For three months between Feb-April 2024, I have been living and working in Sweden, employed by Stockholm University as ‘guest lecturer’. This post is the third of a series that discusses some of the highlights of my time there.
Following on from my work with students in Stockholm, along with Undertaking PD in Finland, I’ve also given multiple lectures at the Stockholm University to a wide range of students, predominately post-graduates.
These lectures have focussed mainly on writing instruction in general, adapting writing instruction for students with special needs, and formative assessment and writing instruction.
It is relatively easy for teachers in Sweden to get a year’s leave on full pay to undertake full-time or part-time study around teaching students with special needs. Some want to focus on working with students with intellectual disabilities, some on working with autistic students, some on working with students who have visual or hearing impairments and some on working with regular students who have more mainstream learning disabilities. My work here covers all of these issues.
For many of them, their work during the year culminates in an MA thesis or even the beginning of a PhD for which they get a living wage!!
As part of their studies, several students over the past few years have decided to spend time in New Zealand schools looking at the differences between Swedish and New Zealand literacy teaching. The university partially funds these study visits. Visiting Swedish teachers have been especially impressed by our print-rich classroom environments, the emphasis on teaching
student rather than the subject, and the positive teacher-student interactions they notice in New Zealand classrooms.
The most recent visitors have been Jeanette and Victoria who I organised to spend time in Balmoral, Clevedon, Mt Cook and Papatoetoe West Schools as well as Howick Intermediate. Here is a photo of these two meeting me on their first day in New Zealand.
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