Darlene Quayle: European Schools Research and Explorations

ØE US Elections unit

Many of the students at Østerskov were interested in the United States election. They read the newspapers in the morning and see what the media has published about the debates and the final statements from the candidates. There were short biographies of the two major candidates the weekend before the election, and the day of the election, the local newspaper predicted that Obama’s next house would be the White House.

We started the week with an explanation of the primary and caucus system and then held a mock Democrat caucus in the courtyard. Fifteen students were selected to be “Convincers” and everyone else had three random viewpoints their character held. To win someone over to a convincer’s point of view, the Convincer had to talk with the person and determine his or her point of view. If they got at least two of the viewpoints, they were considered convinced and received a ribbon to pull someone with a ribbon over to another side, a new convincer would have to get all three viewpoints. At the end of the timeframe, convincers and people with ribbons moved to different parts of the room and we discussed what happened when there were less than 15% in a group (the group was disbanded and they had to join another group). The largest group was considered the caucus’ nominee. It was a short version, and many students just wandered around visiting or hiding from the convincers, but many other fully threw themselves into the process and took vocal stands on their character’s issues.

On Tuesday, students were put into pairs: two for each party for each of 20 states. An effort was made to make sure that student assignments in pairs where there was a balance of academic and English-speaking skills. None of the students complained or negotiated out of their pairings. Helped by another teacher (for some Danish translations), I taught a lesson explaining the electoral college as an English language lesson, and other teachers gave lessons for calculating the allotment of US representatives and analyzing poll statistics as math lessons. The students paid attention and were able to give answers in complete sentences in English demonstrating comprehension of the material. Each pair brought their answers up to the front and I corrected both parties’ work to determine which party had the most complete answers: that party won the round, giving their state and party a popular vote.

This continued with more lessons and activities on Wednesday concerning campaign issues such as the economy (current events), the environment (science) and abortion (this applied as religious studies; abortion is easily obtained in Denmark).

I videotaped instant debates on the environment where students were presented with a reading about the business/economy vs preservation/protection conflict and then were given a topic to debate: the democrats received the ultra-liberal viewpoint and the republicans received the ultra-conservative viewpoint. Students had 10-15 minutes to research their side, gather statistics and arguments before their three-minute, three-round debate. They were very effective in the debate, pulling the teacher “pendulum” over to their side with their arguments and facts. The winning team was effective if the teacher ended up on their side after stepping to each side in response to facts and plausible claims.

Mornings started with a short lesson or news information, and on Wednesday I announced the winner of the US election: Barack Obama. Most of the students were very happy to hear this. We listened to parts of speeches made by John McCain and Barack Obama and heard about the popular vote and the electoral vote for the election. On Thursday we announced the winners of the debate, and calculated the total electoral college points that each team had won, and found that the Democrat party had also won the school competition-election. We spent the afternoon playing “American” sports: basketball, American football, and my favorite, baseball, which I taught. Most of the students had never played baseball before.

We ended the week with final lessons on the history behind the US elections and its laws: The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It was a whirlwind lesson, and a very challenging one due to the old language in both the English and Danish translations of the documents, but they worked hard and were each assigned to make their own Bill of Rights. As always, some students take the assignment more seriously than others, but with the added expectation and instruction for the students to save this document into their network portfolio, most of them stepped up to completing the assignment.

I’ve noticed that in small groups, pairs especially, students work hard to get the assignments done, and there is a very high rate of completion in these assignments—especially when there is an element of competition. In the larger groups, there are often students who sit on the edge of the group and don’t participate in the activity. Just like at home! What I don’t see is students complaining about or negotiating out of their assigned groupings or pairings.

This was our final unit at Østerskov Efterskole. Saying goodbye was difficult, as we had spent three fascinating and fun weeks living with the students here and getting to know them. There were a lot of hugs, “hug sandwiches” and group hugs as we said goodbye to our new friends here.

