Project New Nordic

Study of Progressive Free School

1. Introduction

We are Anke Boriau and Judith Zaman from Belgium. We are studying to become primary school teachers and this is our final year. As Erasmus students, our trip will last four months. We came to Denmark to learn more about the Danish education system. In Belgium, the training to become a teacher lasts three years. This is different in Denmark, so it will be very interesting to discover the differences and the similarities between the countries. In Denmark, there is a big difference between public and private schools. That is the reason that we want to investigate a private school. Thanks to our teacher, we found one: Stevns Friskole, but first we are going to explain the education system in Denmark.

2. Organization

Folkesskole

In Denmark kindergarten, primary and lower secondary school are united in one school, Folkeskole. The education starts from class 0 (5 years old) till class 9 (16 years old). Students can go to class 10, which is optional. So basically, when a student starts in one school, it’s most likely that they will stay there until they graduate. Education is free in Denmark. Whether this is in a private school, a public school or at home isn’t relevant for the financing. All the schools and the students who study at home have to meet the standard. The students are obligated to study but it doesn’t matter where. Only 13% of the children in Denmark go to private schools. This is because public schools are more funded than private schools.

Grundtvig

Every school in Denmark knows the name ‘Grundtvig’. He was a poet-clergyman who wanted the schools to have a more liberal and inspiring forms of education. He exercised a powerful influence of the development of Danish schools. Grundtvig is considered as the father of the Danish Folk High School-movement.  His main point was to reduce the task of children’s schools. He wanted them to focus on the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics. His idea was to make room for children’s minds to develop naturally. To Grundtvig, it was important to educate young people on national culture and history as well as to teach people to take active part in society. The children have to be able to make their own decisions and should be responsible for their choices. Through the 1830’s and 1840’s he wanted the state to establish a high school. This never happened but the first folk high school was built in Rodding in 1844.  Today there are about 80 high schools. The goal of Grundtvig is that learning should be motivated by curiosity and desire rather than learning by heart. This ideal we still see in the Danish education system. We can say that the Danish school system has been influenced by Grundtvigs’s thoughts on learning for life, not for exams.

Stevns Friskole

Stevns Friskole is a Progressive Free School, situated in Rodvig, South of Copenhagen. It lies near the coast and exists of three buildings, a playground and a warm atmosphere. Because of Stevns Friskole is a private school, it harbors + 130 students. This creates a connection among the lower and higher grades. Everybody knows each other and is willing to help out. They are funded by the government but only for 71%. The parents need to pay extra if their children are going to study in a private school. Every class has got three teachers who teach different subjects. A teacher can teach in different grades. Because there are three teachers in one class, they need to communicate with each other. Each of them has got their own style and way to handle the class. Because they communicate, there is a good collaboration. The children can adapt easily. There are maximum eighteen students in one classroom so that every student can get equal treatment and opportunities to speak.
The school has invested in a scientific classroom and a music room. It is well equipped and makes it easier to follow the curriculum.

Stevns Friskole has to reach the same goals as public schools. In the end, they have to prove that the students have the same knowledge as students from a public school. The state controls if those goals are reached by looking at the students. They don’t care how the teachers teach their classes but they control if the students are able to participate in society. Stevns Friskole wants more than this. They don’t want students to learn theory by heart. They want a child to be a democrative member of society, make their own decisions and they are against indoctrinating. They have to be able to learn by experience. This is based on Grundtvig’s vision. It’s okay to make mistakes and to learn by experience. For example: in history the pupils count on their fingers like they did in the earlier days.

Parent board
35 years ago, Stevns Friskole was founded by parents. In Denmark, there are 500 schools that are founded by parents, so this school isn’t an exception. As a result, generations are following in each other footsteps and the school represents a small community. Teachers and parents work together as one team. The school has a parent board which influences the school. This board can vote for their principal and are involved in changes and decisions. They can also vote for the head of their board which consists of nine members. They participate in activities, such as the cleaning of the school. This happens five times a year and creates a bond between the parents and the school. The school also has a labor day where the parents can help with painting, reconstructing…. This happens twice a year. The school makes sure there is a good balance among teachers and parents. They are involved but the teachers are the ones who teach, not them! They are welcome to follow classes and help out but they have to warn the teacher and make sure there is a good communication. So, they can take part in the education of their own children, which is the most important aspect of the school.

