After a short introduction, we observed a few lessons in year zero. The children are 6 years old.
What surprised me the most, was that the children don’t get a lot of lessons during the day. They only have four hours. In Belgium, children of that age have lessons between 08.30 and 15.30. The transition between preschool and primary school is smoother here in Denmark. In Belgium, when children finish preschool and enter primary school, they only get 1,5 hours of playtime in-between the lessons. In Denmark, there is a lot of time for them to play. I think that’s better.
The classes in Denmark are similar to the ones in Belgium. A lot of theory is visualized, so it’s easier for the pupils to remember it. I did notice that the pace is slower here. In Belgium, we have learning plans with everything a child needs to learn is written down. I think that’s why the pace is higher in Belgium.
In the comparative studies with Iben, I’ve learned a lot! I learned why the pace in Danish schools is much lower than in Belgian schools. In Scandinavian countries, they focus more on the total development of the child, rather than the cognitive development. They have built up their entire school system around the visions of Rousseau, Montesorri, … The child is more important than the adult, the individual is more important than society. The children are challenged to make their own choices, to chose their own path in life. Cognitive knowledge comes second.
This is the total opposite in Belgium. In our country, we put cognitive knowledge first. Children are tested all the time. The outcome of these tests, may have consequences for the child. If a child from the first grade can’t read or write the way he or she should, they are held back and have to do the year again.
What is my opinion about this subject?
I think that both school systems have got their pro’s and con’s. I think the child should be a teachers first priority. If a child isn’t stimulated in the right way, or if he or she doesn’t feel safe with you and in the classroom, it will never come to a good learning process. Still, I place cognitive abilities of a child at a higher place than they do in Denmark.
The school system in Belgium is built in a way that a child will not be able to learn if they don’t have the knowledge of the lower grade. That’s why I still think that the children have to be tested. On the other hand, Danish children get their motivation from within. In Belgium, children learn to please their parents, their teacher,… This might be one of the reasons children don’t like to go to school in Belgium. A lot of children in their puberty are ‘school tired’. They just sit there without learning anything and sabotage the others.
What can we learn from this?
I know for certain, when I go back to Belgium, I’ll try to implement what I’ve learned here. Some teachers are focused on the cognitive abilities of the children, and forget that they are little people, who have to learn from their mistakes. I don’t want to be a teacher that the children are afraid of. I want to be their confidant, their mentor. Children learn from example. As their teacher, you can teach them more from your actions than books ever will. Some teachers forget about this important aspect of the job. They’re only there to transfer knowledge. I don’t want to be that type of teacher. I want to challenge them, appreciate them as they are and give them the ability to grow. Sounds great, doesn’t it? =)
(We are a 4-star class!)
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