(note the “I Voted” stickers on the noses and hat)

Each teacher group has planning every other week. They spend a total of eight weeks in block time planning throughout the school year in planning, compared to the total of five weeks at a rate of 45 minutes per day in our school district. They also have breaks during the day (see the blog, “Dagplan”).

At this school, teachers all meet together at the end of the school year to determine themes for the upcoming school year. A draft year calendar is put together. The calendar is revisited at the beginning of the school year. On Monday of the planning week, after elective classes, teachers meet from 1:00 until 3:00 to look at the theme for the week and determine which activities they would like to in those subjects, and who will cover each day and lesson, from morning activity to logbook and portfolio time. They work to make sure that there are sufficient hours in each of the required subjects. A draft plan is created and teachers go home to start gathering materials for their lessons. There are very few textbooks at this school, and the ones they do have are rarely used. Teachers and students both have unfiltered access to the internet and the school network. About half of the students have their own laptop, and the other half use computers in either the school computer lab or the library lab. Teachers are all given a school laptop for their planning and personal use, and during planning and staff meetings, teachers are gathered around a table, most of them with their laptops open—sometimes messaging via Facebook, reading their email, or researching for the lesson. Even with the distractions, teachers are quite respectful of each other and readily follow the conversation.

Tuesday is a long day for teachers. Planning time runs from 9:00 until 3:00. Teachers take breaks when the students do and eat lunch in the cafeteria with the students. After Tuesday’s planning, the whole school cleans the building and each teacher supervises their advisory group as they clean their area. Our first two weeks there, my daughter joined with the group responsible for the Lounge and the entry. The third week she helped empty and sort the “Lost Room” where lost and found gathers. Some of the students were surprised the first week when I picked up a cloth and helped wash windows—they had never seen a guest teacher help with the cleaning. Each week I helped with the Lounge, picking up chairs and trash from the floor. After half an hour of cleaning, students were then instructed to go to their rooms for their major cleaning: sweeping, bathroom, organizing their belongings, while teachers meet together for a full-staff meeting.

The first half of the staff meeting includes the kitchen staff and two student representatives. A variety of issues are discussed, including activities, kitchen help, and school events. It is interesting to watch the body language and facial expressions, because I know little of what they are speaking, since it’s all in Danish. They are very good about taking turns, and often one teachers is facilitator for the meeting. There is usually at least one of the two headmasters there.

After an hour, teachers take a break to check the students’ rooms, and the kitchen staff and students leave the meeting. The second half of the meeting is spent discussing students. This part of the meeting is supported in a Thursday afternoon once a month student-focus meeting to discuss students who may not be successful in the efterskole environment.

Wednesday is a day for teachers to complete lesson planning on their own. They gather again on Thursday from 1:00 until 3:00 to finalize plans for the week. Teachers are on their own again for individual and pair-teaching planning on Friday. Much of this communication is completed by email.

Daily Schedule at Østerskov Efterskole

7:00 wake up

7:15 teachers go around knocking doors and wishing students “godmorgen” (good morning)

7:30 students meet outside for PE activity:

running, hill climbing, jumping jacks, pushups, crunches

7:50 breakfast, shower, room cleaning

8:30 morning meeting

8:45 room cleaning

9:00 lesson 1—(electives on Mondays: bicycling, crafts, drama, roleplaying

10:10 break

10:25 lesson 2 (electives continue on Mondays)

11:30 lunch

12:20 afternoon meeting/lesson 3

1:25 break

1:45 lesson 4

2:45 break

3:00 group meeting summarizing and critiquing the day’s events

independent student logbooks: summary of day’s events,

what they’ve learned, etc.

4:00 e-portfolio: sample of finished work

4:30 free time

6:30 dinner

7:30 evening activites—games as organized by students

(Tuesday is Vampires Day)

10:30 bed & all quiet (2:00 am on Friday and 12:00 midnight on Saturday nights)

The second week of our visit at Østerskov Efterskole, their week 44, the tenth graders went off to visit potential highschools and trade schools, while the ninth graders studied the Middle Ages. Students and staff were encouraged to dress the part, and the costume room was opened for use. Students signed up for “families,” which was their competition group for the week.

