astrid Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 This Swedish school has eliminated classrooms. Interesting-- in some ways, it's like institutionalized homeschooling. astrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cara Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 Me too! :001_smile: astrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 I want to go to school there!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama_Rana Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Fascinating! I don't see any/many adults in the pictures; I wonder what the role of adults is in this school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 It is just like homeschool (except without the parents) if you lived in an Apple Store :D Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Gorgeous. The fabric, rugs will also absorb some of the sound. There was serious money put into that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 It is just like homeschool (except without the parents) if you lived in an Apple Store :D Bill :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Sn:lol:rt! It is just like homeschool (except without the parents) if you lived in an Apple Store :D Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 Gorgeous. The fabric, rugs will also absorb some of the sound. There was serious money put into that. Exactly my thoughts. I LOVE the space and the concept. astrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2jjka Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 It is just like homeschool (except without the parents) if you lived in an Apple Store :D Bill I was thinking they just moved everyone over to IKEA. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Love the idea! It is a really cool looking space but a bit sterile for my taste. I like the thought of lots of cozy chairs and soft spaces to crash and read instead of so many hard surfaces. That would help it not be too loud too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 It is just like homeschool (except without the parents) if you lived in an Apple Store :D Bill What, your house doesn't look like that? All weirdly shaped with Dr. Seuss furniture? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 All I could think was that it is good they are kids because all those furnishings looked way uncomfortable. Neither my knees nor my back could take much of that free form stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 It looks pretty, but how are the kids learning? I saw several laptops - is all the instruction on computers? I am very curious to know what type of curriculum they use and how the teachers fit into things. Do they just float around making sure everyone is doing something productive or do they provide direct instruction? If so, where do they do the instructing? :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 After doing my student teaching in a school with no classrooms, the noise level was horrendous! It still had classes, but all was very fluid. There were "pods" and the children moved between three or so of them, along with media center (library). It worked well for bright, curious children with very involved professional parents. I remember two boys that moved in because they were struggling in their traditional classrooms--it did not work well for them. Out of 25 or so kids in our pod, only two were reading at grade level--everyone else was way higher. All of the parents either were PhDs at CU Boulder or worked at NCAR. They would come in with fascinating things for the children to do. With that group of parents and children, pretty much anything we did was going to be successful. And then I worked at a school on "the other side of the tracks"... Well, I have those kids and we are those parents, I guess, but it wouldn't work for us on a full time basis. We need PEACE and QUIET! It might be fun for a day or two a week, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 It looks pretty, but how are the kids learning? I saw several laptops - is all the instruction on computers? I am very curious to know what type of curriculum they use and how the teachers fit into things. Do they just float around making sure everyone is doing something productive or do they provide direct instruction? If so, where do they do the instructing? :confused: You know...all that computer stuff gets really old. Yes, I get that this generation needs to be very tech-savvy, but they also need to develop relationships and interact with real people. I am old school, I guess, but I don't see this massive benefit in all the schools moving to computer instruction and books on iPads, the way it is happening around here. I don't think anyone needs more screentime, but I think they do need more real world interaction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisamarie Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 While I love the space and the idea of it, are the kids actually learning from a teacher or are they just doing school online? And who is making sure they do their work and not just daydreaming on those cool couches? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 Did you read the part about areas for group interaction and collaboration? And how the seating is groupt to facilitate conversation? astrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Did you read the part about areas for group interaction and collaboration? And how the seating is groupt to facilitate conversation? astrid I saw that, but it still doesn't explain what the teachers do. Are the teachers instructing at the group areas or is it all kid-led projects? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 I saw that, but it still doesn't explain what the teachers do. Are the teachers instructing at the group areas or is it all kid-led projects? Um, your guess is as good as mine--- all I know is what you know: what was contained in that photo-heavy article. Geez-- didn't mean for folks to get all cranky about it! Apologies! :leaving: astrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 The photos look like they are from a promotional photo session, not from an actual school day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 That looks awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 I saw that, but it still doesn't explain what the teachers do. Are the teachers instructing at the group areas or is it all kid-led projects? I assume the teachers are instructing because the article mentioned that the groups are grouped by LEVEL, not by age/grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 I just found a website with more info: http://vittra.se/english/AboutVittra/Oursixpromises.