Travelling back to the past

During our Erasmus-program we had 3 History lessons about Danish history with Jorn. I must add it wasn't just Danish history at all! Jorn gave us the great example we related to each other, because the great dynasties used to get married each other. One of the examples is Christian IX. (1818-1906), who is known as "Europa's father-in-law". There were also some very important period of each countries life, such as process of Christianization (around X-XI. century) or the revolutions of 1848, which took place around the same time in Europe. He also emphasised we had to learn from our past: history always repeats itself. We could be the generation, who can change it...

Globalisation & citizenship...

In the Erasmus-program we had 7 Globalisation and citizenship classes with Torbjorn and Henrik.

The first lesson was with Torbjorn in 20 th of February. We had to think what's the meaning of globalisation. The result of the brainstorming is:

• smaller world
• similarity
• national signs start to disappear
• interconnection
• interdependent
• substitution...etc.

We also learnt globalisation is not something new: it started with the Catholic Church and continued by the invention of steamship, railway, telegraph...etc.
We had to fill in to forms. The first was about cultural changes throghout of generations, in different dimensions.

The generations are:

• My grandparents
• My parents
• Myself
• My children

The dimensions are:

• Family/housing
• Education/job
• Technology
• International relations
• Food culture

We agreed in the followings:

Family/housing: In the past more generations lived together, couples are married, they had a stable life. Later it changed: generations started to separate, less children was born. Nowadays the number of divorces is raising, couples live together without marriage.

Education/job: In the past the majority of people had only elementary knowledge, being well-educated wasn't an expectation. Later it became more and more important. In these days people part of the "lifelong learning" and participate in higher education is expected. But in the same time the value of degree is less and less.

Technology: the world becomes increasingly "machine-ruled", which result in an inpersonal world.

International relations: In former times people were more isolated, than nowadays. The world is distended, and the international relations become more and more important (interconnection, multicultural communities).

Food culture:Back in time people grown their own goods, or at least they knew the makers of the products . Later the factories also started to make products and in these days the goods getting more similar; the economy ruled by the East and the developements go to the same directions.

The other form was a survey about young people in Europe. We had to compare the situation of young adults in our country and in Denmark (estimation).
The result of it was really interesting:

About family:
Most of the countries - where we live - young people move away from their parents after the age of 25. In Denmark at the age of 20 82% of them have already left their home.
Boys and girls leave their parents at the same age in these countries (no difference).
Most of the countries - where we live - young adults leaving their parents to establish their own family. In Denmark the main reason is a plight for autonomy. The root of it is in the Danish education, which emphasise the importance of autonomy. (This autonomy does not mean a break with the parents: young people move to the next town, city from their home. This is the main difference with young adults in the United Kingdom, where they move as far as they just can. )
The reason, young people staying with their parents in our countries is mainly economic: they can't afford themselves to buy a flat, house.

About studies: the majority of the answers corresponded each other:
We don't pay for our studies: only for the books and the cost of travelling and we finance our living cost out of scholarship/parental help.
We have jobs besides our studies, which is mainly temporarly (after school, in the afternoons or at the weekend). It is also common to have a permanent job during the weekdays and study at the weekends.
Young people enroll to higher education after secondary/grammar school (age of 18-20) and they finish their first qualification within 4-5 years. But it is common to start an other course during study in the other one (so it could be longer).

17th of March we had an other lesson with Torbjorn, where we learnt about how the world has changed throughout the centuries (pre-modernity - feudal, modernity - post-feudal, late modernity - industrial, post-modernity - gather/hunter) in the following dimensions: technology, subject, language, ideal, order, learning...etc.
Then we examined a diagram (Johannes Andersen), which shows the changing of childhood, youth, adulthood and old age within 60 years (1949-2009). Nowadays:

• the childhood is much shorter, than used to be
• we try to live as a young people as long as we can
• there is a certain group of youngsters - at the age of 9-11, between the group of children and youth - , who have lots of money and they're influenced by their parents (irresponsibility)
• the old age is much shorter time, than in the past

After that we had a brainstorming about what the democracy is. The answers are:

