Schools in Sweden

My second blog in my series talking about differences must highlight the differences I've seen in schools. This was to be my main focus while I was here and I've noticed a lot of similar themes in differences as well as some small unique things from a number of schools that got my gears turning in regards to how to implement something similar in my own classroom or school.
I guess the first small difference you notice upon entering a school is that students in schools do not wear their shoes around the building. The people I have spoken to said that only Swedes and Japanese people use this custom. I thought it was a great idea though and cuts down on noise an d dirt in the classroom and school. Visitors have to do like I was doing in the below photo and put booties over their shoes if they want to wander the school building. The teachers had a pair of shoes they just wore instead (I saw lots of Crocs and Birkenstocks).
Another difference I saw in classrooms is that there is more time in which students are working than the teacher is talking. In all of the schools I went to, the most time I saw the teacher in front talking was about five minutes. I do not know if this is because I was in the room, but it did seem that tasks were more student focused and driven. In multiple schools the students had a composition book where the teacher placed typed forms each week with the individual students goals and assignments. I saw students working with atlas and maps, saw student doing projects. The only time I saw a classroom working like an American one was during English instruction. There the students listened to a tape and followed along in their book. Then the teacher asked questions about the text. That took about 10 minutes and then the students go into groups and had time to speak to each other in English to practice that skill.





That leads me to another main difference-the importance placed on learning a foreign language. In every school I was in, English was a main lesson. They learned English just as we would teach English in our own schools and starting in about third grade the students had daily homework in Swedish, English, and Math. The students I talked with were quite fluent by the time they were in 5th grade. Then in 6th grade they are offered another opportunity to take another language...spanish, German, etc. I think that once they are in highschool, there is also another opportunity to add a lanaguage. To think that our Swedish counterparts are learning up to four languages and in some cases the American students do not learn any languages! I really hope to make this a point when I return home. The Swedish children can in many cases speak as good or better than us and it is their second language. I will continue to be amazed by this. In talking with teachers they feel this is important both to communicate worldwide using English, but also as the thinking process of learning another language unlocks higher level thinking.



Another observation I had is in regards to the equivalent of highschool in America. In their highschool, the students are already starting to specialize in what they would like to become. There are specialty schools that will teach you trades in highschool such as forestry, agriculture, and animal care as well as humanities such as language. In speaking with a teacher about this, the students who wish to work in trades (loggers, farmers, etc) get the skills they need to move right from high school to the work place, while most of the students who study a humanity move on to University. But schools in Sweden are preparing students early for the careers they wish to have. As I reflect on this practice, I think that opportunities to experience different careers and explore interests should take place in my school so that we may also prepare our students.

Yesterday I went to another school for grades 7 to 9 and they told me about another opportunity offered to this age group throughout Sweden. They are given the opportunity to make a business plan and create businesses. Then their business can compete on a regional or national scale. The headmaster (principal) at this school gave me one groups product, some handmade soaps. I thought it was a great idea to spark interest in entrepeunership and also to learn handy life skills.



LUNCHTIME! I was able to eat in four lunch cafeterias in Sweden and wow was I impressed. First, the level of noise was always quiet and children seems to be very independent. In all cases the students used real plates, knives, etc. Maybe this is because Sweden seems to be more environmentally conscious, using only what they need and offering more programs to recyle. In Sweden the garbage man picks up trash, recycling, and scraps for composting. Anyways, we ate on real plates and were able to serve ourselves. I have already mentioned how Swedish people are healthier eaters and this was translated in their lunch meal. They offered lots of salads, fresh vegetables and bread, and a meal much like you would receive at home. I had ham and mashed potatoes in two places and... It was very comfortable eating in the cafeteria here. The noise was not loud and you could almost feel like you were at a resteraunt or rotary lunch. I very much enjoyed my lunch time experience.

Classrooms in Sweden seem to foster more student responsibility utilizing differentiation. One day a week, either Monday or Friday, the student plans out their studies (sometimes with the teacher) for the week. They have a booklet with their individual plan and goals, including assigments, for the week. The classroom setting seemed to have more time with students working and less time with teacher talking. There is also a serious focus on hands on work and application. At the last school I visited, there was an American student in 5th grade who had just arrived a few months ago. Her teacher spoke with me and said that while she was advanced in bookwork, she was unable to apply what she knew in real life settings and had been focusing on that since coming to Sweden. From this, I think mainly of Math and how next year I would like to do a segment at least once or twice a week in addition to the book math that is all application.

I also saw more student responsiblity because in many of the schools, there was very little adult monitoring. There were many schools that didn't need an adult in the cafeteria and students were traveling within the school on their own. I never saw a class traveling together in a line...students, no matter what the age, had more freedom that way.

Overall, I think I gained many insights and how that I will be able to apply some of these ideas to better my own classroom!