Creative vision

Why is Stevns Friskole a Progressive Free School? Stevns Friskole has a different view on learning. They think that storytelling is an important aspect in teaching. When children are young, they think in pictures and their world is very imaginative. In this stage, they are very vulnerable for pictures and creative thinking. This is why you need to tell stories while you are teaching. The children can imagine the stories and it’s easier to get to the message of the story. It’s easier to remember a story when it’s told than when you are reading one. This also connects to creativity. At the end of their education, it’s the aim to deliver students who are able to speak in public and are open-minded to different kinds of culture. They don’t want to deliver students who can only study and know nothing about the world. As a school they find it important that the children know more about their history and their culture. The children need to be able to see the bigger picture: where do they come from, how did we get here, where do we need to go? They need to have an independent view on the world and they are the ones who decide how this view needs to be. They can only achieve this by working on their creativity. This is reached by music classes, art, projects, but also a kind of freedom and responsibility. We can see this freedom in the way that children are behaving. For example: the students don’t have to wear their shoes in class. In a way, there is a connection between teachers and students and this manifests in a deeper bond. Some teachers give time to the students to read a book and the students are free to choose the place where they are going to read. When it’s time, the students will come to class or the teacher will call for them. We can see this vision in the morning assembly as well. At 08h15, the school will unite in the main building to sing three songs. This happens every morning. Every week there is a class responsible for the songs which will be performed on Friday. This event creates the warm atmosphere between students, teachers and the board.

Curriculum

In Denmark, schools can decide their own curriculum. In the end, a school needs to prove that a child knows the theory and is able to adapt to society. It doesn’t matter how you get there as long as you reach the goals in the end. Every school in Denmark gives religion. There are schools who are Christian based and bring the accent on this subject. For Stevns Friskole is this not the case. They give liturgical songs and Bible stories but this is only for the bigger picture.
In public and private schools, they have to give the same subjects. We are talking about mathematics, Danish, science… but every school is free to choose some different subjects. Starting from next year, the higher grades are able to choose an extra subject. This can be working with your hands, starting a band, Cambridge English…. The students are obliged to take this class. If they skip it, the parents will be contacted. This gives something extra to the curriculum. In the 7^th and 8^th grade, the students have cooking lessons. This prepares them for living separately. Every grade has their own schedule. Sometimes classes end at one 13h00 and on other days they finish at 15h45. The students and teachers are used to this method and are more flexible in adapting. All the classes have a break at the same time. This way they can connect and play with each other. All the students are free to use this time the way they want. Some will prefer watching a movie while others enjoy the sun.

Stevns Friskole finds it important that children know more than just knowledge. That is the reason why there are more artistic subjects in the curriculum. As Grundtvig said: “The hand and the brain have to be equal”. That is the reason why theoretical knowledge as well as creative thinking are equal important. We find this saying in the artistic classes. When the children are six years old, they learn to play an instrument. When they get older, they will be able to play three different kinds of instruments. The school makes sure that the children have the equipment to progress in their musical talent. If a child becomes interested in playing one instrument, they are advised to attend music school. This also counts for drama projects like make a musical or a play. The students are challenged to play their own background music as well as making their own background. The project are fully inspired and performed by the children. This kind of thinking is also projected on history classes. Even in this subject, storytelling is an important factor. It broadens their way of thinking and they are able to debate and discuss different kinds of subjects. They also see the bigger picture and realize the long way human kind has evolved. They understand the theory better because they have a red thread to depend on. All the subjects are connected with each other through storytelling. Because of different teachers, the students are exposed to different kinds of cooperative work forms. While observing, we have noticed that the lower grades are used to working in group. In the first grade, the children could walk around while trading mathematic material. This way they got a better vision on the numbers one till hundred. They realized that they need ten cubes for one stick. While trading they were also discussing the subject without noticing. The higher grades are more used to work in group while using laptops. This already starts from the fifth grade.

