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My week in Scandinavia
What a busy yet inspiring week it was. To be honest before attending this trip I was a bit skeptical and probably a bit scathing at times about My world but actually seeing PBL in action this week made me stop and realize how powerful this method of learning actually is. The highlight for me had to be my visit to Utterslev School, situated on the outskirts of Copenhagen. 6-16 years school where pupils are divided in to 3 stages and spend a total of 3 years each with a specific team of teachers. This small team of 4/5 teachers had the opportunity and time to really get to know their learners and really build up the trust and mutual respect needed for such a calm learning environment. Pupils took responsibility for everything – there was no litter, the pupils’ kitchen areas were spotless as were all the communal areas, we were even greeted by a group of pupils who lead their own assembly – no teachers needed they just got on with it and what an amazing job they did too all because it was their responsibility and they were trusted to do it.
The learning spaces at Utterslev were amazing too, but this was probably more to do with how they were used rather than the facilities themselves. The technology class didn’t sit inside a pokey workshop – oh no, they were outside using a log as their work bench. They had to split a piece of wood with a hatchet to the desired size and then cut it, saw it etc. to produce a butter knife which they would use in the afternoon to spread butter on to the bread that another team had been making that morning. This was all centered on a little wooden hut that contained a fire pit in the centre! Pupils were all behaving responsibly in this area and what amazed me was the calmness and maturity of these pupils to the point where the teacher was able to peruse what was going on from a horizontal position on the grass. He trusted those pupils and this has got to be because he has spent so much time building up a supportive and mature relationship with each and every one of them.
For the older pupils this was project week and as we entered the ‘project classroom’ we were introduced to a mature and extremely eloquent young lady who shared with us her plans, ideas and final product about the Korean War. I was amazed at the passion, clarity and maturity of how she spoke about such a heavy topic and not even in her own language!!! She was such an inspiration and I think this had to be my ‘eureka’ moment. Now I see and understand why we are trying to develop more PBL.
We have gained so much over the last week and I’m sure there are lots of different ideas about how we can take this forward but whichever way we go having experienced it firsthand I look forward to the challenges that we now embrace on our journey for a better future.
On a final note, Scandinavia calling, who am I?
All happy, happy!!!!!!!
Inspire. Educate. Motivate. An experience that gets you thinking…
Returning to England I have been left with more questions than answers. I have been inspired and generally in awe of the relationships, motivation and attitudes of the learners both in Finland and Denmark.
When I entered the schools in Scandinavia I immediately felt calm and relaxed, the use of natural light and spaces to learn made movement around the building free and spontaneous. It was not uncommon to hear teachers say “I’m not sure where my class is…” During my time in Scandinavia I failed to see a learner not engaged in focussed activity whether alone or in a team, in whichever space they chose to learn they were actively engaged in their task of self-development.
As colleagues have previously stated we can learn much and feel confident that the direction we are heading is the correct one, however, we do have restrictions that they do not. Some restrictions being our government and the UK’s ever growing ‘compensation culture’ which inhibits freedom within public buildings/spaces.
I was extremely impressed in both countries by their realisation of the importance of International learning. All the schools I visited had a long list of partner schools around the world to aid language learning and develop global education. This is something I am passionate about. I believe the only areas of curriculum that we can guarantee will be required for the future generations job market are, ‘innovation, creativity and communication.’
There is a belief both in Finland and Denmark of the importance of real experienced learning. The head teacher at Kasavouri School in Finland stated that, “books are good but own experiences are better”.
Visiting Koulumestari School in Finland made me feel quite emotional. Walking around the school discussing with learners and staff and generallyfeeling the inner spark emanating from everyone nearly brought tears to my eyes. Their curriculum was entitled 21st century challenges and revolved around five areas, confidence, communication, language, spirit and facing fears. This was evident in all areas of school life.
In Denmark I was blown away by the two schools I visited Utterslev Schoolwhere teachers (working in teams) wrote the timetable weekly, the deadline for submissions being the Friday before the Monday. This truly allowed for real learning and included such an array of learning experiences, none of them I may add had titles of traditional subject areas. The use of spaces and links between activities the real world and the natural environment really developed the humanity of these learners.