For lessons, students heard stories, including the prologue of Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth (in Danish). They had to write a summary for their portfolio and a prayer for their “family.” After that, students worked on lessons in Alchemy (growing crystals) and battle strategies with the latex swords. I taught them a couple of medieval dances and their math teacher gave them math calculations to get them ready for the mid-term assessments coming up in week 46. As I was in planning for the next week, I didn’t see many of the lessons, and several students were ill this week, so the classtime became a little disjointed for some. One teacher did express frustration at the students not returning to the next lesson with their papers from the previous lesson. Mid-week, we went on a long walking journey that incorporated history, physical exercise and math. In groups, students started from a fixed point and measured the compass points of three other landmarks. We then moved to one of those landmarks, and they had to measure the compass directions back to the starting point and to the other two landmarks. Once they returned to the school, they were instructed in how to triangulate the angles for the connections and the distance between points. Unfortunately, the groups were rather large, and so a couple of students from each group took the responsibility for the lesson while others watched or wandered.

Students also has a German lessons where they listened to a story in German. I also gave them a short lesson in illuminated manuscripts.

A highlight of the trip was visiting the Kirke (church) a short distance from the school. This church was built in the 1300s and used extensively in the 1700s. There were two features of this church that were especially interesting: the font is well-known and beautiful. It was donated to the church by the grandfather of one of the students. Also, there is a section of wall that has markings on it. Some of these markings are in Norse runes. There is a simple yet beautiful pipe organ, and the bell tower has a bell, made in Aalborg, that says, “Lyt og lyt i sorg og fryd om frelsens gud jeg bringer bud”: “Listen and listen in grief and joy of salvation, God tenderly brings me.”

We ended the week with a large banquet. Students and staff sat in honorific rank order, based upon the points earned by their families. After eating, we all went outside and danced the dances we learned the previous morning.

These students are not the ones you find randomly out on a field playing football, basketball, or other large-scale team sports. These students enjoy games that involve sit-down board games, strategy games, computer games and role playing activities. So what does a teacher do to provide Physical Education?

Schedule: wake up at 7:00, meet in the Commons at 7:25, go outside for a 20-minute morning activity at 7:30. Once a week, run a larger PE activity.

For PE, students have running, walking, dance, martial arts, and broad sword battles. (The swords are made of latex-covered foam.) This week we also went on a 3-1/2 hour hike along the fjord, up a hill to a medieval church and then back to the school–over 10 km in all.

It’s the end of the first week at Østerskov Efterskole. This week was all about creating board games using at least three of the subject the students have been studying. As always, in any school, there is a range of quality, but every student had a game completed for the parent weekend.

Most of the games had quite a few variables affecting play and outcomes. They included characters with special abilities, weapons, equipment and tools that one could gain through visiting certain rooms or spaces, and particular goals, whether they were to get to the space ship, the escape pod, or end with all the “loot.” Most of the games had additional variable built in depending on the totals of the dice rolled. Some of the dice rolled were for moving forward, some for placing obstacles in the opponent’s way, some for ability to eliminate an enemy, and some for ability to gain a particular tool or food item. The range of themes for the games went from science fiction topics, such as Star Trek NG, and space exploration to history (pirates, world wars) to communicable disease awareness.

Here are some pictures of the games.

Here are the subjects that are integrated into the curriculum at Østerskov Efterskole:
Students are expected to have samples of work in each subject in their on-line portfolios.

