Hej!

It has been a while now since I wrote something on my blog.
I'm working for my final traineeship as much as possible. That's why I've waited too long to do some blogging.

After the week of school experience I've spent most of the week working making preparations for my final training.
These are some more pictures from Bakkeskolen (school experience). You can tell by the way the children are moving in the classroom that there are not a lot of rules concerning (group) working methods. On some pictures you even have to do your best to find any pupils.

As I said in my last blog message: it's okay to sit, lay down on the desks, on the ground, ... You can go anywhere you want. 

The children have their own box where they put there school books in...

Some books are brand new, but often they are soon ruined with cracks and folds.

Singing songs together...

The week after that we gave a presentation for the Danish students about our Flemish school system.
During the last weeks there was no Danish class because of the lock out.
There's a 'lock out' going on in Denmark. The teachers strike because they do not agree with the new rule of the government: more lesson plans - more work for the same wage.

INTERNATIONAL CLASS
The day after we saw the presentations of the International class. We had interesting discussions about how we can motivate children, how we can give them structure and how we feel about using technology in school.

ART

In art class we've made some cool works with ecoline paint, soap and straws. (The last painting was with acryl paint on a mirror + print on a sheet of paper.)

The following techniques are very interesting to do with children.

MUSIC

In music class we saw the presentations of the Spanish, Belgian, Japanese and Czech students. It was really interesting to encounter the other music cultures.

SOCRATIC DIALOGUE

We've had a lesson with Lars where we talked about how the history changed the Danish Mindset.

This is a resume:

·         

       Everybody knows everybody

• You can’t really have a democracy when someone tells you what to do and what not to do – a leader.
• Everything is small, so we need to stand together, we need everybody, we need to stick together; we can’t use the hierarchy! (f.e. Lars accepting to pay 56% in taxes + he trusts it; he knows it’s spent very well, it goes to something good. + You don’t see a lot of poor people in Denmark, lot’s of chances for everybody f.e. free education; “Taxes are cool.” + it’s only acceptable because it’s such a small country + there’s no corruption, no king who wants all the money, ...) 
• up till the last 15 years, after that, the common feeling changed a bit.
• It’s not in our blood; we work together to find the best solution.
• Visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grundvig à thinking on education

TRUST

• Why is Sweden and Denmark doing so well? 
• book: Tillid
• It’s because they really have a lot of trust in the national system.
• 1864 changes that (THE MINDSET) à we know we need each other à that gives them trust
• Is that why they use a lot of group work in schools?
• YES à we need to stand together; Group work = a good thing
• A socialist thing: ANDELSBEVEG (Andel = part, ELSE = movement)
• They lost wars so they were poor; so they did andels; all money (parts) together from everybody; one can not do it alone, we have to do it together
• Group work helped the Danes to come out of the war; it’s in the blood; Denmark is so small they need each other

ARHUS

When my boyfriend Olivier visited me, we went on a trip to Arhus. 

We visited the Museum Aros. I'm not really fond of museums, but this one was really amazing!

I went to Arhus for a second time with the erasmustrip. We had lots of fun!

HISTORICAL EVENT

This week Evi and me made a presentation about a historical event that has changed the mindset in our country, Belgium. Because I can't put a ppt in blogger I can only put this on my blog...

 

(this is the only thing blogger wants me to put on my blog...)

Here are some more pictures...

(On the nigtht train right before my arrival in Kolding... It was so exciting!)

After a train trip of 14 hours I arrived in Haderslev - second coffee!

(Couldn't stop smiling)

We joined music class in 'Realskole' in Haderslev. This was so much fun!

A virtual celebration on skype of my first born cousin Odiel.

Indescribably.

My first haircut. (4 more to follow)

Client: Joke.

Straight layers - check.

Flensburg with the girls - shopping timee!!

A nice lunch with my love. 

Fridge is empty + shopping goes better with a real Kiwi-cart!

Second haircut.

Client: Daniela

Straight layers - check!

result: okizay!

On our way to Mat's party.

Mr. cab driver Dominik (broere)

Having a nice BBQ with the lovely erasmussers.

on the boulevard m'as tu vu in Aarhus

Hej!

Today we had our first day of 'School Experience' in Bakkeskolen in Kolding. 

We, me and Alexiane (my fellow student from Switzerland), met group 1B (first grade, 7 years old) and 3B (third grade, 9 years old) supervised by Charlotte who teaches Danish.

These were my first impressions (OMG!):

• it's okay to walk around in the classroom while the teacher is talking or while she's giving instructions;
• it's okay to crawl on the desks, on the ground, on each other, ... while the teacher is teaching;
• it's okay to hug the teacher during the course;
• it's okay to burp ten times without a warning or a caution;
• it's okay to start the break 20 minutes before the bell rings if the children aren't 'attentive';
• it's okay to pick up the phone while you're teaching and then to leave the group alone in the classroom;
• it's okay to listen to music on a mp3 player in the classroom;
• it's okay to eat and drink as much as you want during class;
• it's okay not to open your workbook while the others are filling in two pages;
• it's okay to screw up a brand new schoolbook;
• ... the best is yet to come?