• freedom of speech
• freedom of movement
• freedom of religion
• power comes from people
• same rights for everybody - voting
• freedom to own property
• cancelling goverment
• tolerance: we have to live with different opinions

Then we learnt about the Popper Matrix as well:

	Individualism	Collectivism
Egoism	1. Liberal	2. Totalitarian
Altruism	3. Conservative	4. Socialist

The foundation of wellfare system is in the more or less socialist ideas of square 4 and it was created during the 1950-60's.
During the 1980-90's - when societies changed from industrial modernity to information-based late modernity - the shift has changed towards square 1, the square of individualism and egoism (market-centered thinking). The other direction of change is the movement towards the collective egoism - square 2 - (raising nationalism, the fears of foreigners...etc.)
Nowadays we live in the time of egoism and individualism.
If we draw a circle in the shift, we get the circle of tolerance. In square 4 there are the social democratic parties of modern day inside the circle and the old-time communist party of th Soviet Union is outside of the circle and this is the same with Nazis in squre 2, where we find the modern nationalist parties.

The following lesson (19 th of March) with Torbjorn we discussed the way how we can train young people to be democratic?
We were diveded to 4 groups and we had to create theories about it, and the signs of the theories as well.
Our group - group 1 - had the following ideas about teaching democracy:
Theories: feedback (of students), same rights, common decisions/goals, voting, groupwork, free choices, telling circle, work together with parents/collegues, same rights for all...
Signs of the theories above in class: respect each other differences, no bullying, less stess, discussion of problems (without the teacher as well)...

Group 2:
Theories: student's own rules, student's parlament, constructive critics from teacher, free from examination
Signs: to make a compromise, constructive critics from students...

Group 3:
Theories: involving pupils, integration
Signs: evaulation both of the pupils and teacher, final evaluation by students

Group 4:
Theories: do not compare students, voted classroom leader/organiser, free from religion lesson, no hard punishments, drama games to teach democracy...
Signs: pupils can speak freely, equality, respectation, using the mind and keep back power

Finally we had to criticise each others answers, which was the hardest part - I suppose. Why this was the hardest? Because it showed that everybody beleives the best solution belongs to him/her, so it is difficult to accept others answers. You have to respect others opinions and you also have to protect your own view. Therefore this is the real meaning of freedom of speech, which also shows the meaning of democracy. It does not mean you can do everything whatever you want, because you also have to respect others freedom, which is limit you...

The next lesson (20 th of March) what we had was with Henrik, who showed this subject from a different viewing angle. It was less theoretical and he brought lots of example from life.
We started with a stone test. Everybody had to pick up a stone and keep it in palm very thigtly for a while. After 15 minutes it became very aching.
The task was symbolic: the pain showed you have to pay the cost and not just want to be paid! It is not enough to have an expectation from the community, from society; you also have to do something for them.

Then we started to examine Obama's speech: we had to find the words, which refers to citizenship in 3 levels:

• person to person
• national
• global

The most important keywords are:
positive words: sacrifice, service, trusful, equility, freedom, hope, enduring spirit, deserve a chance, risk-taker, deserve a chance, greatness must be earned, fought and died, create, extend opportunity, rule of the law, dignity, the rights of man, cooperation, spirit of service, courage, kindness, selflessness, foundation; negative words: violence, greed, collective failure, destroy, corruption...etc. The rest of the lessons with Henrik we worked these words above: all ot the tasks connected these words one way or the other.

For the next lesson - 23rd of March - we were diveded to groups and we had to prepare a small presentation about how the democracy works in our education system. You can see our - Noémi&Máté's and my - presentation below...

How the democracy works in our education system?

Although our system was changed from socialism to democratic republic in 1989 – so nearly 20 years ago - , the conscious way of teaching democracy is not really exist.

We tried to find some typicals in our country which maybe can show the infancy of how democracy is taught in our education system; some examples:

• university/college: there is a certain group of students who try to solve problems of the rest of the students, they have representative tasks, they have to organise events, trips…etc. These students are chosen by the community of students.

