Final Syllabus
Child Development in Scandinavia Practicum
Spring 2017
Copenhagen
3 Credits
Major Discipline: Child Development, Education/Educational Studies
Faculty: Heidi Vikkelsø Nielsen (), Jennifer Duncan-Bendix ()
Program Director: Maja Sbahi Biehl, , Vestergade 10A-24
Program Assistant: Maggie Sullivan, , Vestergade 10A, 24
Thursdays
Course Description:
What is Danish childcare and education? What are the underlying principles that structure the Danish approach to working with children? These questions serve as a springboard into the field of ‘pedagogy’ in Denmark.
This course emphasizes and integrates the application of research, critical reflection, and hands-on experience in order to explore the connection between pedagogical approaches and professional practices with children. You will be immersed within Danish society while working once a week at a Danish childcare institution or school. Paired together with your core course, your experience will supplement the educational, social, developmental, and historical theories presented. Ongoing themes will permeate our study. They include (but are not limited to):
· What is the Danish definition of “the good childhood”?
· From a Danish pedagogical perspective, what cultural values and social trends are visible in the daily routines when working with children?
· How can your observations from your site contribute to a discussion about educational policies and reforms both in Denmark and in the United States?
The course is designed as a combination of visits to your practicum site, advising meetings in groups, and classes intended to promote group discussions and debates about your experiences. Reflections on your observations will be the foundation of discussions and analysis about the activities, routines, and behaviors in Danish institutions and schools.
Practicum:
Students are placed in a Danish Vuggestue (infant -toddler center), Børnehave (pre-school), or Folkeskole (public school). Students will observe and interact with children each week, working under the guidance of a supervising pedagogue or teacher. Although students will be appointed a practicum supervisor at the site, they are also expected to consult the other staff to ask for help, instruction and guidance when needed.
You are required to go to your site at least 10 times and attain between 45-55 hours of practical experience.
Practicum Advising:
Additionally, through the semester, you will attend Practicum Advising workshops. The content of these will be to discuss your experiences and observations in comparison to others in your group, as well as to bring up any challenges or questions that arise. There will be preparation for you to do prior to each advising workshop.
Objectives:
In this course, students will examine current research and assessments in relation to pedagogy in a Danish context. By the end of this course, students will be able to:
· Demonstrate a knowledge of the major elements, theoretical perspectives, and interdisciplinary approaches to the field of ‘pedagogy’
· Actively participate in the everyday life in a Danish children’s institution or school
· Debate and reflect on the current challenges and debates within Danish pedagogy in particular through the integration of research with practical observations and experiences
· Assess this application through the development of observational, analytical, and creative thinking skills
Instructor Information:
Heidi Vikkelsø Nielsen
Cand. Pæd – Master in Educational studies (DPU, Aarhus University, 2014). BA School Teacher, (Blaagaard Seminarium, 2004). School teacher 2004-2011, union representative 2005-2011. Teaching vulnerable, bilingual teenagers in extracurricular topics at Ungdomsskolen (2011-2013). Volunteer counselor at the children’s phone, Børns Vilkår (2012-2013). Student assistant in a research project on the Danish dagpleje (home care) at Aarhus University (2013). Member of the ad hoc group across researchers and practitioners called “community teachers”, focusing on inventing “the community Didaktik” as a tool to prevent school bullying. With DIS since 2013.
Jennifer Duncan-Bendix
MA. Dagtilbuds- og Indskolings Didaktik – Early Childhood Education and Curriculum Studies (Aarhus University, 2014). BA (Early Childhood Development and Education, University of Connecticut, 2006). Assistant Program Director, Child Development and Diversity (2014 – Present). External Lecturer, Aarhus University (2016 – present). DIS Program Coordinator (2011-2014). Pædagog in the International and Danish communities in Copenhagen (2008-2010). DIS CDD Program Assistant (2007-2008). With DIS since 2007.
Course Components
1. Required Texts
Readings are uploaded onto Canvas. Readings must be completed prior to workshops, and students must be prepared with notes and reflections to contribute to group discussions.
2. Approach to teaching:
Aside from your independent visits to your practicum site, this course is structured as a series of workshops and advising sessions, in coordination between Jen and Heidi. The workshops will include theoretical and practical topics and activities to help foster learning at the practicum visits. The advising days are centered on central concepts and themes from your experiences at your site, and are designed as an opportunity to use your faculty and fellow students as professional resources.
3. Field studies:
As the majority of the course component is your weekly visit to your site, field studies are not included for part of this course. The hands-on, experiential element through practicum visits is fully utilized in class discussions, lectures, and assignments.
4. Expectations of the students:
In this course, each person has the equal and unique responsibility to facilitate the most optimal learning outcomes. You are expected to:
· complete all reading assignments prior to coming to workshops and advising
· be respectful and inclusive to all members of the class
· contribute to discussions and group activities with questions and reflections
· draw upon your interactions and observations from daily life in Denmark to the theory, research, and practices of Danish pedagogy in class
· be punctual and attend all workshops, advising and visits
· bring your logbook with written experiences and reflection from every practicum visit
When participating in the workshops, you are expected to be able to take initiative to work both independently and in a group. This means taking initiative to stay on topic during discussions and to use the readings to support the examples you contribute.
Assignments and Evaluation
· To be eligible for a passing grade in this class you must complete all of the assigned work.
· It is also a requirement that you submit a completed ‘time sheet’ with the signature of the supervising pedagogue to confirm that you have completed the required hours for this course (45-55 hours) distributed over 10 visits. Time sheets must be handed in at the CDD office. It is the student’s responsibility to get this sheet signed by staff at the practicum site during each visit.