If these things would happen during my traineeship in Belgium, I'm sure it would be the end of my placement.

Is this really all okay? 

Some pupils haven't  done anything during the whole school day (8.15h - 12.30h) but walking around, chatting, drawing and getting bored.  Most of the pupils don't listen to what the teacher is saying. I feel sorry for the children who are able to really learn something. Does the teacher enjoy her job? 

I wonder how the next days will be...

DID YOU KNOW...

• that BAKKESKOLEN in Kolding is the school where I will join the teacher of the third grade called Charlotte?
• that Bakkeskolen has a beautiful huge playground with grass court where the children can climb the many trees, where they can play on a nice wooden climbing frame, where you have to solve your own problems if you have a quarrel instead of going to the teacher-judge, ...
• that Bakkeskolen is a colorful place where every pupil can walk with his shoes off?
   (You can put your shoes in the shoe rack in the hallway.) They walk around in the school on their socks because in that way it keeps the floors clean longer and the children feel more at ease.
• that the children also can go to childcare after school where they have a large kitchen, a room with a cuddle corner, a room with computers, playstations and other games, ...
  
  
   In the hallway there's a schedule with magnets named after the kids from childcare. Hereby the parents and educators know where the kids are playing. (The children decide it themselves!)
• that the pupils from the 10th grade can speak English very well? They sound like real Americans!
• that we also visited KOLDINGHUS? Koldinghus is situated on the shore of the lake. It used to be the castle of the Danish king Christian I (1448-1481).
   (The queen looks a bit like a man, don't you think?)
• that a couple of weeks before, we also went to Kolding to take a look at the lake, but then we hadn't noticed  the big castle at the other side of the lake? Bummer!
  
• that we wanted to make a presentation about our trip to Koldinghus in powtoon.com but it wasn't working, so we've made a short movie.
  
• that we had breakfast in the sun? We've had 4 days of blue sky and shining sun. Lovely!
• that we've had a surprise party for Loes birthday?
• that we went to a sport- border school in Vojens (Efterskole)?
• What really surprised me:
• They're 171 pupils aged 16-17 living in this school.
• They live together in compartiments of say 12 girls/boys in apartments with one 'roomie'.
• Everybody has a main sport. They can choose gymnastics, handball, batminton, football, dancing, ...
• They live there for one year. Mostely they go home in the weekends.
• Everybody likes the school very much. It's a place where...
• they can be together with their friends all the time (friends forever!), 
• personal development and improvement of selfconfidence is very important,
• they learn how to be mature and be able to make a more qualified choice concerning future life and educational direction,
• If I would be left alone in this school, I would get lost for sure!
  The school has:
• a big mirror dance hall for gymnastics and dancing
• a fitness room
• lots of class rooms
• a big batminton hall
• a sports hall
• a handball hall
• a hall for gymnastics
• a huge big indoor sportshall (it's new; they can play football in there in case of bad weather)
• a big grass field 
• a room full of sewing machines where you can design and create your own clothes
• a room provided with machines and materials to do woodworking
• a room provided with machines and materials to do metallurgy
• a room provided with machines and mateials to do mechanics
• a room provided with instruments to play music
• lots of lounges where they can sit together and relax
• a big rest room with tv, an huge sofa, a football table, ...
• a dining room
• an assembly hall (where the days start by singing songs, speeches, ...)
• washrooms
• buildings where the students live together
• ...
  
  OMG,  If I would be 16 again....

Last week was filled with optional subjects (art and music) and Danish lessons at Sprogskolen.

Music

In the first music class we did the following:

Warm up

• Repeat and sing songs in cannon:
• Singing al together
• Slap & clap
• Ashes to ashes

Associative listening

• drawn facial expressions associated with music clips
  (Mussorsky - pictures of an exhebition)

Formal listening

• Question: WHY do the music and the expression fit together? (discussion)

Small composers workshop - Dance of the chicken

• This was an excellent workshop which I can use in my entraineeship after my stay in Denmark.
• F.e.: the children are divided in groups. Each group chooses a picture card with an expression on it. They make a short music composition about the chosen emotions. They're free to use all the music instruments they can find.
  The other groups have to guess the correct expression.

Narrative storytelling

• each group can choose a picture of an animal.
• then each group has to sketch a story about that animal and a fitting instrumental composition.


• We've chosen a koala bear
• The song has to be uploaded together with the text... (coming soon)
• This is our text:

In music class on wednesday, we've did a little rapsong in cannon.