My final visit was to AFUK The Centre for Untamed Creativity. This again was another emotional visit. This school taught 3 levels of industry based artist qualifications and catered for pupils from the ages of 16-23. When asked who the school was for the Deputy Head replied, “It is for those who being an artist isn’t a choice you just can’t help doing it” this was so refreshing, as a teacher of Performing Arts and watching the Conservative government cut the ArtsNationally so that only those that have money can afford to take part or experience this area (thankfully not at Mathew Moss) I felt a real emotional attachment to this school and the direction it was heading. They think highly of Ken Robinson and his idea of ‘learning from the future’ they believe in creating authentic learners and in that way all their work is creation so no scripts and purely using the learners experiences as a tool for storytelling. The moment of truth came for me at this school when a colleague asked how they plan for the future, the Deputy Head teachers response was one of shock, “We must always work in the present. You can’t plan for the future, we work with two methods, flow and reflection.”
Photos to follow…
S Moss
Some thoughts from Finland and Denmark this week…
This week has been in more ways than one the break I needed to reinvigorate my thinking and vision for learning. The opportunity to visit schools in Finland and Denmark and spending time with likeminded thinkers reflecting on our experiences and engaging in discussion has been valuable.
Before the flight my hopes for what I would learn and experience in Finland were high. From my understanding about the Finnish system and the information I had read about it I had placed its education system up high on a pedestal. Stated by many as being one of the best systems in the world I was sure it would be a place we would learn from. Aspects which had grab my attention were: a later age for starting formal education; Learning through play; no formal testing until later; a learner focus system… However the experiences we shared from Finland highlighted for me misunderstandings. Tests were evident and regular, although they were mainly internal and teacher developed. Many learners talked about having tests in certain areas every two weeks. Curriculum was still mainly subject based and in a traditional format although this was not prescribed by the state. The learning environment did showcase some amazing open learning spaces and imaginative spaces for outside leaning however, classrooms were locked and often set out in a traditional way with tables and chairs in rows; texts books and didactic methods evident. Learning relationships also felt more teacher to Learner rather than adult to adult. The learners conformed. There was a feeling that growth mindsets were understood and nurtured and assessments did take into consideration other elements around learning skills than just the ‘memory’ testing exams. The system however I felt was not transparent and what I saw did not always support I what I had read.
Denmark brought light and inspiration. The learning environment offered at Hellerup Skole, Skovshoved Skole and Ørestad Gymnasium all offered a more learner centred, flexible, creative and welcoming feel. Evidence of collaboration across staff and learners was highlighted in most schools and it appeared that learners were given choice, treated as individuals and equals. My greatest insight came from the ‘TEAM’ of four at Skovshoved Skole. Their learning environment was nothing new or fancy but they had passion and vision. The ‘team’ was inclusive of the learners and had developed into a real learning community. Subject barriers had been taken down; they had flexible learning with real outcomes and a focus on the growth of individuals. The beliefs came from and continued to be developed from real pedagogy. A quote from the team summed up their thinking ‘the day they don’t need us – we have done our work well’.
I felt at home. It also gave me the reassurance that the direction I believe in is the right direction and that we are not on our own. The trip also highlighted that although our journey is far from over, we are heading in the right direction and we have done and do some amazing things. As Graham stated in his last blog it is important we do not get complacent and we must remember that to continue with our plans there are certain things we have to. We also have to commit to making the changes we have discussed (take down the subject barriers, focus on developing genuine adult to adult learning relationships, collaborate and develop small learning teams). We must continue to push the boundaries with the pedagogical support. Why? Because it’s right for the learners and ultimately they are who we are here to develop and help grow as individuals
Some reflections
Considering I was so looking forward to a lie in this morning now that we are back home, I awoke early with my head full of thoughts of our trip and inspiration for the future of Matthew Moss.
Although we saw a range of schools, some of which maybe did not live up to our expectations, there were also schools that really struck a chord with what we are trying to achieve at Matthew Moss. Utterslev school (the Canal School), was most inspirational for me personally and I am really keen to make some further links with Alice the vice-principal and her wonderful team. There was a real understanding of learning at the school and the needs of their learners in the 21st century. I heard no talk of meaningless targets, obsession with grades or teaching to the test. There was just genuine engagement with the learners as individuals and the equality between learners and adults was real.
