Vocational Training

The joint student responsibility and the opportunity to influence the daily school life constitute another important democratic element in vocational training.

Like the Primary and Lower Secondary School, and upper-secondary education, vocational training shall develop the students’ academic, social, and democratic competences so that the students become active citizens.

The basic courses of vocational training, for example foreign languages, social studies and psychology, contain democratic elements, or elements that are relevant as regards to communication and cooperation. The course description for social studies e.g. stipulates that the course shall contribute to develop the students’ democratic and cultural education from a social point of view.

The joint student responsibility and the opportunity to influence the daily school life constitute another important democratic element in vocational training. The students are i.e. involved in the organising of the teaching. They have a great influence in relation to choosing the specific content of the education in accordance with the personal education plan of the student, and optional teaching, optional subjects, and optional special subjects form part of the education. The students also play a part in relation to the quality assurance of the education, which is being implemented through various evaluations, e.g. testing of contentment.

The vocational training centres shall establish students’ councils. But the conditions for student participation vary depending on the education. The conditions at technical schools can e.g. be difficult in relation to council work if the students only attend school in shorter periods in between longer trainee services. All vocational training centres have a students’ council, but some schools have difficulties recruiting new members. A fulltime job leaves little time for participating in council work.

The business colleges and higher technical examination have other conditions because the education lasts from one to three years without breaks.

Social and health care training centres focus on personal competence, i.e. social competence and learning and development competence. The course description e.g. stipulates that the students among others shall acquire an understanding of their own cultural background in order to be able to establish a respectful cooperation with others in consideration of social and cultural differences. The basic subject social studies, the area subjects social and health subjects, and cultural and health subjects all contain elements that promote the understanding of democracy, because the students among others shall acquire knowledge of the significance of various living conditions, cultural backgrounds, outlook on life, and religious beliefs of people in order to respect any individual and his or hers personal background.

The examples of the next chapter all describe various efforts of different vocational schools in relation to democracy. The examples deal with joint student participation, educational courses that directly deal with the concept of democracy, or employment of cultural differences in the teaching.

Several examples describe various centres that have implemented a number of concrete initiatives in order to comply with the overall objectives regarding democracy and joint student responsibility and the creation of a democratic school culture. E.g. a social and health care school that focuses especially on developing social competences, and has the objective that the students shall acquire an understanding of their own cultural background in order to be able to establish a respectful cooperation with others in consideration of social and cultural differences. The chapter is concluded by a contribution by Eva Hofman-Bang, director of CPH West – a vocational training centre in West Copenhagen. The contribution deals with value based management in relation to democratic education, cultural encounters, and disciplinary problems.

Examples

Process Writing on Democracy

Hillerød Handelsskole – Lyngby Uddannelsescenter

In 1997 Lyngby Uddannelsescenter was contacted by the Teachers Training College for Vocational Training of Denmark and asked to participate in a pilot and development project on democracy in the school. A number of teachers joined the development project, and afterwards democracy was put on the agenda at the school in various ways. The course of process writing on democracy, which is a permanent part of the education, is a direct result of the project. The course is divided into five faces: brainstorm, contemplation, outline, draft, finishing touch. Finally, the students hand in an individual written discussion paper on democracy.

Initially the students receive material on the content of the course and the method of process writing. The teachers also go over the method by using an overhead, and the students read about the method in their textbook. Hereafter the students choose a partner to discuss their results with in between the five stages. The college has allocated significant time to discuss the results and problems of the students in between the five stages.

It has proved significant to ensure that all students initially have knowledge of the concept of democracy. Consequently, the initial brainstorm is conducted twice. The students conduct a brainstorm individually and hereafter discuss the result with their partner. The teachers must be aware that the students have different reactions. Some students are easy to activate, others find it more difficult to find entry words and need help form the teacher who e.g. can provoke them mildly by mentioning an eventual removal of the travelling allowance or the Danish Education Support. Military service is e.g. a hot issue among the boys. In the next phase, the students choose a couple of entry words to write about, and hereafter, they carry on the process of preparing a discussion paper on democracy.

The teacher and the class may decide to carry out the evaluation of the discussion papers in stages. Firstly, the partner evaluates, secondly, the teachers comment on the paper without conferring with the partner, and finally, the papers are discusses all together. This form of evaluation provides an opportunity for improving the students’ understanding of the criterions for the evaluation of their written papers.

