JOB SHADOWING - Skövde (Sweden) 19/04/17

Wednesday 19 April

It has been a really busy day. I started attending two classes of English teacher Anna Ljungberg. The students were of the last year so they were advanced students. She used ICT and so did most of the students, you can still see notebooks on the desks. I think most students feel it is a good way to learn things as you have to pay attention, to understand to write them down.

While the students were working, she explained me about the National Tests and how they are carried out. She also pointed out that she usually sets no homework, it is the responsibility of her students to revise vocabulary and to exercise at home.

After lunch I made again a presentation for the last year students of Spanish, three of them had participated in the exchange with our school so it was really a pleasure to see them again. They were really interested in Fallas and our traditional clothes. I told them I would bring some clothes next time and, of course, they could see them in person next time they visit Valencia.

After that, I met Marie-Louise, the Principal and she informed me about some of her duties related to teachers' work, trimetables and even salaries. In sweden, as in Finland, it is the principal who "pays" the teachers, so they can decide if a teacher earns more than others.

We also compared the hours devoted to classes, those used for meetings (with head teachers, colleagues, the principal, parents, students, etc) and those we work at home.

We then talked about how she decided to apply for a position as a principal and the three-year grade at the university she has done. Quite different to the way peincipals get their position in Spain or in Finland.

Then I attended the defense of the research project Swedish students have to make in their last year at the gymnasium. At the beginning of the year, they decide the subject and talk with their mentor to get a guideline for the work. Then they have the time to work on it, in fact in their weekly timetable they have about two hours to do it.

Then they present their project to the mentor and to some other students who read it and look for things that can be improved. Then, they make a first defense of their project (that is what I attented) and the peers tell the author what can be improved, The teacher is taking notes about what is poointed out and how it is explained by the student that has presenting the project. then, the student rewrites it and will do the last presentation at the end of the year in front of younger students.

This procedure is similar to that used at university so the last year student are training for their future and the young audience sees what they will have to do in one or two years.

I think it is a very clever way to make the most of one single activity: write a project.

To end this extra busy day, I pampered myself with some sauna to get some energy before I wrote my report!

Angels Romeu

Erasmus+ Coordinator

IES Ramon Llull