(Keywords are: choose, election, president…)

• Secondary school/grammar school: „organiser”, who responsible for the money of the class – spend on trips, flowers for teacher, representative tasks - , she/he also chosen by the community of students

(Keywords are: choose, election, president…)

• Everybody has the right to participate in higher education (until age of 18 is compulsory)

(Keywords are: freedom, risk-taker, deserve a chance, sacrifices…)

• Until the age of 18 to paricipate in education is free (and compulsory as well) for everyone; after that everybody has the right to participate in higher education, but „greatness is never a given. It must be earned”, so whenever somebody wants to enroll a college/university he/she has to work very hard – in certain universities there are enroll exams - , before to get there, and during the years, otherwise students have to pay.

(Keywords are: responsibility, freedom, risk-taker, deserve a chance, sacrifices, cooperation, ….)

• The last year in primary school, when a child reach the age of 14, he/she has the right to decide which kind of school he/she wants to enroll with the guidance of parants and teachers.

(Keywords are: responsibility, freedom, deserve a chance, cooperation, the rights of the man, rule of the law…)

• When a child reach the age of 14, he/she get an ID card and number as well.

When a youth reach the age of 18, he/she get the right to vote .

(Keywords are: the rights of the man, rule of law, responsibility, freedom,….)

Subjects, where our education system teaches democracy in different ways are:

• Geographey/Biology: emphasise the importance to protect our environment, the planet of Earth

(Keywords are: responsibility, duties to ourselves/our nation and the world, dignity, rule of the law, cooperation….)

• Literature, History: emphasise of the values of the nation, one’s identity; these subjects shows the member of the community who sacrificed themselves for the nation in differetn ways during the history (celebrating National Day on 15 March).

(Keywords are: sacrifices, trustfull, humble,greatness must be earned, fought and died, create, selfnessless, courage….)

• Civics: emphasise the importance of democracy, what are the issues of democracy and the typicals of democracy. The different kind of parties are also discussed in this lesson and the importance of voting, and the way of it, as well.

(Keywords are: freedom, risk-taker, extend opportunity, rule of the law, rights of man, responsibility….)

• Lesson with form master: Different sort of problems are discussed here, in democratic way (e.g. by voting about a trip) – depends on the personality of the teacher.

(Keywords are: trustfull, create, freedom, choose, cooperation, deserve a chance ….)

There are some spontaneus ways of teach/learn democracy in classroom, for instance:

1. Integration: living/learning with students in special needs, social problems…

2. Volunteer jobs for students in upper secondary school/university/college by the guidance of– for example – Red Cross or other foundations

(Keywords are: responsibility, trustfull, deseve a chance, equality, extend opportunity, duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, kindness, selflessness, courage, cooperation, peace…. )

After we discussed all of the presentations, we watched two videoclips from YouTube: one of them was Michael Jackson: Earthsong and the other one was Black Eyed Peas: Where is the love? After we watched each of them, we got the text of the lyric and we had to find the words from the text, which shows citizenship.

The Earthsong shows the common responsibility of people: what we did already? What we can leave for the next generations? The symbol of citizenship is to build up something, but we just keep pull down: Abraham's promiseland burned down...But the storm is also a symbol, it could be us, those who can clean up everything, recreate what we destroyed before. The video shows a resurrection in secular interpretation, but it has a religious context as well. It also symbolised the values in our head is not enough, we have to act!

The other one - Where is the love? - is about "Where is the citizenship?"
Some quotations from the text, which shows "collective failure" of citizenship:

• "...if you only have love for for your own race/Then you only leave space to discriminate..."
• "Nation droppin' bombs/Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones..."
• "Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother/A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover/The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug..."
• "I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder/As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder..."
• "Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity/Whatever happened to the fairness in equality/Instead in spreading love we spreading animosity/Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity..."

These quotations also refer to the negative words from Obama's speech...
The video below is not the official one, but - I think - is more schocking and it also shows the sign of awakening...

