Week 14 (Mon 30th April – Sun 6th May)

Professional Blog



This week Jayne Moore visited Vordingborg and our university.  It was nice to show Jayne where we have been living for the last 4 months and to tell her what we have been studying as well as how much our lifestyle has changed whilst living here.  It was a great opportunity for us to reflect on our learning here and how it compares to the Stranmillis education system; one of the main differences is the relaxed and laid-back learning environment promoted in the University of Zealand that encourages students to debate and openly discuss topics.

Jayne's visit

We also had the opportunity to tag along with Jayne to a Danish school and see a music lesson being taught as well as be interviewed by pupils in two English lessons.  Something that stood out was the staff’s clothing as they wore casual clothes e.g. jeans, trainers etc.  This was strange as we are used to seeing and wearing more formal and smart clothing when teaching; which I think helps people to recognise the professionals in a school and gives teachers the opportunity to take pride in their presentation and appearance.

Danish school

Another notable difference was the English teacher’s approach and style of teaching.  She was very relaxed and open with the children as she shared details about her personal life which we often feel is inappropriate sometimes.  I did however like that she created an atmosphere in the classroom of equality; where she wasn’t superior to the children but learning a lot from them too and being a facilitator rather than imparter of knowledge.  I also think the Northern Ireland Curriculum (2007) supports this idea of a teacher as a facilitator, although sometimes as teachers more traditional approaches to teaching still do exist.

We also got to see an after school club which was really impressive as they provided horse-riding, roller-skating, wooden playground equipment (swings etc.), fishing, wood-work, drama, help with homework and a range of other indoor activities such as cooking.  The parents of children don’t have to pay as much for this facility as they would back home and it appears that a lot more activities are offered to the children here.  The staff also trusted the children to have their own freedom and partake in activities unsupervised.  The manager insisted this is because he believes when children have this freedom; there is less opportunity for them to misbehave and rebel.  This was interesting as back home we would be more afraid and adamant to let children in our care roam around without our supervision.

I liked what I seen in the Danish school and club however I do like the structure we have in the schools in Northern Ireland as rules and responsibilities are established and everyone is made aware that they are in place to create a positive learning and care environment that promotes a feeling of security in the staff and the pupils.