Teaching Experience in Denmark

It was really good experience to join Jesper’s class. I had a lot fun, met smart students and learned a lot about education.

Who is Jesper? He is a good and helpful teacher for fifth grade in Vintersbølle Skole. He helped us during our Teaching Practise, introduced us to his children, interviewed with us, also allowed us to interview with his students, tried to answer all of our questions and served a cup of coffee on a tiring day...

What about Teaching Practice? It was about democracy and citizenship in the primary schools in Denmark. Furthermore we were able to compare our education system to Denmark’s education system, observed their learning styles and met children. It was very important to meet children during their education. We can understand country’s level of education with children’s education. Everything continues to proceed the way it's started.

How was the summary of children’s education? If children can learn by experiential learning, they learn to become permanent. For this reason Danish students learn more easily because they have a chance to learn by their sensoriel organs. Everything is arranged for them to develop their own imagination during the class or in break time. The classrooms are more than a class. Classes are arranged like a home; they take off their shoes before entering the class, they paste wallpaper which their want on the classroom’s wall above all teachers as their father or mother...

Mark Twain

This is one of my favorite quotes by Mark Twain, ’’ I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.’’ It means get your head out of the textbooks once in a while and look around you. There are many things that no one can teach you but yourself. Learning by doing, learning from your mistakes, etc. You can see it in Denmark schools. A part of the course, pupils search and write text about whatever they want on internet, in the library, by their friends etc. They are getting their education with life experiences. So their personal knowledge not to be limited to only what is taught in school.

What are the differences between education in Turkey and education in Denmark? In general, education in Denmark is versatile in every respect than Turkey’s. Easy to find education materials, easy to use them, classes as their home, the play garden has not any limits, there is no fence; just trees, a huge grass field, passing a few horses and more freedom and creativity… 

As I mentioned before, the students in Denmark are educated in ’a learning by doing environment’ so that they can use and improve their creativity. They are quite free in the classroom for example in the laboratory, in the library or in the school garden… But the students in Turkey are traditional educated in teacher centered learning environment. They are not active in the class. True this education instead of individuals, you can only create a community in which people are exactly the same.

They start learning their English at very early ages. It is very important that they learn the second language of today at very early ages. This will help them to build the world ’’outside the box’’ after education life. In Turkey, English doesn’t given sufficiently importance to teach. It can not pass go beyond rote education.

Also calling their teachers with him or her first names, eating or drinking something during the class, wearing civilian dress are examples of unusual for Turkey...

What did I learn in this training course? At first I had a chance to observe education in a European country. I compared education of Turkey with education in Denmark. I learned different learning styles during the lesson and most importantly it encouraged me to be a good teacher.

Special thanks to everyone who allowed me to experience this.