Erasmus+ Journal (Issue 2) 2013/14
Corina Hechl, Sweden, Karlstad University, Mobility for Studies
Author: Corina Hechl
The University and the city
Karlstad, with a population of 86,000, is the largest city in the province of Värmland in Sweden. The country is quite similar to the environment and surroundings in Austria. The winter was just a little bit stronger then in Austria, but the spring was nearly the same. The symbol of the city of Karlstad is a smiling sun, because Karlstad is often associated with sunshine. From day one I loved the city. The people were really nice and almost everybody spoke excellent English, because the Swedes have their television channels in English with Swedish subtitles. The first two months the weather was not beautiful, but in March it became mostly sunny. Starting at that time being outdoors was great and I could participate in many outdoor activities.
Lake Alster (Photo: Corina Hechl)
The dorms, where most of the students are living, are located near the University of Karlstad and this setup offers a modern and stimulating environment. Approximately 12,500 students and 1,200 employees occupy the building during the day. The University offers various Bachelor and Master programmes for students in Sweden and for students from abroad. Karlstad University offers courses in branches like humanities and fine arts, social and economic sciences, natural sciences, engineering and technology, health care and teacher training. Many Master programs and courses are offered in English, which is a big advantage for students who are visiting the University from abroad. The main task of Karlstad University is to become one of the major Universities in Europe with regard to external cooperation. One aspect, regarding to the comparison of my home University and the University of Karlstad is, that the University in Austria is a teacher training University and the University in Sweden is seen as an usual University with more than 40 Bachelor degree programmes and 30 Master degree programmes. The University of Teacher Education in Austria is practically oriented and well prepared and offers therefore the right preparation for becoming a teacher. On the other side, Karlstad University provides a variety of great programs and fields of studies with good chances for future employment.
University of Karlstad (Photo: Corina Hechl)
Application and Registration
Before I came to Sweden I had to fill out and submit some documents for the University abroad and I also had to register myself at the homepage of Karlstad University, to create my student account. This account helped me to check the results of my exams and to have a better overview about the whole organizational transactions of the University. The single steps of the registration process were at first the login, the fill in of diverse forms and the information meetings about our stay abroad. I also had to apply for a room at Karlstad’s Campus, booked my flights and found out the way to the city where I would live for the next few months. One part of the registration process was the completion of the Learning Agreement, where I had to state the courses I wanted to take at the University abroad. The handing in of the Learning Agreement was quite important because in that document the credit points of the different courses were stated which would later be transferred to the University in Austria.
University courses
At the University of Karlstad I took two lectures, “Intercultural communication” and “World religions”. The main goal of “Intercultural communication” was that the students gave an account of theories on how values and norms are formed in different cultures, the application of fundamental concepts and theories of intercultural studies to different cultures, and the analysis of diverse relationships between cultures, communications, identities and values. The course focused on the approach to intercultural studies, the basic terminology, concepts and theories in the field of intercultural studies and the survey of the development of the field and its relevance to contemporary society. Another part of the course was to look at the implications of the relation between cultures, verbal and non-verbal communications, identities and values. The course was taught by two teachers, who separated the content into two parts. We had a good combination and variety of different teaching strategies because the two teachers taught the topics their own way. One was rather set on utilizing digital presentations, whereby the other one preferred personally developed outlines and notes on the blackboard. Both of them were competent and qualified in the way they presented the various contents and goals of the course. The evaluation of the course was made with three grades, which were “Pass with Distinction”, “Pass” and “Fail”. We had a few group presentations and individual home work and one exam at the end of the course. The combination of the three ratings constituted the final grade.