We watched the "music" part of The Shawshank Redemption movie as well in this lesson.
The scene is also very symbolic: the whole story takes place in a prison: the director of the prison a sort of God, who makes rules on his own. One of the prisoners - Andy - decides to do something extraordinary, which is against the strict rules. In the library - which he needs to organise - he put a record on and attached the recordplayer to the mikrophone to let the others hear them "beuty of music". The books and the music is the symbols of freedom: the freedom what you have even when there are lots of walls.

On the 25th of March we had a special lesson with Torbjorn. We had to bring videos, pieces of movies about how to teach democracy?
The films are:

Take the lead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7xwsNzgd2k
the most important message of this part (in teacher's room) is: trusting in myself and others, beleive in ourselves; to dance is a "teamwork and dignity, which gives the vision of the future" these kids

Dead poets society: the message of this scene to beleive yourselves.

Pink Floyd: Wall:
"We don't need more education, teachers leave the kids alone..."
The message of this video: School should not control the minds of children, otherwise they will fight for the freedom.

Freedom writers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz-gv6af-tw&feature=PlayList&p=BC80CDAF13A01C57&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=25
Most important message is: to respect each other; animosity and racial division is not issue in anything.

Dangerous minds: "Nobody forcing you be here. You have a choice: you can stay or you can leave..." / "Do you have a choice to get on that bus?...."/"There are no victims in the classroom!"
Most important message is: life is always offer choices, it is your choice, which one you want, but you have to responsible for it.

Mona Lisa smile: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYoh-BkVZsc&feature=related
In this scene the teacher completely failed with her old teching method, because students knows everything about facts perfectly. Later she changes her method and teach them knowing facts is not enough; understanding them is also important.

One flew over the cucko's nest: The message of this scene is: even these patients in a ward, which is most of the time against democracy (ignoring the voting, strict rules), they still can have freedom.

We also learnt about the" language of giraffe", which is reinventation of the non-violent communication by Marshall Rosenberg. During the thousands years we developed the language of domination, which is classify the other person.

The bad ways of communicaton are:

• analysis
• judgements
• diagnosing

In language of giraffe is very important:

• to listen: what is/are behind the word(s)
• do not be angry, if somebody speaks the way like that, because it means she/he has needs
• the person can decide to fulfill the other person needs, or - "goes in a different direction" - he/she has to able to say: "no".
  

Giraffe has a symbolic meaning: this animal has a biggest heart among animals, so this language comes from heart.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dpk5Z7GIFs&feature=PlayList&p=0386DE8E4E6987CF&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=5)

On 27th of March we had the last lesson of this module with Henrik. We had to prepare in advance a pocketmovie about democracy in everyday life. We prepared one movie together, you can see below:

We also watched that part of the Lord of the rings (Fellowship of the ring), when it was decided to destroy the ring. We had to examine this scene by the negative and positive words of Obama's speech.
Negative words, which are in this scene:

• destroy: distroy of the ring
• violence, corruption, temptation: everybody can tempted by power, so everybody can be evil
• only one choice: the ring have to be destroyed: "One of you must do this!"

Positive words, which are in this scene:

• equality: freedom of speech, kings and hobbits are the same place
• fellowship:
• sacrifices, risk taker, freedom, selflessness, mission: Frodo offfer to go to wasteland to destroy the ring
• trustfull, cooperation, courage, dignity: the other hobbits decide to go with him and the others offer their arms (sword, ax...)
• hope, rule of the law, unity of purpose: to own the ring is like the power of God and nobody can cope with it (responsibility for the next generation).

It was a really unique experience to have this module. It showed me it is not enough to watch, you have to see as well: we have to see what's going on around us, because this is the way to understand the world. It is also important to not judge at the first time: things are never only black and white...

We'll rock you - samba - spacecowboy...

On the 18th and on 24th of March we had lessons in Aabenraa. We studied Drama and movement by the guidance of Linda&Flemming.
We didn't know each other - I mean the teachers us -, so we sarted with icebreaker games:

• sitting in circle and tell our names
• sitting in circle and tell the name of the person, who sit next to us
• playing the rythm of the lyric of 'We'll rock you...' and repeat the names
• playing 'shark game': somebody stand in the middle of the circle, who is the shark. The 'shark' is pointing to somebody and that person has to look somebody. This person can save the first one life, if he/she fast enough to say the first person name, otherwise he/she could catch by the shark. And then he/she becomes a shark, and everything starts again...

