A little bit about us:
We are a group of four SP/FET students from Nelson Mandela University, we specialize in teaching learners from grades 7 through to grade 12 in South Africa. We are all from different places in South Africa but are all connected through Nelson Mandela University and our unyielding passion for education and teaching.
We are all from different and diverse backgrounds, so we all have different cultures and ways we do things back home.
Camilla Brooklyn Petersen is from Knysna, in the Western Cape province. Miss Petersen’s main specialization is Afrikaans Home Language for grades 10 to 12 and her other subjects are History and Social Science.
Diemone Schoeman is from Jefferys Bay, in the Eastern Cape. Miss Schoeman’s main specialization is Afrikaans Home Language for grades 7 to 12 and her other subject is English Home Language for grades 10 to 12.
Thokozile Langman is from Graaf-Reinet, in the Eastern Cape. Miss Langman’s main specialization is English Home Language for grades 7 to 12 and her other subject is Afrikaans Home Language for grades 10 to 12.
Scotland Wilson is from East London, in the Eastern Cape. Mr Wilson’s main specialization is Geography for grades 10 to 12 and his other subject is English Home Language for grades 7 to 12.
Our first week in Norway:
We left South Africa on the 4th of April, dressed in South African weather appropriate attire, and arrived in Oslo on the 5th greeted with shock by a cold most of us had never encountered before but definitely all welcomed. We left Oslo a few hours later and travelled to Tromso where we were collected by Bryn, Annfrid, and Silje. They then took us via the scenic route of the island from the airport and ended up at a local pizza joint called “Yona’s”. After filling our bellies with some amazing pizzas, we were taken to our accommodation for our stay in Tromso.
After settling in at our hotel we were invited to Bryn’s house for some coffee and hot chocolate, we were lured there under the pretence that we may have a chance to see the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. The pretence was not false as we managed to see the night sky filled with the colour green, the lights streaked across the sky and filled us all with awe. We all felt so privileged to get the chance to witness this incredible phenomenon on our first night in Norway and it felt like a very warm welcome to this beautiful country.
The next day we took a bus to the Tromso Museum where we took part in a tour led by none other than Bryn. We were shown a short history of the Sami, the indigenous people of Norway, we saw how they lived in the past, the tools and hunting methods they used and the beautiful clothes and jewellery that are unique to their culture. We then met up with the Norwegian students who went to South Africa last year. They gave us a small taste of student life in Tromso as we went bowling and then to a local hangout spot Heidi’s.
The next day was ours to rest after our long journey and then on Monday we met up at the university campus and were given a briefing on the Norwegian education system and many useful tips on the Norwegian people and their culture. We then all took a trip to the ‘Borgtun Skole’, a primary school in Tromso where the foundation and intermediate phase students would be spending their month and conducting their practice. We then said our goodbyes to the other South African students as we were preparing to leave for Stonglandseidat the next day.
We were up early in the morning to get ready for the bus to take us to Stonglandseidat. We arrived there in the late afternoon and were greeted by the school principal Janna and were showed to our accommodations for the next month. We took the evening to rest and prepare for our first day at Stonglandet Skole. The next morning, we took a short walk up to the school and were given a wonderful briefing about the school and then a short tour of the grounds led by two teachers Heidi and Hilde. We were also introduced to the other teachers at the school and introduced to some of the classes.
The first thing we noticed was the class sizes which are a lot smaller than our classes back home but also integrate three grades into one classroom, which is controlled by two teachers. The schools also accommodates learners with different learning disabilities and these learners are not expected to attend specialised schools as they are in South Africa. The way of teaching also differs from back home as learner autonomy and critical thinking are at the forefront of their education system.
The school days are structured similarly to ours back in South Africa, starting with all teachers gathering in the staff room, although not to discuss the school day but rather just to socialize. They have a ‘no shop talk’ policy in the staff room. Their curriculum is also far less prescriptive and rather open to the teacher’s interpretation. The curriculum outlines specific competency aims that need to be achieved but it is up to the teacher as to how they get the learners to achieve them. This is very different to our system back home where the CAPS document outlines the competency aims but works in conjunction with Annual Teaching Plans which tell you what to teach and when.
On our second day at school, we were able to use the first part of the day to work on our own assignments due back at NMU. We then were invited to attend the Norwegian lesson for grades 5 to 7 which are all together in one class. The learners all prepared presentations about themselves and we saw a glimpse of their methods which are similar to ours back home. We then were allowed to interact with the learners. They invited us to join them at break time for football, we were intrigued by how learners ranging from grades 1 to 10 all played together, and size, age or gender played no role in how the learners played with one another in terms of roughness.
After break we then attended a physical education lesson for grades 5 to 7 once again, where we participated in various warm-up activities and played some volleyball. On the Friday we were in for a real treat as we were invited to join the grade 8’s, 9’s and 10’s on their outdoor activities experiences and were able to try skiing for the first time which was truly an incredible experience. Even though we fell many times we managed to get up even more, we made it to the top of the hills and lookout point where the learners built a fire and grilled sausages, had some cooldrinks and shared some laughs.
We then skied back down the slopes and went to Senja Husky Adventure where we were treated to dog sled rides which was absolutely amazing. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience and was perhaps something a few of us were able to tick off our bucket lists. If this was just the first week, we all cannot wait to see what else we may experience while in Norway!
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