The learning outcomes of the second course, “World religions”, were that the students should be able to describe similarities and differences in the phenomenological aspects of non-Christian religions such as sacred beings, sacred power, sacred myth, sacred belief, value systems and rituals. The proficiencies and capabilities should also have been given critical interpretations of religious and cultural documents and researches. The main goals were to identify the similarities and differences in religious thought, life of mankind and the ethnocentric descriptions of non-Christian religious systems. One part included the value assessment and attitudes which respectfully encounter and describe non-Christian sacred belief systems, spiritual needs, and behavior of man. This course was taught by one teacher who had great experiences with the diverse religions and their practices, so he was able to share his knowledge about them. We got an excellent overview of the differences and similarities between various religious groups. The evaluation of the course was the same as at the first course, but we only had assignments to write and there was no final exam. Our grade consisted of the grades from our assignments only.
Our nice teachers (Photo: Corina Hechl)
International dinner with my colleagues of the course "Intercultural communication" (Photo: Corina Hechl)
Differences between the education systems
The curriculum of my studies includes the entire amount of hours of my school practice which I have to complete during one semester. The practical part comprises 16 hours, where I also had to observe and teach the same amount of hours in a Swedish school. After a few meetings my colleague Sarah and I had the opportunity to fulfil our practice hours in the English International School in Karlstad. In Austria we hold the practical lessons every Friday because this day is kept open for the school practice. Besides the teaching there are also two lessons included, where we have a talk with the teachers about the various classes and the sequence of the lessons we have planned. After the performed lessons we meet a second time with our teachers where we go through and dicsuss the details of the time we spent in class. The differences and similarities of schools in Sweden and Austria is difficult to explain, because in Sweden schools are private and in Austria schools are public.. As an exchange student I had to complete the same subjects, amount of lessons, and the school practice at the University abroad, as I would have at the home University, but it was less difficult Most of the time, like in my case, I had to observe lessons of different teachers. My main task was to support them during the lesson I had conversations with the children and helped them when they needed encouragement to solve certain tasks. The process is the same as in an Austrian school, but at the home University I have to prepare the lesson plan. In Sweden I was just the assistant of the teacher and helped with the implementation of their lessons. The first impression of the Swedish school was really great. The teachers and the students were nice and courteous, and the whole atmosphere was pleasant. One aspect, which I immediately noticed, was the material of the teacher. It was limited to electronic tools, like computers and Ipads, and therefore the teachers did not have documents with them. They just took a little folder to check the attendance list. The children could borrow Ipads and computers during the lesson to work on their tasks or projects. The students had no exercise books because everything they had to complete was done on the computer. The course literature was at the school and could be checked out whenever they wanted. This differs from Austrian school life because in Austrian schools the children always carry their own school material with them. The teachers were well-organized and planned the lessons carefully, just like in Austria. They quickly responded to the questions of the children and helped them with good advice. The teachers demonstrated everyday examples and tried to make them as understandable as possible. For me it was really impressive to see how the students and the teachers switched the language from English to Swedish. Almost every child spoke perfect English and because there are many teachers from Canada, the children helped the teachers with the translation of some Swedish words during the lesson, if they did not unterstand everything. At the end of the school practice in Sweden I tried to go through the various parts of the lessons again and found out that the steps of the schedule were not as clearly and understandable as during school practice in Austria. In every single lesson I have to prepare and indicate the certain steps of the lesson, like an introduction, a main part and a conclusion. In the Swedish school although I felt comfortable, it was not as clearly arranged as in Austria. All in all I can say that the school practice in Sweden helped me to get an overview and insight into another school and school system. It was not a challenge for me to work together with children and people from another country, but it was quite difficult to help them and speak with them in another language. It was interesting to see how subjects, such as Mathematics and History can be taught in another language.
