Week 15 Professional

 As my placement continues I find that I have more and more to reflect on. The Swedish education system is often cited as being one of the best and yet I think that the level of pressure put on the children and the amount they are required to learn is much lower than at home. The 6^th grade have been learning a mathematics topic which we start to teach as early as year 5 and when talking to the other Stranmillis students, Mary and Michael, I discovered that they were also surprised at how easy the work is. There is no Friday test and I have observed very little testing of any kind. The children also receive very little homework each week and even this is often a point of discussion with many people thinking there should be no homework at all. As a parent I do think our children get too much homework and, as parents often help I am not sure if it is ever a true reflection on a child’s ability. However from a teacher’s point of view I can also appreciate that if the children do not work at home it would be difficult to reach the expected goals on time.

During a science module in the first semester I had to write a paper reflecting on my teaching placement. In the readings I found that self-reflection is the lowest level and to be a truly reflective practitioner we should also be reflecting on our curriculum and the entire education system. Although I don’t think I am near to reaching the point of highest reflection I do believe that this experience is helping me to move beyond reflecting wholly on my own actions and performance. I am constantly questioning what way I think is better and why I think this; next week I have planned to talk more to the Swedish pupils about the differences between our countries and to get their opinions on things such as school start age and school uniform.

 I have also found that the teachers here are more open and frank with their opinions and so it is easier to explore the deeper questions of education with them than it is with many of the teachers I have met at home. They have all been very welcoming and eager to talk to me about our ways in comparison to theirs and I have enjoyed hearing their opinions and different perspectives on many of the topics we have discussed.