Week 4- 6/02/2012-12/02/2012

Professional Blog

It’s hard to believe I have been here a month this week! Time is flying by!

This week was the beginning of my Teaching English as a Foreign Language class. We have this class twice a week (on a Tuesday and Friday) and it lasts from 8.30 am-2.15pm which is a lot longer than one class would last in Stranmillis. The classes don’t seem too long though as they are very interactive. We are always kept active and engaged. Our teacher Anne-Christine (teachers are called by their first names in Denmark) encourages an informal, relaxed and open classroom atmosphere, where everyone is made to feel at ease to discuss their ideas and ask questions. This is in contrast to our classes in Northern Ireland which are more formal.

Anne-Christine is exceptionally organised as she has our entire Semester plan of lessons and readings completed already. We know what topics we will be covering on a particular week and what readings we have to read for them. This allows me to be organised for class in advance and to better organise my university work around other areas of life. It has also inspired me to be more organised as I have already scanned all the readings onto my laptop for the whole semester! There are a lot more readings to do here than in Stranmillis, which may take some getting used to. I can tell already that I am going to learn a lot from Anne-Christine. She is a very inspirational and motivating teacher.

Something I have noticed about education here in Denmark is that it is so much more up to date than in Northern Ireland in terms of the use of Technology and ICT within the university and the classroom. Before coming here, I thought that Northern Ireland was really moving with the times in terms of the use of ICT in the classroom, however since coming here I have realised that it actually has a long way to go. Something I can take away with me from my experience in Denmark and bring to the classroom in Northern Ireland is the use of a variety of ICT programmes as alternative and interesting teaching strategies. Anne- Christine uses a presentation programme called ‘Prezi’ which is excellent. I hope to have the opportunity to use this myself while I’m here. Other programmes she has shown us how to use and given us the opportunity to use in class are ‘Wallwisher’ and ‘Screenr’, two very simple internet sites which pupils can use as interesting ways of presenting both their individual and group work.

The class consists of a lot of group activities which allowed me to get to know the other members of the class better. It is interesting to hear the similarities and differences in the school systems in the different countries when discussing aspects of classroom life.

The content of the class focuses on the teaching of English as a foreign language; however the strategies and topics addressed are also very relevant to me as a native speaker and teacher of English. I can take away a lot from the class as I will be better able to use strategies to teach children whom English is not their first language, but also children whose mother tongue is English.

I look forward to what other interesting approaches and programmes I will be introduced to in English class in two weeks time.

This week has ended with us planning to travel to Hamburg next week as it is the ‘Winter Holiday’ and we have no classes. I am really looking forward to visiting Germany for the first time, and experiencing yet another new culture! I can’t wait to tell you all about it next week!

Hej Hej for now!



Kerri and Trisha enjoying our post-class trip to the amazing bakery in Vordingborg.



Week 3-(30/01/2012-5/02/2012)

Personal Blog

As our TEFL and Education classes have still not begun, we only have Danish classes this week. My Danish is improving as the weeks are going on as I am able to recognise words when I hear Danish people speaking or when I am watching adverts on Danish television. We are able to watch television in Denmark, as interestingly a lot of their programmes are in English, for example movies and American soaps and dramas. This exposure to English from an early age on a regular basis is the reason that most Danish people are excellent at English and therefore language is rarely a barrier for me here in Denmark. We are also exposing ourselves to the Danish language and culture by watching the Danish X-Factor on a Friday evening. A lot of the songs are in English however we can only pick up some of the commentary as it is all in Danish. 

Due to having no classes, we took a trip to a nearby town of Naestved on the bus, which turned out to be free on presentation of our student cards. This was a bonus as public transport here in Denmark is very expensive, particularly the train. I had previously thought that the train in Northern Ireland was quite expensive however in comparison to Denmark it is quite reasonable.  Naestved is a bigger town than Vordingborg however it did not quite impress me as I expected more shopping opportunities than Vordingborg! We decided then, in true Danish style, to go to a cafe to warm up. I have noticed that Danes live quite a relaxed lifestyle, which I am beginning to embrace more and more during my stay here. In the first two weeks I found it hard to get used to not having much to do in the evenings as in the winter months most Danes stay inside as it is so cold. I am now realising that this may be a good way to live life, as in Northern Ireland everyone can often be too busy with day to day life to make  time to relax and spend time with family and friends.