In the upstart phase teachers often hear students proclaim e.g. that “The word democracy has no meaning to me,” and “I think politics is very boring.” But experience shows that these students later on often become very committed – especially when the process takes on a personal perspective. Thus the process writing course deals with specific processes regarding joint influence in relation to the content of the teaching, study trips etc. The course teaches the students to bring up social matters, take on personal responsibility, and moreover contributes to increase the students’ awareness of the opportunities for obtaining democratic influence.

Further information:
The course is described in the publication Democracy in Teaching and School – examples from Vocational Centres at http://static.uvm.dk/publikationer/2001/dus/

Democracy and Student Participation as a Central Part of the Fundamental Values of the School

Social- og Sundhedsskolen, Silkeborg

In 2003 Social- og Sundhedskolen in Silkeborg prepared a document on fundamental values on the basis of meetings and day projects among the employees, and discussions in the students’ council. Thus the fundamental values reflect the objective of providing employees and students with democratic influence.

The basic values are based on the fundamental values of the social and health care sector, and the pedagogic sector of the labour market, and it relates to all students, teachers, administrative workers, service workers, and the management. The objective of the education is to teach students to conduct social welfare work, and teach them how to interact socially in a mutually binding community. Thus the centre focuses on teaching democracy and openness towards others, and the centre itself thus makes a great effort to ensure that the educational environment is pervaded by a democratic spirit allowing student participation and room for diversity.

The democratic aspect is primarily put into practice in the daily teaching. The education is based on selfdetermination of the teaching teams, who agree on the overall content of the education in cooperation with the classes, and the centre attaches great importance to ensuring that the students have significant influence on their personal educational programme, e.g. through conversations and agreements with the teachers.

In relation to optional subjects, efforts are made to ensure that the students have a significant influence on both the planning and the implementation. Already in the introductory course, the students are briefed on the opportunities of having influence on:

• The amount of optional subjects
• The specific content of the optional subject
• The implementation of the optional subject.

A council for optional subjects is set up with representatives from each contact teacher group and each class who, in cooperation with the teacher, prepares a list of optional subjects: topics, content, implementation.

The written and oral evaluations constitute another important element with regards to student participation. The students are among others asked whether they are content with the opportunities for having personal influence on the education, and this feedback is used in connection with the development of the education.

Further information:
The fundamental values of the centre are described at the web-site of the centre. The publication Optional Subjects in Pedagogical Training and Social and Health Care Training – different opportunities and student participation (2002), prepared by teachers of the centre, is found at: www.emu.dk/eud/doc/pub/valgfagipguogsosu/valgfagipguogsosu/doc.

Strengthened Student Participation

Horsens Handelsskole

In 2004 Horsens Handelskole decided to bring a “well-functioning student democracy” into focus in the school document on fundamental values. Concurrently a group had examined the opportunities for creating a more active student democracy. The feedback of the student representatives had previously been inadequate, and these proceedings resulted among others in altered structures in relation to the procedures of the students’ council, the establishment of a contact council, and increased resources to create student democracy.

The college has now established two students’ councils – one for the upper secondary education, and one for the vocational training. Furthermore the college has established team councils covering two or three classes with two representatives from each class. One of the representatives in the team council shall also be the member of the students’ council to ensure overlapping between the two councils. Furthermore the college has chosen to finance the participation of the students’ council in regional and national student associations.

A contact council, consisting of representatives of the teachers, management, and the students’ council, meet at least once a month. Moreover the team councils meet at least once a month with the team teachers to debate the educational course.

The students are represented in the school board, and numerous other councils dealing with among others the canteen, narcotics policies, web-site, evaluation etc. Implementation of project days on the basis of student requests is an example of student participation. The topics could e.g. be crises management, grief, narcotics etc.

There are four student representatives in the web-site council, and at the web-site of the centre, you will find the statutes of the student councils, record of the meetings of the students councils and the contact council etc.

At the end of the first year (2004-2005) with the new structure, the college carried out a quality measurement by asking the representatives of the student councils. And in the spring of 2006, the college carried a similar quality measurement by asking all students. The college is planning to put the results out on the internet.

The college estimates that the students’ councils are now taken more seriously, and that the students have gained greater influence in the centre board.

Intercultural Understanding in the Basic Commercial Programme

Haderslev Handelsskole

Many educational institutions, among others the commercial colleges, experience in these years a substantial increase in applications from ethnical youngsters. This development constitutes an excellent occasion for developing educational courses that will strengthen the cultural and intercultural understanding. On the basis of a process of development among the teachers, Haderslev Handelsskole has thus chosen to introduce an educational project on internationalization.