Danish
English
German
Physics/Chemistry
Mathematics
Biology
Christianity (Religious studies)
History
Geography
Government/Current Events

All curriculum is spiraled. That is, the topics are integrated throughout the years. In math for example, every student receives instruction in basic math facts, algebra, geometry and logic. Tenth graders are reviewing fractions, decimals, percents, measurement conversion, geometrical applications and polynomials. A recent math assignment included all of the following:
add subtract decimals, fractions
244 cm-> __m ½ l =__dl (metric conversion)
pythagorean theorem, perimeter & area of right triangle
solve inequalities
add, multiply, divide exponents
numbers in a certain range ex: cm2 (more metric measurement)

The Danish school system is very interesting. Because the government is very strict about not wanting student to take any break between high school and university, which is traditionally very common all over Europe, parents give their children a break before they start school and don’t start them in Kindergarten until at least age 6 or 7. It is unusual for students to be under age 19 when they graduate from high school.

Grades 1-10 are considered “Primary School.” For their final year of Primary School, or 10th grade, most Danish students go to a boarding school for the year. Østerskov Efterskole is a 9th-10th grade school and students are ages 15-17 here. On occasion, there will be 14 year-olds or 18 year-olds, but they are all 9th and 10th graders. Edit: Tenth graders not attending a boarding school may attend either a general studies or a subject-specific day school near their home.

During 10th grade, students are expected to write up their goals for high school. This includes the type of high school they want to attend and which fields they would like to study. By law, every student is entitled to attend a high school, but students with lower skills may have to apply at several high schools before they are accepted at tone. Most of the “high schools” are for preparation for university studies. About half of the 10th graders here are considering technical colleges for studying computer science, engineering and drafting, veterinary sciences, plant sciences, and culinary arts instead of the high school.

Students submit applications and school recommendations to the high schools by March of each year, and soon thereafter are sent acceptance letters. There is a final exam in the summer after 10th grade, but only in rare exceptions will a student’s high school acceptance be rescinded because of low scores.

Math is integrated each year, not separated into categories of Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Logic, and Calculus like it is in the United States. Each year, all the subject are wrapped into the lessons in ever increasing difficulties. By the time they have left primary school, they will have had a good background in Algebra, Geometry and some trigonometry.

Most students start learning English in 3th or 5th grade, depending on the school in the community where they live. Most of the 9th and 10th graders can hold a short conversation with me in English, and some can go on for hours if you let them. Several of them are also learning German. There is a lot of project learning in Denmark, in the traditional schools as well as here.

Because there are a lot of games played here, Østerskov students are accustomed to reading game cards and instructions in English. They watch videos and listen to music videos in English as well. As they design their board games, there are a few of the groups writing their games in English.

The board games unit, as with all their units, has few solid expectations. It is a completely open format. There are expectations, however. They game must be done and tested by Friday, as parents and family members are coming and the games need to be available to them. Another expectation is that they use at least three disciplines in creating the game. Example: physics in a space travel game, math calculations from the dice rolls, and English from writing the materials in English (as opposed to writing in their native Danish).

Some of the games are incredible, with the detail in character development, games cards, and a computerized board design. Some others are basic pieces with hand-drawn boards. The beta versions came out today for test-playing; the final versions will be printed on Thursday afternoon and Friday. Some students are still scrambling to finish their games, while others have already played it once or twice.

All games will be available for playing while parents come to visit this weekend.

Yesterday, the students at Østerskov Efterskole in Hobro (Jutland), Denmark returned from their one-week Autumn Break. We arrived the same evening and were immediately welcomed—and overwhelmed by their energy.

I was immediately amazed at the liberties that the students have in this school. They crowd into a group meeting room which clearly does not have room for everyone to have a seat and laze across chairs and tables, sit on tables, walk across tables, sit on the floor, and cuddle with each other. In the hallways, they run and shout, ramming into each other, wrestle on the entryway floor. They go outside for a cigarette, after carrying it around in their hands (next year, there will be no smoking allowed). There is no dress code, and self-expression is encouraged. Everywhere, they swear in English. They are all on first-name basis with their teachers, and randomly come up to them to give them hugs.
The only thing they are admonished for is their volume during group instruction and discussion time. The students hold up both hands and flutter them for agreement and applause, or one finger to ask a question.