On Friday morning when we woke up there was a LOT of snow! So much that Kerri and I had to walk to town in our wellies to get Trisha a pair, so that she could leave the apartment. We decided then to go for a walk in the snow to the Goose Tower which provided beautiful snow filled scenery. On our way, we called into a Jewellery shop where we met Guru, a friendly Danish woman who has put us in contact with two Irish friends of hers who are keen to meet up with us. It will be nice to experience a taste of home while we are here. When we meet, I will tell you more about this.

Kerri, Trisha and I outside the Museum

The Frozen Harbour

Trisha and I on our snowy campus.

The snow surrounded  Goose Tower and I,

Guru also kindly showed us two other cheaper grocery shops, Netto and Aldi, which we weren’t aware of. They are a bit further to walk but are worth it for the difference in price of some items. I have now become more of a savvy shopper as I’ve realised how expensive it is to shop in Denmark. I now shop around the different shops for the cheapest items, whereas at home I tend to buy everything in Tesco without thinking too much about it.  I am also now able to recognise the words for most foods in Danish that I want to buy, which makes grocery shopping a lot easier.

Until next week,

Fionnuala

Week 2- 21/01/2012- 29/01/2012

Hej,

The beginning of my 2^nd week here in Denmark was an adventure to say the least. The adventure began with a trip on the train to a  city called Roskilde for some shopping and ended in a trip across Denmark, crossing two islands and ending up in Kolding on Jutland, 4 hours away from Vordingborg!



Kerri and I at Kolding Station, four hours from Vordingborg!



It turned out there was a problem at the main station and we needed to change trains however the announcement was in Danish therefore we didn’t realise. It is a good thing we are learning Danish during our stay here, as in future maybe we will be able to understand some words in these important announcements!

When we realised our predicament we asked a conductor for help and she made sure we got off and got back on the right train. We had just sat down on the train back towards Vordingborg, when the conductor said ‘follow me girls’ and brought us to first class where we got tea, coffee, oranges and biscuits. It was so kind of her to look after us in this way. During my time in Denmark, I have noticed that the Danish people are very kind and welcoming.

We finally arrived home in Vordingborg at 2am having left Roskilde at 8pm. One thing that stuck me was that if the trains stopped as early as they did at home, we would have been stranded in Kolding for the night but luckily the trains run a lot later here than at home.

Throughout our adventure, all we could do was laugh! We have now have been across the whole of Denmark, even if it was in the dark!

This week we began classes, which was a shock to the system as classes here start early at 8.30 each morning. Classes do end at 2pm though which means we have the afternoon free. We are lucky in that we are living on campus so it only takes us 2 minutes to walk to class. The classes are very long compared to at home, some last from 8.30-12 and some from 8.30-2. It is difficult to concentrate and maintain interest for such long periods of time, particularly as we are not used to such long classes.

We have begun a European identity class which is interesting as it allows us to develop our ideas about what it means to be a European Citizen and what brings us together as an Erasmus group. It allows the group to evaluate the similarities and differences that we each have in terms of Cultural, Personal and European identity and provides an opportunity to learn about the different cultures within our class (there are 6) which proves very interesting.

We have also chosen to take a voluntary Danish language class run by the Danish government at the university which allows us the opportunity to learn some of the Danish language while we are living here. Although the majority of Danish people speak very good English, it is important to be able to speak some Danish out of courtesy for the Danish people and development of the Danish culture and experience, as the Danish people are very patriotic and proud of their nationality. I have noticed this in the use of the Danish flag, everywhere, something which our European Identity teacher also made us aware of.

The highlight of my week was staying with Soren and his family outside Copenhagen for the weekend. It was a lovely insight into the life of a Danish home, and further insight to the Danish culture. His family warmly welcomed us into their home and his mother, Jette cooked us a lovely traditional Danish dinner of Roast Pork with Crackling, red cabbage and potatoes. Jemma and Alison were also invited for dinner, it was nice to share the experience with them and see some familiar faces.

The Danish culture is similar to the Irish culture in that family meals are important as is sitting around the fire together. Danish homes are very cosy and homely places as they like to light candles to create a warm, relaxed atmosphere, while eating or relaxing with friends and family, this is known as ‘hygge’.

Kerri, Trisha and I with the Andersen family in their home.

Until next week,

Fionnuala