Then we gave our presentations about a national artist. Evi and me (both from Belgium) presented one of our Belgian artists: Selah Sue. I'm trying to get our Power Point presentation on this blog, but I think I can't link a pptfile on this blog...

Art

On friday we've had art. After a short introduction, we made presentations in group with windows movie maker. 

Our group:

(This a great cooperation!)

 Results:

Watch this link:     Our awesome Erasmussmovie! (Click it!)

Weekend: FLENSBURG CITY

In the weekend we (Loes, Karlijn, Daniela and me) went to Flensburg in Germany by train.

To summarize:

• Great big city with a huge long shopping street (main street)
• Lots of (friendly!) people
• Very pleasant company
• A very cheap, clean hostel with a friendly landloard
  Link to hostel Flensburg (very close to the centre)
• Lots of great restaurants (cheap, delicious and cosy)
• A nice harbour (beautiful by night)
• A  F.R.I.E.N.D.S. café (!) where you can have a great meal, a delicious breakfast or a chandlers salad, a Joey salad, a monica salad, ...
• ...

Flensburg = the place to be!

....

On Saturday evening we went back home for a carnavalparty with al the Erasmusstudents, buddies and friends... (I was dressed up like a granny...)

We did a little harlem shake:

SPROGSKOLEN

Last week on Thursday we went to sprogskolen for a screening. Now we're registrated for attending Danish lessons on Mondays and Wednesdays.

ART

After a lunch break in the school kantine we had our first art class. We made a portrait from a fellow student. I made a drawing from Lien. After that we had to do the same thing without watching the model.

Then we made a collage on one of the portraits with pieces of pictures from a magazine. This class was very relaxing and we could express ourselves with our own creativity.

Results:

(left: normal portrait, right: portrait without watching your sheet...)

The next day we had our second art class. We made a portrait from the same student by colouring a large photo with symbolic colors.

(left: portrait under construction,
right: finished portrait - every colours symbolizes a characteristic from the model)

group results:

MUSIC

On Friday we had another music class with another teacher. We did some ritmic excercises together in a circle, we gave a short presentation about ourselves and our music history.

After a break we listened to a song by Robbie Williams; Feel (from Escapology, 2001) We analysed the formal structure of the song in intro, verses, choruses, bridge and outro.

At the end we sang some songs together round the piano.

FINALLY MOVING! 

After that last class we moved to our new house in Christen Kolds Vej. We were so happy! Now we have our own room with our own bathroom, closets, coutch, internet, ... I love it!

We share a kitchen and living room. We even have our own washing room with a tumble dryer! Christen Kolds Vej is situated in a very peacfull neighborhood.

When we go to school it's a 10 minutes bike ride down hill, but when we go back home, it can take 30 minutes! It's very hard to ride the route back, but it's a good workout!

We don't want to get fat from al the greasy meals and parties so before every meal we do 40 sit-ups!

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

This week we have 'global citizenship'. On monday we've seen a documentary about the  troubles in Bahrain; 'Shouting in the dark'. 

Take youre time and watch this video. It's breath-catching...

This video was very shocking and has shown us how important human rights can be / are. Human rights are important to protect the people from it's government. The government should be OF the people, FOR  the people and BY the people. (Lincoln)

That's what they're fighting for in Bahrain. It has nothing to do about what a king wants, ... It's all about freedom.

We have to show the kids respect because they're humans and they have to feel that humans have rights!

On Tuesday we gave a presentation in group. We had to show the other students how we take care of the human rights in Belgium. We presented the Belgian situation by a website; WIX.com.

We had some problems with saving and publishing our website, so we can't publish any link.

Today we gave a presentation on 'how we can teach citizenship and human rights'. This is our presentation: http://goanimate.com/videos/0wtPeBJUfhaM/1.

After the presentations we had a group discussion about 'the best education system in the world'. Personally, this was the most interesting activity we've done here in the university college. Everybody got the chance to share his opinion with the group concerning a good  general education system.

These are the different group opinions: 

In the second part of 'global citizenship', we had to make groups and watch videos on ted.com. By watching several videos (they're about different opinions concerning a good education system) on that website and discussing it in our group, we have to find and agree on the best educational system.

This is a link to the video I watched this afternoon:

http://www.ted.com/talks/colin_powell_kids_need_structure.html

Colin Powell (former Secretary of State in the U.S. (+ he has a lovely voice!)) likes to bring structure in his interaction with pupils. F.e. When a pupil has a question, he/she has to get in front of the class and stand straight with the same position like a real soldier. (without hanging shoulders or pants, …) It may sound very weird, but the pupils like it. Colin Powell integrates his experiences from his time in the army in his teaching style. Children have to learn how they can obey instructions and know the consequences of not obeying instructions, it gives them structure. Providing structure leads to be respected. In the second half of the video Colin talks more about affairs concerning a good supported start for children as a requirement for good school results but not for a good and well-doing life in America.

SEE YA!!!