Estada a Suècia

The stay in Sweden (Kungsängen, near Stockholm) has allowed me to see how teachers work in another country: 1 High school (only for A level), 1 occupational training center and 2 Secondary Schools (only for Secondary Compulsory Education). The first thing to note is that the number of teachers for the total number of students is 30% higher than in Catalonia and that buildings, in the outskirts, are very spacious and with many spaces to share with other teachers or students. These shared spaces are not regulated (tables at corridors, relaxation areas, etc.) for both teachers and students. The  "fika", their coffee break (when they also offer pastries) and their reception is a sign of their Swedish warm-hearted personality.

Our work as teachers is nothing for us to be jealous: our classroom work or innovation is comparable to any at a high level center in Sweden. However, the pedagogical part in  the degrees in both countries are different (a Pedagogical Aptitude Certificate or a teachers’ formation master is not the same as learning some pedagogy in a degree). What surprised me the most, apart from the spaces, I should mention the “workshops of democracy” (with debates), how inclusion works, reception classrooms, newcomers’ class, non-discrimination of gender, learning through projects and the CLIL method.

I keep in mind some newnesses we have seen and learnt and I think it could be useful to incorporate them, with the corresponding adaptations, in our center.