The battle for learning at Matthew Moss will continue and there is now a genuine feeling that we really have to take it to the next level, especially now that we have a critical mass of people who ‘get it’. It’s interesting that when we were feeding back our ideas on the final day at Ørestad gymnasium, there were some really common themes that keep recurring. There is consensus that we must re-structure our teams so that genuine learning relationships can begin to emerge more authentically and this can be achieved through ‘teams on deck’, learners seeing far fewer teachers.
Ged made a really interesting point about how there are many contradictions in the UK education system and at MMHS that need to be resolved. For example, on a very basic level, can we really expect there to be equality in the learning relationships if we expect the students to call us sir or miss? Genuine learning relationships stem from the eradication of the lines separating kids and teachers. So on Monday morning, I plan to dress down (I’m not sure the school is ready to see me in shorts quite yet but we can all take those first steps). Will the world implode if learners call me Graham?! It’s my name after all!
This is going to be one hell of a tough job as there are so many constraints and threats from outside but we can mitigate against this by opening a more fruitful dialogue between school, parents and other partners. We must try and spread our influence more successfully into local primary schools and build a culture of learning from a much earlier age!
Everyone can play their part as things will only move forward if lots of our staff ‘get it’ and begin to change the ways they interact with learners and change the ways learning takes place in classrooms. At Ørestad gymnasium, we saw how its amazing architecture was designed specifically to make teachers and learners engage in learning differently. We can do this at school but on a smaller scale if necessary! Something as simple as taking desks out of classrooms, or by stopping arranging desks in rows or using other spaces differently around school can make a huge difference. We can also be hugely ambitious and make some bigger changes like taking walls down and re-designing spaces. It’s great that Karen was with us so she will get what we mean when we are asking her to get the cheque book out!
We must also keep our eye on our exam results so we can continue to go about our ambitious plans without interference from outside. And perhaps most importantly of all, we must never get complacent or have ‘self-fatness’! (can’t remember the word in Danish!)
Thank you to everyone for your company, good humour and the fun we’ve had over the last week.
Utterslev school
What an amazing and inspiring day! I suspected that after the disappointments of The Finnish schools, we may find what we were looking for in Copenhagen and we were not disappointed.
Utterlev school or the Canal school as it’s affectionately called was like a wonderland. We were lucky to be at the school on one of their project weeks which happen over four weeks every year. The theme for this week was ‘another world’. We saw all kinds of inspiring learning taking place with engaged learners who were clearly loving what they were doing, as were the teachers!
What I saw was a complete respect shown to learners and the same returned to teachers. One teacher described himself as a facilitator of learning and Mike pointed out that he was neither…he was a person, an equal to everyone else in the school. This is true at every level, from what clothes everyone wears to how they talk to each other. From the assembly completely run by the students at the beginning of the day to the interesting projects going on around school, there was joy to be found in this place!
Some students were crafting butter knives out of wood which they were going to use to eat with at the end of the day, some were making face masks out of organic materials. The younger students were given more directed tasks whereby they had to follow quite specific instructions by the teacher to make their final products. The older students were much less directed and I was slightly overcome (ok, yes i had a tear in my eye!) by the exposition given by a 14 year old student Rebecca who by her own admission was a bit of a history geek about her project on the Korean War. Not only was her English impeccable, but her understanding of the topic and her ability to eloquently discuss the learning processes were awe-inspiring!
We drifted in and out of classrooms where the learning really made sense and fitted into a much bigger pedagogical picture. From the moment the students start here in Kindergarten to when they leave aged 16, the school seeks to develop the whole individual and trust, respect and humanity are happy by-products!
Later in the day we drifted back to where the students from earlier on in the day had been carving their butter knives. By now the fire pit had been lit, bread had been baked and the sausages were on the grill. Their teacher was sometimes directly supervising, other times he was occupied with helping the children. And occasionally he was relaxing in the sun! “I believe in relationships and learning through relationships” said the vice-principal and she meant every word of it.
Learning in Northern Europe 
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