Make-up hours: Visits to the sites will take place on 10 scheduled Thursdays; however, if you need to make up hours, you are responsible for scheduling them with your site. There are 11 possible Thursdays over the course of the Spring 2017 semester – it is your responsibility to arrange with your site directly (in advance!) which 10 of the 11 Thursdays you will be present at your site. If other days than Thursdays are not in conflict with your other DIS classes or the site, you can arrange for other days as well. Beware that you might end up needing the extra 11th date in case of illness during the course, so be aware of all 11 days!
Assignment / Due Date / Percentage of gradeParticipation / Ongoing / 15%
Practicum Advising #1 submission:
goal setting / February 14 / 15%
Practicum Advising #2 submission:
Midway evaluation / March 10 / 15%
Practicum Advising #3 submission:
Goal revision + advisor feedback / April 11 / 15%
Activity Planning Submission / March 17 / 20%
Activity Evaluation Submission / April 21 / 20%
Total / 100%
Participation (15%)
Active participation in class will include contributing to discussions and advising meetings, completing workshop readings ahead of time and individual dialogues with students and faculty as well as being punctual and attending on time.
· Active participation at your practicum site is also reflected in this portion of the grade. Students are expected to engage in the daily activities at the site, as well as consult directly with teachers and pedagogues regarding any assistance they can provide.
· Site Feedback: During one of the advising workshops you and your group will create your own assessment to bring to your site advisor/closest pedagogue/teacher. The feedback will count as part of your participation grade.
· Logbook: Another requirement is that you use your logbook actively. Throughout the semester, you will reflect and summarize your experiences at your site, on study tour visits and during discussions writing both open-ended and directed analytical reflections in your logbooks. You are required to write in your logbook following EVERY visit to your site.
You must bring your logbook to practicum visits, practicum seminars, core course classes, field studies and both CDD study tours.
Deduction of participation grade:
Behavior / Points deducted out of 100Excused late class / 2 points
Unexcused late / 5 points
Excused absence / 10 points
Unexcused absense / 15 points
Late assignments / ½ grade for each late day (submission will receive an F if it is more than 1 week late)
Absence will only be excused in serious situations, but informing your faculty regarding your attendance is always necessary. Unexcused absences include travelling or absences that have not been discussed with the faculty. Regardless of whether lateness is excused or unexcused, it is still a disruptance to the class and you miss out on relevant information
Practicum Advising Submissions (3x15%)
Practicum Advising Workshops will take place on three days over the semester, and you are required to prepare these workshops in advance. During the workshop you will continue to work on what you have prepared, and after the workshop you and your group will submit the finalized work. Part of these submissions will be based on your logbook, and you will submit logbook entries as part of your advising submissions. Other parts of the submissions will be based on the preparation you do before attending the workshops. Make sure you set aside enough time to prepare these workshops since the due date for the submissions comes soon after the workshops, so they rely heavily on your preparation.
Activity Planning Submission (20%)
Due: March 17th
In order to develop the critical and reflective skills necessary for a successful practicum experience, it is a requirement that you design an activity that you can implement with the children during your practicum visits. Prior to the implementation date (which you choose along with your practicum advisor) you will be planning the activity in depth and submit your work to your instructors. The assessment of the submission will be based on how well the activity is planned and the depth of the reflections and theoretical connections done as part of the preparation. The submission will be based on setting goals for the children’s social or academic learning, age appropriate activity choices, ambition level and a strong coherence between goals, choices and theory.
Activity Evaluation Submission (20%)
Due: April 21st
The Activity Evaluation Submission will build further on the Activity Planning and be submitted after the activity has been implemented. Here you will be evaluating on the planning of the activity and how it actually went. This submission will give you the chance to show your reflections on how it went and what you as a practitioner could have done to change the situation. You will tie practicum experiences to academic content and thereby connect your practicum course and your core course. The assessment of the submission will be based on your reflections, not how well the activity went.
Activity Planning and Evaluation Objectives:
· Develop an intentional activity to complete with the children
· Reflect on the pedagogical tools and strategies necessary when working with children
· Gain experience in planning, executing, and evaluating your own pedagogical practice
Policies
Disability and resource statement: Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact Academic Support () to coordinate this. In order to receive accommodations, students should inform the instructor of approved DIS accommodations within the first two weeks of classes.
Attendance
You are expected to attend all DIS classes when scheduled. If you miss a class for any reason please contact the faculty prior to the class. If you miss multiple classes the Department of Academic Support will be notified and they will follow-up with you to make sure that all is well. Allowances will be made in cases of illness, but in the case of multiple absences you will need to provide a doctor’s note.
Academic Honesty: Plagiarism and Violating the Rules of an Assignment
DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or thought taken from others.Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of “F” and can result in dismissal. The students’ home universities will be notified. DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in electronic form for submission to plagiarism detection software. See the Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your instructor if you have questions.
Use of laptops or phones in class: Students are expected to be fully present and engaged during the entire class period. This entails that all phones must be set on silent and put away, and laptops are allowed only for note taking.
Confidentiality: Please note that you must respect confidentiality at your site, so it is forbidden to put names of institutions, children, parents or staff in assignments or on the internet. In order to take photos of children (please note U.N. Conventions on Children’s Rights), staff members, or parents, students must ask for permission from the institution and must confirm with practicum instructors. The use of photos for assignments, posters, at the reception, on the Internet etc. must be confirmed by practicum supervisor or leader of the practicum site.
Wednesday, January 18
8:30-12:00 / Program Orientation
8:30-10:00: All CDD students
Room: V10-A32
10:00-12:00: Break into groups by core class
· Social Activities, meeting your peers!
· Doodle Bootcamp