UCC NIE 2014: First Day in Randersgade Skole

14 May 2014, Wednesday

It was our first visit to our Practicum school, Randersgade Skole. Randersgade Skole is a public school located in Randersgade the Copenhagen City Heart in Copenhagen, with a total of 500 students and 31 teachers. It is divided into preschool, also known as 0 grade, and 1-9th grade. Each class has an average of 24 students. So, that means that each class has a student-teacher ratio of 24:1, which differs from the normal Singapore classrooms which has a ratio of 40:1.

Even though we were told beforehand that Students do not call us using Miss or Mrs. Instead, they call us by our first names. It is a little strange. We will get used to it though.

We were greeted with a warm welcome upon our arrival and were first introduced to Søren Kirchheiner, our Coordinating Teacher (CT) and the Vice-Principal, Vibeke Backlund. Vibeke gave us information about the school, the class size, the student-teacher ratio as well as what is expected of the school from the ministry as we drank our tea and nibbled on the cookies. Soon after, Søren took over and briefed us on what was expected of us for the day.

We then had to form groups based on the subjects we're taking. Thus, Xing Fen and Chao Ngin are in a group and Ying Ting and Gunita are in another Our respective partners have an important role to play during our practicum. We will not only discuss our lessons plans, but our partner would provide us with constructive feedback to help us improve as we go along.

He brought us to the first classes that we were going to observe for the day. Ying Ting and Gunita went to the Grade 3 Music class whereas Xing Fen and Chao Ngin went to the Grade 3 Maths class.

Ying Ting and I, Gunita, were greeted by Anne Thi Lam who informed them that the class was doing a project on the different ages of music. Each group will have to present their work to the class at the end of 3 lessons.

As the class worked, we walked around to see what they were up to and to talk to them about their projects. We even took photographs of the classroom and the students' shared workspace. It was really impressive.

The Classroom Layout

The Classroom Decor

The Shared Workspace Outside the Classroom

Students' Work put up at their shared Workspace

Meanwhile, Chao Ngin and Xing fen observed the 3rd Grade Math class. The Math teacher incorporated games with learning during class time. I, Chao Ngin, was impressed with the fact that the teacher was able to use the Smart Board to teach.

Halfway through the class, the students, together with the teacher, got up for a quick 5 minute break where they did some stretching exercises. I, Xing Fen, felt that after the activity, the students were refreshed and were ready to start work again. It was a fun way to get the students up on their feet while managing the class efficiently.

After the 1 and a half hour class, all of us had a break and then, we proceeded to the next class, which was the English class. The class was being relieved by a young gentleman and we were asked to help them with their class activity. Each student had to write a postcard to their pen-pal named David.

David is a character in one of the texts in their textbooks. He was from the Banana Islands and in the text, it was written that David was interested in coming to Denmark. As such, the students were tasked to write the postcard telling him what they liked about Denmark. It was an interesting activity for the students as they could draw and write. So even if they are not proficient in speaking or writing in English, they could draw and most, if not all, love to draw.

During the English class, we learned a lot about the students. Teachers in Denmark try not to yell at the students and trust them to behave themselves. Students are given opportunities to explore the language and help is given only when necessary.

Anyway, after the English class, two 8th Grade students brought us around the school. Here are some of the pictures of the school.

The Art Room

Students mould, paint, draw and do anything related to art here.

The Physics/Chemistry Lab Students conduct Chemistry and Physics related experiments here.

Part of The Library

The Gymnasium
Physical Education takes place here.

The Wood Design Room

The School Yard
Students, regardless of their ages, gather here to play.

It was really cold out.

But seeing the students really happy to take a picture together made it all better :)

15 May 2014, Thursday

We met with Margit once again at UCC today. This time, we knew our way around and did not get lost (TeeHee). Our session with Margit was a thought-provoking one. She gave us a lot of information about the Danish Education System and the Folkeskole ( meaning, People's School). We discussed and compared the two education systems, the Singapore Education System and the Danish Education System.

Let me tell you some of the differences. Here in Denmark, students do not have any grades from Grade 1 to Grade 7. It is all about the student's progress. However, from Grade 9 onwards, the grades would be revealed. On the other hand, in Singapore, there are exams every year right from Primary 1 all the way to university which are all graded. We studied the pros and cons of the two various systems and realised that each system, no matter how awesome (in our own words) it sounds, each system has its flaws and it's beauty.

Just like Singapore, there is a plan that is set out by the Ministry of Education in Denmark, to provide schools with the system's guidelines. There are statements that talk about what the system should be like. However, like Margit explained, these are just ideals and do not always happen.

Moreover, students get paid to go to school from Grade 0 all the way to the University level. I guess we now know why the taxes here are high and why the standard of living is high. Yes, Singaporeans do have to pay for their education after Primary 6 but it is not SOOO expensive. It is still good and affordable.

Coming here has taught us a lot. We may sometimes not like the way some systems work but at the end of the day, we need to look at each system critically and realise that different systems work for different people. Sometimes, we just need to accept it and deal with it in the best way possible.

During the break and later on in the day, we met up with the two "tutors" who were assigned to the exchanged students. We also met up with the Canadian exchange students. They had been there 2 weeks before us and had lots to share. They told us what to expect in the classrooms and even told us about the education system back in Canada. It was really a stimulating day as we learned so much about different cultures and countries.

We even met up with Gunita's sister as well as Ying Ting's friends for food and to explore a little. We tried different cakes in Denmark and they all had their unique flavours. It was really delicious. At night, Gunita's sister took us to a Middle Eastern joint for Kebabs. We filled our tummies and went back home to rest before tomorrow, the next exciting day. We even went to a beautiful church. We were amazed by it's artistry and elegance.

This day was really filled with ups and downs that made us grow a little and that changed our perspectives a little. It was a fruitful day. So here we are, excited to start a new day and to have more stories and information to share.