Yet despite all this, they love their school and are proud to show it off. Frequently another student comes up to introduce himself and offer assistance. They are engaged in the learning. Students are given an assignment, and when they gather together again, everyone has it done. They are excited about the next step and already have their minds going. As in any school, the quality varies from student to student, and higher-end kids excel in detail and confidence. Everything is done on computers, except a bit of graphing design on paper. There are student laptops everywhere, and lots of cubbies of computer lab areas. The computers are all networked, so the teachers can see what the students have completed.

Each student has a job, too. Teams of students take turns preparing, cooking, serving and cleaning up the meals. Some of the students have responsibilities with equipment rooms. When they have a meal job, they are excused from the lessons going on at that time.

They are excited about the evening RP (role-playing) games. Games are the love of the students here, and that is why they attend this school. There are a couple of different games each evening that are directed by the headmaster and teachers. Science Fiction and Fantasy are favorite topics, but there is a lot of history included as well. Boxes of games abound in every corner, and there are trophies in hallway glass cabinets from competitions. A special glass-fronted bookcase holds Dungeons & Dragons books, but a student tells me that game is boring to him—he prefers Vampires or Pirates RP games or Magic the Gathering. Students run RP games for other students: they set up the background story, develop the characters and then invite others to join in. They take on those characters and make them their own.

The staff is very kind, and it is interesting to sit with them as they go on auto-pilot and speak Danish with each other. One of the staff members is impressed that I was able to glean as much as I could from a conversation she was having with a group of drama students. I am gaining more vocabulary and hope to have a bit of conversational ability by the time we leave here three weeks from now. I met the German teacher today and talked with her about her teaching job here. This is her first year and she is struggling with her agenda for this weekend’s parent visit day. She has focused on conversation so far, and only sees them once every other week, so she doesn’t have any work samples to show the parents—it’s all been conversation so far. She feels successful, though—this is the first time she has taught German where the students tell her that they enjoy learning the language.

The teachers have one week on for teaching and one week off for planning, so they work directly in lessons with the students every other week. The electives are held on Monday mornings, with core lessons and projects in the afternoon and on other days. This week’s unit is on board games, so the students split in groups no larger than two and decided upon a theme for their game. Each game has to be either science fiction or history-based. The purpose is to encourage research into historical and/or science facts. Next week we will study the Middle Ages and students and staff will wear costumes from that time period all week.

Every afternoon, students write in logbook on their computers for an hour, describing what they did that day and what they learned. After that, they choose something from their day’s work to put into their electronic portfolio. All this goes onto the server and the student’s advisor check to make sure it’s there and complete. The server was down today, so the advisor went around individually, but normally they’re all on-line together, assumable giving feedback in real time.

School lessons begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 4:30 pm, then there is a break until dinner time and evening activities begin after that. Silent time is at 10:30 pm; tomorrow we will get up at 7:00 to do morning exercises at 7:30 before breakfast. Today we ran and did pushups and crunches –tomorrow we’ll do something different!

The camaraderie is great and I haven’t seen any students upset at others yet. I will be meeting with the headmaster on Wednesday and will find out demographics. In the meantime, I do know that there are 84 boys, 12 girls, according to one staff member. They come from all over Denmark to attend this choice-based public school.

We have arrived in Denmark and are staying in Copenhagen at a hostel for the weekend.

Today we visited the Tivoli Gardens and wandered around town. Tomorrow we’re checking our a loal film festival and wandering town a bit more. The new picture at the top is from the Tivoli Gardens. They have a big Halloween festival there mid-October during the schools’ week-long autumn break.

We will be traveling to the boarding school, Østerskov Efterskole, in Hobro (Jutland) on Sunday, and I will post my first impressions on Monday or Tuesday. Until then!