The rest of my Thursday I relaxed and drank endless amounts of water to flush this cold out of my system once and for all. For the later half of the day I wrote a paper on Nordic early childhood education. Once again, I waited until the last minute to write this paper, but here it is.
The United States and Denmark have varying theoretical perspectives that frame their view of childhood, childcare, and education. In these two cultures, there are many differences and similarities between the components that make a good teacher; however, regardless of definition, the presence of a good teacher is essential in child development.
The Danish education system incorporates pedagogy, the social development of children and studying to become a pedagogue. There is no clear translation for these terms in English because there are no pedagogues in the United States. The American system of education is more focused on the academic development of the child rather than social development. In kindergarden and pre-school, children are encouraged to use their words when having a disagreement or take turns playing with a toy, but not to the extent Danish children are socialized. Wagner (2006) focuses on the principles of en god barndom as an empowering model that provides general parameters for a fulfilling childhood. The components of egalitarianism, democracy, freedom, emancipation, cooperation, and solidarity exemplify the Nordic ideals of childhood and what it means to have a good childhood. In terms of education, Nordic ideals of early childhood education have developed from a postmodern framework where teaching methods and the school atmosphere were built on a foundation of intellectual freedom, equality, and democracy (Broström, 2006). This framework provides subtle guidelines for the role a teacher should play as a co-constructor working with the child to solve problems and construct their own understandings. Conducive to the strengths perspective, this framework allows the teacher to focus on the strengths and needs of the child to maximize social and intellectual development. Children who are multicultural or who are in a diverse community can also utilize a postmodern framework to emphasize their rights and perspectives as competent members of a democratic society. The United States is starting to adopt an outcomes-based education model which focuses on altering teaching techniques and the school environment to measure student performance and derive a desired outcome. This new approach is working towards recognition of the child’s perspective in the school system; however, there is still too much focus on generating the desired outcome.
I had the opportunity to meet with three different groups of 8th graders, about 20 children in total. Starting the conversation with brief introductions, we then were able to get into a more personal discussion about their educational experience. When asking about their favorite classes, I was beginning to see a trend develop in favor of English and physics. Physics was a very challenging subject for me, and I couldn’t help but wonder why so many students favored this subject in particular. After further inquiry, I learned that physics and English were the favorite classes for the majority of students because they had a “good teacher.” Speaking with the 8th grader’s English teacher later in the day, we were informed that he often struggles with the balance between being the student’s friend versus their teacher. By being more of a friend, a teacher is able to work with the students and co-construct understandings of the subjects. Developing a good friendship will create open and honest dialogue between the student and teacher to best reach the academic goals of both the teacher and the student. At the end of the day, it is their job to be a teacher, but it is still important to develop a relationship with the students in order to have a greater positive impact.
It doesn’t matter if a teacher has every second of the day planned out or has chosen to incorporate the children’s perspective when creating a lesson plan. It doesn’t matter if there is constant supervision as compared to little or no supervision while playing outside. What does matter is that the students have a connection with an adult who can act as a role model. Bronfenbrenner stresses the importance of human relationships in creating a developmentally facilitating environment. This is possible in Denmark as well as the United States, we just need to listen to and hear the children’s needs, whatever they may be.
The influence of American culture on Denmark is overwhelming. Danish students prefer to listen to American music and watch American television and movies; however, America should be looking towards Denmark for effective early childhood education. From an outcomes based model, the United States is arguably doing better academically than Denmark; however, when looking at principles of en god barndom and a happy childhood, the United States is falling behind. Children in America may believe they have had a good childhood because they do not know that there is the possibility of independence and emancipation at that age. From the child’s limited viewpoint, they have had a good childhood, but from a universal rights perspective, American children are still limited and falling behind Danish children.
References
Broström, S. (2006): Nordic Childhood and Early Education: Philosophy, Research, Policy and Practice in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Information Age Publishing. ISBN: 1593113506
Clossen, D. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.probe.org/site/c.fdKEIMNsEoG/b.4218117/k.760A/Outcome_Based_Education.htm
Wagner, J.T. (2006): "Fishing Naked - Nordic Early Childhood Philosophy and Practice" in Nordic Childhoods and Early Education. Information Age Publishing. ISBN 978-1593113506 (324p.)
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