It was really impressive for me, when we were diveded to two groups, both of the groups got a piece of paper with a word on it. Our group had the word: zooropa. We had to create a 'statue' , which is connect somehow to the word. We thought zooropa is the combination of zoo and Europe. So we tried to find animals which could symbolise our country. So Lilla&me were a horse together, because this animal belongs to the Hungarian history so many ways.

We had another exciting game: we had to stand in circle and play as if we carried a very heavy thing and we had to pass it to to next person. We also did it in another way, when we had to give a really light thing for the other person. The interesting was that each persons imagined different things, for instance: feather, spider, something breakable...etc.

Then the best part of the day was when we created a samba music together! First we were diveded to groups and learnt our rythm to play at different sort of instruments and after that we just joined together!

(Unfortunately I don't know the origin of this lyric. I really like it, because once in my life I heard an amateurish orchestra, who played this lyric and that was amazing!)

We also learnt a rythm game with colourful cups and some songs as well.

On the other lesson we repeated some songs what we already learnt before and the rythm game as well.
Then we learnt a Danish dance, it was really funny - I think -, and during our dance Linda playing a piece of music at accordion and she sung as well.

After dancing everyone got a mask; there were different kind of objects on the floor and we had to pick up one. Then we had to improvise as if we would born just now. The starting position was the 'embrio-pose'. Flemming put on a piece of music and we had to be 'born', discover ourselves and each other by movements.
It was really exciting, because we couldn't use our mimicries, our face and we had to express ourselves with our body and with the objects. I felt myself as if I would be in another world.

Then we were divided to two groups and we had to rehearse a playwith the same piece of music. We could choose the theme, so we decided to play a classical drama - 'Romeo and Julia'. It was funny to dress up as 'spacecowboys' and wear masks as well. The accessories were also comic; for instance dusting stick, glass-cleaner stick - both of them as swords - , polystyrene head...etc.
(Poor Shakespeare... : ))
We just rived the most important scenes off the play, but we still managed to create a whole in a quite modern way.

Both of the groups had to present the plays and after that we discussed our experiences, which were quite different: some of us found it hard to not use our face, express ourselves without mimicry. For myself it was easier, because I'm not that 'playing type', so I could 'hide' behind the mask and I could concentrate to the task, without felt myself unconfortable.
Flemming said, when we wear a mask it is like 'switch the monitor off' and just concentrate what is inside...

All in all I really enjoyed both of the lessons. It was also nice to walk along in Aabenraa and take photoes - as usual.
I call this place "the city of cats", because I saw five cats within one day. I hadn't seen any cats in Denmark before and I miss(ed) them very much ... : )

Through Europe by gastronomy

On Monday we had a lessson with Eva, who first intoduced the way of healthy nutrition in Denmark by a nutrition compass.

We learnt it is suggested to have:

• 600 gm vegetable/fruit per day
• 300 gm fish per week
• potatoe, rice, pasta, whole-grain bread are also recommended every day

Some rules:

• go easy with sugar, candy, cakes, soft drink
• to eat to much fat, especially dairy products (saturate fat!) is not recommended
• keep normal weight
• drink water when you're thirsty
• at least 30 min. phisical activity per day

I don't think we could keep this rules during our cooking...:)

Because everybody cooked something typical from his/her country, and all of them were really heavy. Let's see the dishes:
Belgium: caramelised apple by Anja


Czhech Republic: Bramborové placky - sort of potatoe cake by Mihca&Vacek and Eliska

Denmark: slices of bread with different kind of topings and frikadeller (fried meat balls)

Hungary: Gulyás leves with csipetke + Mákos guba (+ vanília szósz)- Gulas sup with csipetke (special Hungarian dough, specially made for this sup) + Poppy-seed cake (+ vanilla sauce) byNoémi&Máté, Lilla and me


Poland: Pierogi - Polish dumplings + Polish cheese cake by Gosia, Mariska and Marlene