English International School Karlstad (Photo: http://www.vf.se/nyheter/karlstad/elever-kanner-sig-utputtade-ur-engelska-skolan)
Contacts
Information of the university
Karlstads universitet
Universitetsgatan 2, 65188 Karlstad
Website: http://www.kau.se
E-Mail: information@kau.se
Phone: +46-(0)54-700 10 00
Information of the Coordinator of the International Office
Name: Linda Sundberg
Karlstads universitet
E-Mail: linda.sundberg@kau.se
Phone: +46-(0)54-700 17 77
E-Mail (exchange students): exchange@kau.se
Information of the practice school
Internationella Engelska Skolan Karlstad
Gruvgången 4, 65343 Karlstad
Website: http://www.karlstad.engelska.se
Phone: +46-(0)54-771 91 10
E-Mail: info@karlstad.engelska.se
My life in Karlstad
Living in Karlstad was as good as studying there. I lived in a student hostel with ten other flat mates. Most of the others were also exchange students. On my corridor there were also five Swedish people, which turned out great for me as I was able to practice and improve my Swedish and English skills. Everybody had their own apartment with individual bathrooms, but the kitchen was shared. Each of us had their own cupboards and spaces in the fridge. Every weekend we alternated who was responsible for cleaning the kitchen and the corridor, and to make sure that everything was available. Many times we organized and prepared different dinners so that everybody had the chance to taste the food specialties from the different countries. In week one we immediately went to Ikea and also went grocery shopping in one of the biggest and cheapest grocery stores in Karlstad. I noticed that food and the alcohol is really expensive in Sweden. It took quite a long time until we were used to the price differences, but in the end it was okay. I just had to compare many different products and prices until I finally purchased something. I received financial support from the Austrian government which helped to pay off the rent for my room every month. Besides that I was depending on my parents. I was glad I did not have to worry about finances so I could concentrate on my studies and work on getting good grades.
„Stora Torget“ – the main square of Karlstad (Photo: Corina Hechl)
Famous statue (Photo: Corina Hechl)
One of many advantages of a semester abroad was to make a lot of trips and journeys. Besides Finland, Denmark, Estonia and Russia I went to the Swedish and the Norwegian part of Lapland. It was one of the most impressive and interesting week for me because I saw reindeers and mooses and I have got an insight into the real Swedish nature. The nature was beautiful and the mountains were as high as in Austria. I loved to travel around and to see new countries, with new cultures and new people.
Limousine tour through Saint Petersburg – church of resurrection (Photo: Corina Hechl)
Normal winter day in Lapland with my friends (Photo: Corina Hechl)
Conclusion
My motivation to go abroad was to meet new people, to get to know different cultures, to improve my English skills and to learn a bit of a new language. All in all I wanted to make those experiences before I will finish my studies. The reason why I decided to go to Sweden was that I have never been to one of the Northern or Scandinavian countries before and thus inspired me to live in one of those countries for a few months. Sweden in its culture and its weather is maybe not completely the opposite than in Austria. The only aspect which was challenging for me was that I had to live in another country for a certain time with a couple of other students from various countries.
If I had to evaluate my stay in Sweden I would say the following: I learned many things about myself and about others. To live together with people from different cultures can be challenging. I met new people with other personalities and different cultural backgrounds and I know now I had to find a way to handle all the different situations. At the beginning I had a few difficulties with Swedish people, not because we did not like each other, but because they were a little bit more reserved, and not as open-minded as I am. This were mostly differences in personalities and I found that they handle certain situations from a different point of view than me. I worked on it and tried to understand the people and after a while I was able to manage it better. As I mentioned before, I felt comfortable and in good hands at the University, but to have lectures and to write assignments in another language was quite difficult at the beginning. I was not used to studying in English and that caused a few difficulties in the beginning. I was able to overcome that after my first course.
In conclusion I can say that, if I had the same opportunity again to go abroad, I would definitely do it. I learned so many things about myself, about others, and about the problems and challenges which can occur in another country. I feel really strong now and my point of view has changed because I got new understandings and new perspectives of various issues. I experienced a lot and therefore I am confident in the accepantce to become and to be a teacher for the rest of my life.
Unbelievable one-day trip to Narvik (Photo: Corina Hechl)
Enjoying the last days with my friends at Lake Vänern (Photo: Corina Hechl)
Friends for life – biking tour through Copenhagen! (Photo: Corina Hechl)