After school activities

After school the children can participate in workshops. There are workshops that are weekly organized. Every day, when it is one o’clock, the building where the lower grades are, is used for a kind of daycare. The children can help with cutting fruit or baking cakes, they can play or there are activities organized. One pedagogue organizes these activities. The children have fun while learning new things. Social skills and knowledge go hand in hand. The activities end at five o’clock. Once a week, the younger grades have yoga in the cellar. This is leaded by a teacher and stimulates the motoric aspects of the body. While doing this activity, the children can relax their minds. The school has a library where every student can come to hang out and be in their fantasy world.

The older grades have also some after school activities.  There is no strict programme for a day, but there are activities that are weekly or monthly organized. The school is building an activity house so that the children can build campfires, even when it rains, or sit together. They mostly build campfires on Wednesdays. Again, the storytelling comes back even in this activity. Because it’s important to tell stories, legends, fairytales while sitting together and enjoying the fire. On Thursday, the children can do some roleplaying. They have different kinds of costumes for their plays. Again, this stimulates the social skills but also their creative thinking because every child is able to get into the skin of somebody else. Fridays are more relaxing. There are mostly movie nights and of course there can’t be a movie without popcorn. The parents have to pay a little extra for it, but it’s worth it. There are also some shelters where the children can go when it rains. This will be used for biology classes or for exploring nature. It’s important that the children go outside because they have a stimulating environment to discover. The school is located near some woods and the sea. It’s a perfect opportunity to do some investigation on flowers, trees and animals.

Evaluation

Since last year Stevns Friskole has had some big tests for evaluation. The students have to prove they manage the theory. There are also other ways of evaluating. It’s important that the students have social skills. Every week, the teachers come together to discuss students and topics. The teachers observe closely how the students are evolving. Every student has their own file and the teachers can alter these files. This evaluation is based on a scale from ‘very good’ to ‘some work left’. It’s not based on points because every student progresses in their own time. If there is a special activity (For example: Fastelavn) the behavior of the children is also closely evaluated. Of course the aims of the public schools are also achieved.

Bullying approach

Stevns Friskole finds it important that all the students can work together. That’s why they have a bullying approach. This is a new concept and is still in its starting phase. The teachers can’t see everything what is happening in class but they try to keep an eye out. If there is a problem between two students or there is a group that can’t work together, then a pedagogue will step in. He/she will speak to the students or take them out for some teambuilding activities.

 3. What do we want to find out?

Why did we choose the Progressive Free School? In Belgium, schools have to follow a curriculum but are able to integrate music, art and drama in the classroom. In the Progressive Free School they have one day a week where they tell stories to the children. We are wondering if they are able to achieve their goals. We are also wondering why they tell stories. What do they want to achieve by telling these stories? We want to compare the children in this school to the children in Belgium. Are they more creative? Have they a different vision on schools and society?
We want to investigate this by taking interviews of teachers, students and the principal. We are taking two days to observe the children in the classrooms and on the playground.

 4. Analysis

For this paper, we based us on interviews and observations. We took interviews from the headmaster, the teacher and the pupils.

Observation 1st grade: Mathematics

We observed 45 minutes in the first grade. The teacher was explaining the children about counting till ten. The children had to walk around and trade materials with each other. If they had ten cubes, they could trade it for a stick, which was worth ten cubes. The children were interacting with each other while the teacher was walking around and correcting them. After the exercise, the children had to talk about what they have learnt. They had a greater inside in the numbers and understood the order. We’ve noticed that the children had a lot of freedom, which caused them to make more noise. After the class, the children could eat their lunch in the classroom. We have also noticed that they were sitting on bar chairs. This is unusual in Belgium.

Observation 2th grade: Danish

In the second grade, the children were learning Danish words by reading a story. The difficult words were selected and were written on the blackboard. The children had to spell the words and read them out loud. The children were a bit distracted because they were very curious about us.

Observation 4th grade: Music 

The music lesson was a very pleasant but shocking experience for us. The children were working on a musical and played three songs, every song they switched instruments. The teacher explained to us that the children learn to play an instrument when they are six years old. They start with an easy rhythm on the xylophone, the bongo drums and the synthesizer. When the children get older, they start learning the bass guitar. Every child learns to sing and is working on the musical. If a child gets interested in playing a music instrument, they can go to music school.

Observation 5th grade: Mathematics

We have noticed that mathematics is integrated in working with computers. The children of the fifth grade were working with Excel and their exercises were in their mathematic books. They had to fill in formulas in Excel and had to solve questions. Some of the children were working with the programme quite smoothly and enjoyed sitting in front of a computer. The didactic material is more evolved than in Belgium.