Spain:Spanish omelet by Carlos

Turkey: Bulgur pilavi - sort of rice meal by Canan&Zep

(The Hungarian part of the video is: Noémi: I'm cooking Gulas sup and poppy-seed cake. These are typical Hungarian dishes. I'm preparing the vanilla sauce, now. Máté: We made up the menu expertly with my collegues: we have already prepared Hungarian 'csipetke' from origin Hungarian egg, Hungarian carrot and Hungarian potetoe. Hungarian sup with origin Hungarian ingredients...:) )



We had to hurry, because we had just only two ours to be ready and we had to clean everything as well within that time. Noémi made preparation with the beef - most important ingredient of Gulas sup - , because normally it takes hours to be cooked. So we already had a stew base. Máté, Lilla peeled the vegetables, Noémi put everything into the saucepen, looked after the sup and started to cook the vanilla sauce as well, and me prepared 'csipetke'. Then Noémi and Máté mad e the poppy-seed cake. During that Lilla and me started to clean up and took photoes and vidios...: )

Some of us who had more time, set the table and Gosia and Marisia folded napkins. When we were ready to eat, first we had to intoduce what we prepared and the ingredients as well.

And then we had a nice lunch together. First we had the Gulas sup - this was the starter -, which is gone within few minutes; after we continued with potatoe cakes, dumplings, omelet, slices of breads, fikadeller, Bulgur...etc. Finally we finished with deserts: cheese cake, poppy-seed cake and caramelised apple. My favourite was the Polish dumplings!:)

I could say it was a really nice to cook and eat together; it was really cosy feeling...
Thank you for the nice dishes for everyone! I'm sure we didn't have to cook dinner that day! : )

Cinema of Denmark

On the 6th of March we had a very unique lesson with Jette. She introduced us the history of Danish film and filmmaking. To tell you the truth I wasn't impressed at the first place, because one hand I'm not good at films and the other hand I thought she speak about the Danish literature.
So I was little bit disappointed at first, but it dissappeared immediately, when she gave that interesting retrospection of films, filmmaking illustrated by lots of videos from YouTube and dvds.
First we learnt about the basis of communication - sender - message - receiver - feedback, then the special "language" of film.
After this we got a retrospection of filmmaking in Denmark:

1906: The starting point of Danish filmmaking was when the Nordisk Filmstudios opened in Valby. (Polar Bear). - These movies were silent and black&white movies.

1930's-1940's: The tone films appeared. These films were heavy black&white movies or there were some entertaining one, but mainly musicals.

1950's: The beginning of "art-tradition": dramas and novels turned into film. The light entertainment also became popular (Morten Korch). This was the way to criticise the society. Carl Dreyer intoduced a new kind of film: the superrealistic film. These films have heavy moral messages and the symbolism is also very important. The best known is The World (1954), which is about a man, who beleives he is Jesus and a tragic love is also involved in the story. The film based on a novel, which was written by a man, who first beleived in the idea of a big Leader (nazism), but later he changed his mind and he was shot by Germans in 1944.

1960'-1970's: Most of the films are comedies. The most popular one is Obsen-banden, which is a series about 3 men: one of them always just come out the prison and he is the person, who always has an idea. He ends up in the prison again, because his idea always goes wrong.

1980's: This period is the decade of prizes (Golden Palm, Oscar).
The most famous film of this period is Out of Africa, which was directed by Sydney Pollack in 1985, starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. It won seven Academy Awards. The story is an adaption of a novel by a Danish writer Karen Bluxen - her pseodunym was Isak Dinesen - , who used to live in East Africa (Kenya) and had a coffee plantation there. The film is a mixture of biography and fiction. Karen Bluxen first came to public attention with her book Seven Gothic Tales, which contains mystical tales.

Babette's feast won an Academy Award for Best Foreign film in 1987. It shows to create a meal is also art.

Pelle, the Conqueror is an adaptation of a novel by Martin Andersen: Nexo (political book) and it won the best Foreign Film award in 1988, directed by Bille August.

