Teaching at a Danish Efterskole

Transcription

1 Teaching at a Danish Efterskole An efterskole is a unique Danish residential school, where students from the ages of 14 to 18 can choose to spend one, two or three years to finish their primary education. The first efterskole was founded about 150 years ago. The schools are closely related to the Danish Folk High School and the educational ideas of N.F.S. Grundtvig ( ), who wanted schools to provide enlightenment for life rather than formal vocational training. Each efterskole is a self-governing independent institution and it deals with both the educational and personal development of the students. The efterskole embraces a common educational focus on enlightenment for life, general education and democratic citizenship. Compared to public schools the efterskole has substantial freedom in terms of choice of subjects, teaching methods and educational approach. These vary in accordance with the school s political, religious or pedagogical orientation. Freedom of the efterskole is assured by substantial state subsidies to both schools and students. One thing that is unique about the efterskole is the teacher-student relationship. The teacher is responsible for both teaching and supervision outside of school hours. This means that teachers and students are together all day from the time the students wake up until they go to bed. This often engenders a close, personal and non-formal relationship between students and teachers. Most efterskoles offer the same subjects and final examinations as the public schools, but many focus on special subjects like physical education, international cooperation, music, theatre, or various kinds of special education. There are more than 260 efterskoles spread across Denmark, mostly in rural areas or near provincial towns. At present approximately students attend the schools. Efterskoles vary in size but most have approximately students. You will mainly be in charge of sport activities like soccer or basketball in the afternoon. Some days you will also have the possibility to teach various subjects together with a teacher. There will be evening duties (supervision of the students) together with other teachers. Once a week you will have an evening duty with other teachers eat dinner with the students, help students during their homework hour, take part in evening activities (sport, music, games etc.). The school is also open for students during weekends, which means that you will take part in weekend duties or activities maximum once a month. During weekends, students cook, relax, and do leisure activities arranged by either students or teachers. 37 hours a week (teaching + supervision Monday Friday plus weekends once in a while). Some weeks it will be more than 37 hours a week, and some it will be less.

2 Working in a Health Centre in Uganda Chemequip Medical Laboratory The Chemequip Medical Laboratory training school and Health Centre s aim is to provide a community public health service in the Kasudde Village in Uganda. The main activities of the project include nutrition advice, HIV/Aids sensitization, research on health challenges, community mobilization and immunisation. The volunteers actively participate and help with all the activities of the health centre, working hours a week. Nawanyango Health Centre The Nawanyango Health Centre was started and is managed by the Banakalori Sisters Bwanda (Catholic Nuns). Their mission is to improve the Health of the poor people in the community. The Health Centre is located in the Kamuli district in Eastern Uganda, where poverty, poor health and unemployment are the main problems. The Health Centre consists of an outpatient as well as an inpatient department, a mental health clinic and a laboratory. It provides Maternity and Antenatal services, deliveries, immunisations as well as testing of HIV and counselling of HIV patients. The volunteers actively participate and help with all the activities carried out at the health centre. Some prior knowledge of medicine would be of advantage.

3 Sea turtle conservation in Costa Rica The sea turtle conservation programme is a scientific-based conservation activity in which the organizations involved try to increase the amount of sea turtle hatchings in order to give higher survival rates to these amazing reptiles. As these projects were created with a conservational purpose, the NGOs involved help to preserve the sea turtles and associated ecosystems. The camps are located within walking distances from the beach. Apart from the sea turtles, you will also have high chances of seeing tropical birds, iguanas and monkeys. The main goal of these projects is to help the recovering of sea turtle populations. The species of sea turtles that you can find on these beaches are: Leatherback, Olive riddle, Hawksbill, Green and Logger Head, depending on which project and season you visit. The volunteers will be directly involved with the conservation of the sea turtles, the main activities involve night patrols, building of hatcheries, supervising hatcheries, counting and releasing of baby turtles, assisting in the collection of scientific data, maintaining the infrastructure and cleaning the beach. In order to participate in the sea turtle conservation programme it is important that you have a high level of fitness, as the patrols imply long walks on the beach at night.

4 Working in an orphanage in Mozambique REMAR provides help and support to orphans of drug and alcohol addicted persons and street children. REMAR houses and schools over 200 children of all ages. It also works in drug rehabilitation, though volunteers will be working in the orphanage. The organisation takes in people who have nowhere else to go. The project consists of different houses for different groups of children, which are situated in different areas of Maputo, the largest city and capital of Mozambique. The main project camp is situated in Machava, a few kilometres outside the city. In Machava there is a girl s house, two boy s houses; a church; a school; a bakery; a soon to be completed factory alongside a warehouse; and the house of one missionary family. The babies house and the drug rehab centre are situated in different areas of Maputo. The project has two shops in the city centre where second-hand items are sold. The volunteers in REMAR are expected to work with the children in one of the houses of the orphanage. The work is outside the school hours. Volunteers are expected to define their role themselves and to be creative in doing so. For this, skills and knowledge of arts, crafts or sports would be extremely helpful.

5 Taking care of disabled children in Vietnam The Phuc Tue Caring Centre is a non-profit, non-government day care organization based in Hanoi for the care of mentally and physically impaired children. The Centre was established in June There are now 2 centres around Hanoi that provide care and education for approximately 50 children and young people (aged 2 to 22yrs old) who are suffering from the effects of agent orange, autism, down syndrome and Japanese encephalitis. The Centre`s aim is to look after these children and help to integrate them into normal society. The centre s mission is to provide opportunities for children with mental and physical impairment to receive an education and to feel included with their local community. In particular, the centre provides assistance for those children suffering from developmental disabilities including Down's Syndrome, Autism and Cerebral Palsy. As well as early grade academic learning, the education programs include physical education and therapy, yoga, painting and poetry. The Phuc Tue centre is situated in the Tay Ho District in North West Hanoi, close to West Lake the largest lake in Hanoi. The volunteers will mainly be caring for and playing with the children at the centre. There is also the option of helping with gardening as well as running charity campaigns. It s essential that the volunteers have an interest in working with disabled children, some experience would be helpful, but isn t mandatory.