Observation 7th grade: Danish

The seventh grade was quite similar to the fifth grade. The children worked on their computers in Danish class. The teacher had a website where the children could listen to Danish stories and access this for their homework. They wrote stories on their laptops and were able to work together. Technology benefits the lesson.

Observation 9th grade: Mathics

In the ninth grade, the students were working together and discussing issues. They used their calculators for help and the teacher walked around in case students had a question. The answers were discussed with the entire class.

 5. Comparative education

Folkeskole vs. Kindergarten, Primary school, Secondary school

Folkeskole vs. Kindergarten, Primary school, Secondary school

Belgium and Denmark have the same fundamental idea. Students have compulsory education. It doesn’t matter where they study, they just need to be educated. In Denmark and Belgium, there are students who follow home education, though this is a small percentage. 13% of the students in Denmark go to private schools, while the rest goes to public schools. Private schools in Denmark are funded for 71% while in Belgium they aren’t funded at all. Education is free in Denmark. This concept is the same in Belgium but it doesn’t apply for universities.

Both of the countries have daycare and kindergarten in common. This is from the age of one till five. Parents have the right to choose. Either they will put their children in the care of another adult or they can put their children in daycare. In daycare, they can build social skills while interacting with children of their own age. In kindergarten, the focus lies on improving all the areas. Not only social skills are improved but also the cognitive aspect as well as motoric skills. Kindergarten prepares the children to attend school. In Belgium, children are obligated to attend a certain number of days. The older they get, the more days they have to go to kindergarten.

In Denmark, children are obligated to ten years of education, in Belgium, this is twelve. Folkeskole goes from the age of five till sixteen. This is from six till eighteen in Belgium. The difference is that Folkeskole connects primary and lower secondary school. The children can stay in one school while they are learning. In Belgium, the schools are divided. We have noticed that the subjects in both countries are the same. The only difference lies in the languages and in the history. In Belgium, the children are taught Dutch and French, in Denmark French is the third language and they learn English instead. Cooking classes in Denmark are for all the students while in Belgium, when you are in secondary school, you have to choose for this direction, which is a shame. The same goes for the scientifical courses. In primary school only one teacher is responsible for one class. When the students go to secondary school, then they have different teachers for each subject. In Folkeskole, the students are already used to have three different teachers a class.

All the Danish schools are based on Grundtvig’s vision. In Belgium, a part of our education system is also based on this. We believe that children can learn from their mistakes. We also focus on different kinds of knowledge. We find the theoretical aspect important but also look at social skills, attitudes, moral knowledge…. In a way, our educational systems are more alike than we thought.

Parent board in Denmark vs. Parent board in Belgium

Stevns Friskole is founded by parents. That’s why the parents have so much influence in the school. They have a parent board that can participate in activities and can also vote for their principal. In Belgium, parent boards are very common. Every school has one. They can organize activities like a Christmas market and they participate. A school doesn’t need to be founded by parents to have a parent board. The difference is that in Belgium, the parent board can’t vote for a director. They can support their children in their education but they don’t have the power to influence the head master. They can vote for activities but not for their principal. Every parent is concerned about their children and has the right to want what’s best for them. Teachers and parents work together to strive for a good education and contact. This is the same in both countries but it is up to the teacher to teach, not the parents. The parents need to follow the rules of the school but they are always welcome in the school. In Stevns Friskole and in Belgium, parents can be active in class if they contact the teacher first. For example: if a parent wants to teach the children something about their job.

Creative vision vs. Muzo

In Belgium, we have a course called ‘Muzo’. This contains music, drama, art, movement expression and expressive language. All grades have this course and the teachers are obligated to reach their goals. Every subject of Muzo has their own goals that have to be reached at the end of the year. This is an extra value to the curriculum. This is very important in Belgium because in every school there are also projects who contribute to this course. In some schools, the students have weekly crafts where they can paint, cut, glue, draw… and let their creativity go wild. It depends on the teacher which subject is mostly given. Some prefer art while others prefer drama. The government is very strict on reaching these goals because it is important for children to be open-minded and creative. Stevns Friskole has the same vision. We see that they are more evolved in music classes. In Belgium we like to experiment with music instruments but these are self-made or are easy to handle. In Stevns Friskole, they have the equipment like bass guitars, drums…. In our observation, we have seen that they also like to do musicals. This is the same in Belgium. The storytelling is also easy to compare to our country. As teachers, we find it important to tell stories to our children. In some schools, the teacher reads the story in the morning or in the afternoon as a ritual. We try to keep this up in the older grades and not only in the first grade. In Stevns Friskole, the children like to paint and build art works. For example: we saw some self-made masks and paintings in the corridor. In the schools in Belgium, we can also find some self-made art works in the classrooms.