1995: The Dogme-movement - DOGME95- against Hollywood's effects. The main typicals of the movement:

• the story is the most important and the actors
• only use the origin location
• natural light
• natural sound
• natural props
• no underline music
• no special light
• hand held video camera
• present time

Films from this period:

The celebration (Festen), directed by Thomas Vinterberg, won several awards. The most famous scene, when the oldest man gives a speech for his father. (You can see below.)

Danish film in the 1990's was dominated by Lars von Tries, who directed the following films:

• The Idiots
• Europa
• Breaking the Waves
• Dancer in the Dark
• Dogville

Italian for beginners is a romantic comedy, directed by Lone Scherfig. Usually the DOGMA95 films serious and harsh in tone, but this one has a "light" story.

The Bench, Inheritance, Manslughter are a triology directed by Per Fly. These films are super-realistic and show the social life of different classes in Denmark.
There are some action films - some of them comedy - from the late 1990's:

• Portland
• Angels in Fast Motion (Nordkraft)
• Flashing lights
• The Art of Crying Together
• Terribly Happy (Frygtelig Lykkelig)

I could say we got not only an overview about Danish films, but different aspects of watching movies. I started to feel I have to watch more films, than before, because films tell a lot about a culture of a certain country. So I have much left to learn, but the first lesson is over...: )

Facing with myself

On 4th of March we had an Art lesson with Dorthe. To tell you the truth I didn't want to participate in this class, because I felt I'm not really talented to draw, moreover to draw my own portrait. "No, it's not for me!" - I thought. I was nervous, but we started with a sort of hyggeling - have a cup of coffee/tea - and during that Dorthe spoke herself and explained what we going to do. Then I calmed down, because she has such a nice personality. We had to prepare 5 different portraits. At the first two portraits it was not allowed to look down to the paper, only just focusing our face in the mirror, and draw that way. It was really difficult and the result wasn't satisfying. I nearly cried, but I kept my tears back. During we were drawing, Dorthe was walking around and had a personal comment for everyone. I said to her I can't draw a better way, when she said: "If you say negative words, like ' I can't' , it 's block you and you never be able to draw. You have to beleive yourself."
These words helped a lot for me. I tried to make myself beleive "you can do that". She came back several times and encoureged me. My drawings become better and better, but - of course - it is still not perfect. I have never watch myself that many times in the mirror, than this lesson.
This lesson developed not only my skills in drawing, but my personality as well.
TAK for this, Dorthe! : )

Education in different ways...

On 3rd and 5th of March we had lessons with Tove about Comperative education.
The first class was started this important sentence: Which way the European schools so different? Why? The answer is quite easy: because of the different ways of thinking. That is the reason the idea of harmonising the education system in Europe- at the beginning of '90's didn't work. Countries in Europe appreciate their own values and try to secure them. These are cannot be changed, because they are deeply rooted in culture.

We learnt about the Scheim-model, which shows the culture in three different dimensions:

1. artefacts
2. values
3. basic assumptions

1. Artefacts: everything you can observe

Examples:

how does the school look like? how old is the institution?Is it possible to move around the furniture in the classroom?: opened/locked classrooms, furniture, canteen/lunch box...etc.

2. Values:

Examples:

the way you eating, reproduce what the teacher says, how is the structure of the day? teachers-children interaction : how much authority you see in the class? how the children behave? uniform for children and teachers?
Lunch, canteen: Norway, Denmark: lunchbox; Finland, Great-Britain: canteen
Related with the values:

• lunch box: free choice - parents, homes
• canteen: healthy + social - community
• break during the daytime: way of securing mother do not work in full-time job, only in part-time

3. Basic assumptions: indicator

Examples:

how much parents and family mean for the society?
This society is emphasie the indipendence: an individual is independent from the other individual, so this system subserve for the "strong people".
How can artefacts and values be interpreted?
What gives meaning for the school and what does not?
How does the school think that children learn in the very best way? - e.g.: there are so many didacticals: reproducing what was told; work together; learning by drama, handwork...etc.