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Um, your guess is as good as mine--- all I know is what you know: what was contained in that photo-heavy article. Geez-- didn't mean for folks to get all cranky about it! Apologies! :leaving: astrid Sorry if I sounded cranky. I just want to understand how school works in a place like that. I wish they had given more information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama_Rana Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Geez-- didn't mean for folks to get all cranky about it! Apologies! :leaving: astrid I can't speak for everyone, but I'm not cranky. :lol: I think it looks neat, I'm just really curious how it all fits together. I'd love if someone in the know posted a sample day. In the meantime, I enjoy the conjecture. :) I did wonder about the whole "pod" thing that was such a failure here in the states. But in so many cases that tried to take traditional educational style and squeeze it into the open pods which was just a disaster. I love all the Macs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 That school looks fun! Inspires me to add some idea furniture to our school room. After doing my student teaching in a school with no classrooms, the noise level was horrendous! It still had classes, but all was very fluid. There were "pods" and the children moved between three or so of them, along with media center (library). It worked well for bright, curious children with very involved professional parents. I remember two boys that moved in because they were struggling in their traditional classrooms--it did not work well for them. Out of 25 or so kids in our pod, only two were reading at grade level--everyone else was way higher. All of the parents either were PhDs at CU Boulder or worked at NCAR. They would come in with fascinating things for the children to do. With that group of parents and children, pretty much anything we did was going to be successful. And then I worked at a school on "the other side of the tracks"... I would love to hear more about the pods school Margaret, have you descrobed it in more detail in another post somewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LG Gone Wild Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 It is just like homeschool (except without the parents) if you lived in an Apple Store :D Bill ditto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Looks like a fancier version of an Open Concept school from the 70's. The last one was just phased out here because the actual learning did not flow quite so nicely as it was supposed to. There are people though who do stand by the concept (no pun intended) and say that any deficits are due to improper teacher training. I taught at an ungraded fairly fluid private school for gifted but we had walls and classrooms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 I think maybe we're applying our past experiences of traditional American schools to the open concept of this Swedish school. It's hard to imagine a different way of teaching and learning than what we're all familiar with, but I'd be willing to bet that it's very different in ways other than the furniture and walls. astrid (my opinion only, ymmv) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 The photos look like they are from a promotional photo session, not from an actual school day. :iagree: There is one picture with about 20 white chairs up next to a long table. Potentially a classroom-sized group of kids there. I, too, grew up in 4th & 5th grade in a noisy, open-classroom setting. There were 120 kids in my 4th grade and 3 teachers and 2 aides, in 5 large rooms. HOWEVER, as a mom, all I could think of was the carpet getting soiled, gum stuck on the furniture, some kid getting sick, all the smudges on all that white furniture. Carpet + a bunch of kids + White furniture = many cleaning challenges. :001_smile: It just seems like an extremely expensive way to create learning environments for about 50 kids. However, it should be a wonderful experience to be one of those 50 kids!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 I think maybe we're applying our past experiences of traditional American schools to the open concept of this Swedish school. It's hard to imagine a different way of teaching and learning than what we're all familiar with, but I'd be willing to bet that it's very different in ways other than the furniture and walls. astrid (my opinion only, ymmv) No, I'm applying my past experience with nontraditional American open concept schools. They had a different teaching style and focus, and their advertisements would have read just like the Swedish school's one does. I'm not saying that it is identical in how it is played out, that I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 I just don't know if I could learn much in such an environment. I couldn't. I'd find the furnishings oppressive. But I guess with all this free form business, they wouldn't object to me parking next to a window. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Say little boy, where do you go to school? I go to iSchool Why you look mighty young for high school. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VA6336 Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Did anyone else notice that about half the students were not wearing shoes? Now, that's my kind of school! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Gorgeous. The fabric, rugs will also absorb some of the sound. There was serious money put into that. :iagree: That space is amazing! :001_wub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 I went to one of these schools in elementary school. The word "pod" wasn't there, but there were few classrooms and most instruction was individualized. We had a math cart and a reading cart. We worked together on projects for science and social studies. I could take my work and do it where ever I liked. If I finished, I could go read. I still hated school (because it wasn't home) but as schools go, it suited me very well. I do remember my mother talking about how it was great for our families but for some children, it didn't work because they didn't work if left to work independently or because they needed more help or because they got distracted easily in the open classrooms. I remember the teacher demonstrating some things, like how to do long division and how to write in cursive. The teachers were available to help if you got stuck. You had to wait your turn and you were expected to do something else (like read) while you were waiting. When I outgrew the reading cards, I had individual reading, which meant that I picked a book from the individual reading shelf, read it, wrote down 10 words I didn't know and looked them up and copied the definition. This was the hardest part because my vocabulary was fairly large and because I didn't see the words when I read and had to go back afterwards and try to find something to put down. Then I had to write out the answers to the questions on the piece of paper in the book (written by a teacher) and do a project (like a book report). And then I had to take it to the teacher and read aloud a page and discuss the book with her. I had a spelling book that I was supposed to be working through and got way behind in it one year because I hated it. The teacher said to do three lessons a day until I caught up. This cut down on my reading time but it was only a few days until I was caught up. I felt very guilty but obviously someone was watching to make sure I didn't get too far behind. The nice part was that I could go see my younger sister whenever I wanted. I switched to a regular classroom in 6th grade when we moved and the adjustment was horrible. I never did really adjust. I suspect that in the Swedish school, the skills are taught in an individualized way and the content (history and science) are done in small groups. I think it would work fine, given the right group of children. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookfiend Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Notice there is a quiet room in the middle where the teachers can escape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 No, I'm applying my past experience with nontraditional American open concept schools. They had a different teaching style and focus, and their advertisements would have read just like the Swedish school's one does. I'm not saying that it is identical in how it is played out, that I don't know. Okay, sorry. My point is that no, this arrangement would probably not work in today's American public schools, populated by American students who have only known traditional American schools. astrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Okay, sorry. My point is that no, this arrangement would probably not work in today's American public schools, populated by American students who have only known traditional American schools. astrid Too true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Did anyone else notice that about half the students were not wearing shoes? Now, that's my kind of school! Even in a regular German elementary school, kids do not wear their outside shoes. They have house slippers at the school and change shoes before entering the classrooms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfknitter.# Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Even in a regular German elementary school, kids do not wear their outside shoes. They have house slippers at the school and change shoes before entering the classrooms. Wow. I never knew that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfknitter.# Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 The website is interesting: http://vittra.se/english/Schools/StockholmSouth/Telefonplan.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivka Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Everything seems rather sterile. I don't think the pictures are of an operational school. I think it's not open yet, and those kids are models. There just isn't enough stuff for it to be a real school with real things going on. There aren't any half-finished projects or stacks of papers or kids' artwork on the walls or sweaters and lunchboxes or... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Even in a regular German elementary school, kids do not wear their outside shoes. They have house slippers at the school and change shoes before entering the classrooms. That's wonderful! I had a podiatrist once that said wearing tennis shoes all day long was VERY bad for growing feet. They end up growing molded to the shape of the shoe and that causes back and knee problems for the kids who didn't have high quality, well made shoes. He was all for bare feet and generic, wide, soft-sided slippers. Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 (edited) My question has nothing to do with the classrooms (although I do think my kids would love it). Apparently the school is run by a private company? Do they have government run schools in Sweden or are they all run privately? ETA: Found my answer. They have had a voucher system since 1992. The things you learn! Edited September 20, 2012 by TXMomof4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 I went to a 1970s pod school as well for elementary school. It was loud and distracting. While this totally open concept looks neat, given my experience, I don't think it'd be conducive to keeping lots of young children on task. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Even in a regular German elementary school, kids do not wear their outside shoes. They have house slippers at the school and change shoes before entering the classrooms. Same in Japan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 You know...all that computer stuff gets really old. Yes, I get that this generation needs to be very tech-savvy, but they also need to develop relationships and interact with real people. I am old school, I guess, but I don't see this massive benefit in all the schools moving to computer instruction and books on iPads, the way it is happening around here. I don't think anyone needs more screentime, but I think they do need more real world interaction. we're using K12 this year and I really MISS using paper, pencils books etc. IT's a pain to be tied to a desk for most of the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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