Curriculum in Denmark vs. Curriculum in Belgium

The courses in Denmark are very similar to those of Belgium. We both have mathematics and have the same subject in this course. Every student needs to learn how to count, to multiply or to solve question and equations. The same goes for geography and history, although the school can decide for themselves how far they are going to go in history. Stevns Friskole finds it important that the children know where they are coming from and how did they get here. In Denmark, they need to master they mother tongue Danish and in Belgium this goes the same way for Dutch or in the Wallonia part for French. Both of the schools teach the children a second language at the same age. When the children are nine-ten years old, they learn their second language. In Denmark, this is English and in Belgium (Flanders), this is French. When the children are in secondary school, they have their third language, English. In Stevns Friskole, this is German.

After school activities in Denmark vs. After school activities in Belgium

We were very impressed with the after school activities in Stevns Friskole. In Belgium, before school starts, we have a kind of daycare where the parents can drop their children if they have to go early to work. This daycare is also there when the school is finished. The children can play games, color, paint and interact with each other. We also have ‘studie’ where the children can do their homework in silence. There is a teacher in the class who can help them if they have trouble making their homework. In Stevns Friskole, the activities are better prepared. Not only do they have a kind of daycare but they also have activities that are well managed and prepared and are available for all the grades. The students in Stevns Friskole have weekly a campfire, a movie night…. This can also happen in Belgium but this is not common. The children know what they can expect and this creates a friendlier atmosphere. They have something to look forward every week. This school isn’t just a school, it is a place where children can be themselves and can hang out with their friends.

Evaluation in Denmark vs. Evaluation in Belgium

In Belgium, we evaluate our children on different aspects. Through the year, they have different kinds of tests so we know if they master the theory. We do this for every subject because it’s easier to help your students if you know where the problems are. We were very surprised that Stevns Friskole has a different kind of opinion on this. Starting from last year, they also have exams, big tests, but they don’t give small tests. They also evaluate attitudes, skills and a creative vision. This is the same in Belgium but we are more likely to give grades while in Stevns Friskole, they evaluate from ‘very good’ to ‘needs more work’. It’s obvious that both countries find evaluating very important, not only the mind, but also the hands and heart. Knowledge, skills and attitude walk hand in hand.

Bullying approach in Denmark vs. No-blame-approach in Belgium

 Bullying is a discussed subject in Europe. It’s only natural that schools want to do something about it. Stevns Friskole has got a bullying approach in case there are troubles in the classrooms. If there are any problems among students, the pedagogue will step in and will try to reason with the students. Teachers can’t see everything but they will try their best to react as quickly as possible. The pedagogue will see what is the best solution to handle the problem. He/she can talk to one student or can take the entire group out. In Belgium, every school has their own way of handling bullying. An approach that is promoted is the no-blame-approach. This is a way to stop the bullying while not accusing anyone. The approach consists of seven steps:

-          Step one: Talk with the victim
The teacher will talk to the victim and tries to establish the impact that the bullying has had on them. It doesn’t matter who did it but the teacher will try to gather names of the people who will form a group that helps the victim. The group will consist of those involved: the bully and perhaps friends of the victim. The victim is asked to draw a picture or write a text to express how the bullying is affecting them.

-          Step two: Convene a meeting of the group
The teacher gathers the group together and will try to see if the group is balanced. She will see if the students are reliable and helpful and those who can cause trouble.

-          Step three: Explain the problem
The teacher will now explain the problem and that the victim is experiencing certain difficulties. Nobody is going to be accused and the teacher is going to try explaining the problem while using the drawing or text which the victim has produced.