Then we examined the different school systems (Martin McLean) in Europe with the dimensions above:
There are 3 educational systems in Europe:

1. The encyclopedic approach: comes from France, this is the most influential in Europe (Italy, Portugal, Spain, Eastern-Central Europe, Belgium...) and all over the world.

Values:

uniformity:

• knowledge on as many issues as possible
• teaching of equal quality: the same curriculum, same methods, same books, same progression
• standardised and centrally managed tests to ensure the same quality
• matter is about teachers and teaching: the freedom of the teachers are kept + every children have to have the same opportunity

rationality:

• logical way of thinking: no religion, no emotions
• exactness in language and arguments
• clear, precise demands
• understanding of structures and systems
• Science, French, Phiosophy and History
• ability to talk perfect and precise

elitism:

• competition as a method in teaching and career - no cooperation
• the private schools as a parallel system to the public: promote the best students, who have to reach a certain standard. "Second-chance schools" were established for slow-learner students

2. The humanistic approach: English elit system (Great-Britain and Ireland):

Values:

the ideal: The gentleman:

• high moral standard: the individual will develop empathy, sense of duty, responsibility,
• will be prepared to take leadership
• strong feeling of brotherhood
• destiny: to be a leader somewhere

individualism:

• close contact between student and teacher - the tutor system
• you cannot learn unless you motivated, which is up to the teacher, tutor
• learning is a individualised process and cannot be uniform and systematic
• small groups, which helps to make the best relation with students

specialisation:

• in very early age - age of 16 - student can choose the few subjects he/she wants to study - nobody can force him/her to waste time on issues he/she does not feel for
• What does it mean for the society? - Only 50% of youngsters continue their studies after the age of 16, and just very few of them goes to university. So there is an opposition between educated and unskilled people.

3. The naturalistic approach: Germany, The Netherlands, Skandinavia

Values:

decision of the community:

• Community needs to decide about the structure of the educational system. The teachers stream the children: the teachers decide which kind of school suit for the child: Hauptschule for workers and farmers, Realschule for merchants, tradesmen; Gymnasium for doctors, lawyers, decision makers.
• Community has an economical viewpoint: preparation for the future jobs - lot of focus on working place experience (it starts in the age of 16).
• everybody has a function in the community
• every job has its own dignity
• motto: "You should not waste any person, because everyone can do a job."

influence of parents:

• the school imitates the parents way of socialising
• parents have much influence: they decide the way school should be run...
• the learning process is as important as the product
• skills oriented

After we went throuhg the different educational system we diveded to groups and we had to examine our educational system by the artefacts and the values behind them, then we had to present our answers.


Some typicals from the countries we come from:


Hungary:

• students raising for teacher when he/she entering to the classroom
• students raising their hands if they want to sign for something
• the beginning of June: teacher's day, when students have to perform for teachers (telling poems, singing) and every class have to give flowers each of the teachers
• examination: during the whole year

Turkey:

• the system of morning school and afternoon school, because of economy reasons (crowd)
• uniform against to don't let poorer children out
• examination: end of the year

Spain:

• long school day: from 9 am to 5pm (12pm-3pm: lunchbreak)
• examination: end of the year

Poland:

• wearing uniform
• examination: during the whole year

Czech Republic:

• examination: during the whole year

Belgium:

• in Chatolic school: morning starts with a prayer

Summary of the artefacts:

• rituals, morning assumbly, rutine
• long schoolday
• oral examinations
• uniform
• prays
• student raising
• teacher's day
• assessing-presenting-memorising

Values which conect to the artefacts above:

• equality
• respect
• utility(there are some certain subject, which are more appriciated, than the others. Reason: these subjects - e.g.: Math, History, Literature, Foreign languages...etc. help in further studies.)
• discipline
• school is the most important activity

It was really interesting for me to look through in educational systems in Eruope. It gave me the explanation to the root of our differences, which deeply effected by the culture. Although all of the countries we come from belong to the encyclopedic French system, we have some differences as well - as you can see above. Even so the educational system of these countries completely different from the Danish educational system, though it's not "clear" Scandinavian system: the mixture of the English (working in small groups) and the naturalistic approach.