Sweden. We had the opportunity to visit a vocational high school where we met with the principal who had excellent English and told us many interesting facts. He told us about the school, staff, facilities and courses on offer. In the school there was a bakery, a garage for mechanics a media room, a painting and crafting studio, and a hairdressing and beauty salon. This high school was rather similar to what we would call a ‘tech’. I had never been in a tech before and so I was amazed at the facilities a school would have and we also had the opportunity of watching a number of pupils at work. Some of the pupils showed us some of their work and talked about the college in general. We also got to taste some chocolates which the students were making in the cookery school. They were delicious!  It was a great opportunity for us to view other options for when students finish school.

We also visited a pre-school where unlike Ireland students are of the age range 1-7 years old. In Sweden pupils start primary education at the age of 7, many people wonder how we can start at 4! This visit was a brilliant opportunity to observe the children from as small as 1 year old working and interacting together yet they were still so tiny! This particular pre-school teaches the children through music. We observed a lesson for the class of 5 year olds. I loved watching the children singing and dancing in the lesson, they weren’t even distracted by us students being there which was great! This visit enabled us to observe the pupils in each of the different age groups, we could notice the differences as they got older but it was amazing to see what the youngest were even capable of.

We will also be making trips to primary school’s here which I am looking forward to. We will be able to observe the progress from the pre-school to primary. We will also be able to compare and contrast with primary school’s which we have observed at home.

My sister is coming over to visit next week and so I’m sure I’ll have many exciting stories from that!

Hej dӧ!

Vecka två i Sweden

This week we began our proper classes. One of our classes is about Intercultural Understanding. The teacher discusses the Swedish system, both education and Swedish systems in general. She then invites us all to discuss similarities and differences between our systems. This is very interesting as in our class there are students from many different countries who have varying opinions and points of view. One particular aspect which I found interesting is that education including university is all free here in Sweden. Students also get a monthly grant from the government so assist with funding university. Many students from other countries also spoke about their little fees and government assistance which they can avail from. This is clearly a huge benefit for Swedes who must pay such high taxes.

In class, each person or group of people from a country also have to make a short presentation about their country. We have learned a little about Australia and Germany and so were able to make comparisons between all. Angela, Michael, Niall and I will be doing one on Ireland on Monday and so I’ll talk about that next week.

Last week my flatmates and I had a ‘family dinner’. Here we made a dish from our own country and the brave ones tasted each others. I cooked an Irish stew which all the girls tasted and seemed to have enjoyed. Some of the exotic foods over here do not appeal to me and so I didn’t taste a seaweed soup which the Vietnamese girl made. Maybe someday I’ll become more exotic! This was a great sociable evening where we all got to know a bit about each other. With all of us in different courses and in class at different times, I rarely see my flatmates and so I think we will make this ‘family’ dinner a weekly thing. 

I have also met my buddy this week. She is a Swedish girl and is lovely. She has shown me around campus and told me a little about Sweden in general. She has another Erasmus buddy who is from Finland. We met up for a ‘fika’, a coffee this week. It’s nice to finally talk to a Swedish person!

I started Swedish classes this week. I am in a class with many students who have done Swedish last semester and so it can sometimes be quite difficult to keep up, however I will continue to work at it and I know I’ll improve. It’s also quite difficult as they have three extra vowels which sound almost identical. I’m already learning lots of phrases and so with a little work I know I’ll have a good command of the language by the end of the course.

At the weekend Michael celebrated his birthday. We had a small dinner party which was really fun! There were 8 different nationalities in one room together which was cool. This experience becomes more and more interesting as we’re becoming close friends which such a diverse group of people.

It’s starting to get colder and colder now. The lakes are all frozen over enough for us to walk on, so I braved it eventually and walked out to the middle of the lake, scary! I think it’s -16 and the weekend! Hopefully it’ll snow some more too!