-          Step four: Share responsibility

It is very important that the teacher explains that no one is going to be punished and that the group is here to help to solve the problem. Everyone in the group has got a shared responsibility for the victim’s happiness.

-          Step five: Ask for ideas
Now comes the most important part. The teacher will ask the group if they have suggestions to help the victim. Every member of the group is encouraged to use the “I” language. For example: “I will sit next to her in lessons”, “I will help her with her homework”, “I will play with her during the break”…. So, that they take ownership of the solutions. These ideas have to come from the students themselves, not the teacher.

-          Step six: Leave it up to them
The meeting has now ended by the teacher saying that everyone has their own responsibility. The teacher thanks them for their support and will arrange a meeting to see how things are going.

-          Step seven: Meet them again
The teacher will meet each member of the group individually to see how things are going. This can be one week or more, according to the teacher.

A lot of schools tried this approach and have found out that it works in most of the times. Some schools also use a bullying house where the two parties can come together. It is important that bullying stays in our minds.

 Didactic material in Denmark vs. Didactic material in Belgium

We have noticed that Denmark and Belgium are evolved in technological equipment. Both of the schools have digiboards. In Stevns Friskole, the higher grades work with digiboards and laptops. This also counts for the schools in Belgium. Most of them have digiboards. In Belgium, we also have computer lessons in our curriculum. It’s important that the students know how to work with a computer because they will need it in their profession. During our observation, the fifth grade was working with ‘Excel’. The computer lessons were already integrated in mathematics. We noticed that the education of Denmark is in front of us in this way but that we are not that far behind. In the seventh grade there was a boy who was using a pen who reads the sentences out loud. The child had dyslexia and was able to follow the text. It was for free because he applied for it. The lower grades had a special Lego programme where they could build constructions and connects them on their computers. The computer showed how it was built and when the child was ready, the laptop said if the construction was right or wrong. This is a good example that children can be prepared for professions like engineering.

In Belgium, all the grades have to fill in an agenda, in the end or in the beginning of the day. This agenda says if they have homework or if they have to bring something to school. Stevns Friskole uses this time better. They have a site where the teachers and the students can log in to. If the children have homework, they can see this on the site. They just need to log in. The same goes for the parents. The head master and the teacher can post a message on this blog for all the grades. This way everybody is connected to each other and time is saved.

6. Conclusion

 Both countries (Belgium and Denmark) are evolved in education and can learn a lot from each other. Every system has their weak and strong points. Denmark gives their students more responsibility and likes to experiment with technology. On the other hand, this freedom can cause the students to not participate in class. The students are used to cooperative work forms and have a more artistic view than in Belgium. Belgium is also evolving in this way and isn’t too far behind. We can learn a lot from the Danish system but so can they from ours.

                                                      7. Reflection

Our vision on education has changed a lot. We thought that our education system was very good but now, we know that it can change. When we will be teachers, we will try to experiment more. We’ve seen different kinds of teaching styles and we know that there is more than one way to stand in front of a classroom. We are going to tell more stories to the children, but also letting them experience different kinds of art, music and literature. We hope that the technology of Denmark will come to Belgium very soon.

                                                    8. References

Board, H. o. (2014, March 11). Interview Stevns Friskole. (J. Z. Boriau, Interviewer)

CMS, A. (sd). Onderwijs in Denemarken. Opgeroepen op March 16, 2014, van Denemarken placement: http://denemarken.placement.nl/default.aspx?menu=487

Devsaran. (2014). Stevs Friskole Forside. Opgeroepen op March 06, 2014, van Stevns Friskole: http://www.stevnsfriskole.dk/

Education, T. M. (sd). The Folkeskole. Opgeroepen op March 16, 2014, van The Folkeskole: http://eng.uvm.dk/Education/Primary-and-Lower-Secondary-Education/The-Folkeskole

Jakobsen, P. F. (2014, March 11). Interview Stevns Friskole. (J. Z. Boriau, Interviewer)

Unknown. (2014, February 17). Danish Folkeskole Education. Opgeroepen op March 16, 2014, van Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_Folkeskole_Education

Vartov. (sd). Grundtvigsk Forum. Opgeroepen op March 06, 2014, van Grundtvig: http://www.grundtvig.dk/hvem-er-grundtvig/who-is-grundtvig/what-did-grundtvig-think-about-education.html