On the basis of a research and development project in collaboration with Fredericia/Middelfart Handelsskole and DEL-Syd, the college has during the last five to six years implemented an educational project on internationalization as a permanent part of the curriculum for first-year students. The project is a interdisciplinary course involving a number of different subjects.

During the educational course, the students shall reflect on and debate cultural differences on the basic of the individual with the intent of creating a greater understanding of and respect for these differences.

The perspective of the project is constituted by the transition between the personal, national, and international aspect. Firstly, the students shall present a picture of themselves through words and illustrations based on a number of questions about their family background, life story, and future expectations. Secondly, the students shall present a picture of Denmark based on 12 features: a painting, an item etc. Thirdly, the students shall present a similar picture of an English-speaking country.

The commercial college estimates that each individual student is happy to introduce her- or himself by means of various creative expressions – and by doing so, also to introduce one another to each other in order for the student to get to know another student’s personal background better. Furthermore, experience shows that it has a very eye opening effect on the students when they have to put their own personal and local “picture”/experience into perspective in discussions on international relations.

Further information:
The educational project and the initial project are described in the publication Intercultural Understanding and Multicultural Educational Environment at: http://fou.emu.dk.

Focus on Knowledge, Tolerance and Respect

CPH WEST – Uddannelsescenter København Vest, Ishøj

In 1999 students, teachers, administrative personnel, and management of the basic commercial programme and higher commercial examination of the college in Ishøj formulated a policy regarding bilingual students. Concurrently, a bilingual committee was set up. The objective is to benefit positively with regards to the numerous different nationalities, and demonstrate a clear school policy.

The bilingual committee consists of representatives of the teachers, students, administration, and management of the day school. The committee has established various activities to promote the mutual understanding between the various nationalities and prevent conflicts. Each year the bilingual committee arranges a cultural day with dancing, music, good food, and academic presentations and debates focussing on various nationalities and religions, and several older brothers and sisters and parents of the bilingual students have positively contributed to this annual event.

Furthermore the college focuses on democracy in the teaching, and in connection with project days, for example when third-year students in the fall of 2005 debated terror etc. with journalist Jens Nauntofte. During the debate both the UN, Bosnia, the USA, and Iraq were debated.

The college has chosen not to establish praying facilities, but students are allowed to retire discreetly to say prayers in an empty room.

The vocational college also participates in development projects on integration, tolerance, extra tuition, and drop-outs among the bilingual students, among others in collaboration with Ishøj Amtsgymnasium and higher commercial examination at TeSe. Some of these projects also involve the Danish students as well. Moreover the project days and seminars of the teachers often put focus on e.g. democratic education, religion, and Danish and bilingual students.

Student democracy, student participation, contemplation, and engagement constitute a considerable part of the basic values of the college. This is e.g. reflected in connection with the publication of the student evaluations at the morning assembly, and the subsequent debates in the classes and in the students’ council, or when the Danish and bilingual students all together honour the football team of the college.

Accomodation and Attention

Center for Erhverv og Uddannelse Storstrøm (CEUS)

Center for Erhverv og Uddannelse Storstrøm (CEUS) has for a number of years focussed on creating a sound educational environment ensuring that the greatest possible number of the college students complete the basic programme and the advanced level programme. This comprises students who for some reason require special attention, and the college try to realize the objectives by focussing on the organisation and physical conditions of the college, and the supplementary training of the employees.

The decentralized college is organised so that the premises of the specific educational programmes are concentrated in the same area. The staff room is moreover centrally placed, so teachers and students can easily get in touch. (200-300 in each college section)

The increased attention of the staff will enhance the students’ self-esteem. The efforts comprise basic measures – such as contacting students who hang out in the corridors during classes. The college has also established a solid contact-teacher-network to strengthen the daily contact between teachers and students. Both measures provide fine opportunities for getting in touch with students, who may fail to complete the education due to a significant absenteeism rate (after 30 hours of absence, the contact teacher is obliged to carry out a social talk with the student).

The physical closeness and the contact teacher arrangement also provide a fine opportunity for immediate intervention in connection with eventual conflicts or mobbing. The college attaches much significance to precise rules and immediate response.

The college has also taken initiatives in relation to supplementary training. The management has been on a study tour dealing with the aspects of student inclusiveness, and a staff member has taken a master degree in conflict resolution. In some educational sections, the teachers have attended a seminar on conflict behaviour and resolution. Finally, in the spring 2006, all EDU-teachers (110) participated in a day seminar where the non-academic aspects of the teacher role were debated.

The results are positive. The premises are in a fine state, although the college is 30 years old, and there have been numerous positive reactions from students and bosses.

Contribution

Eva Hofman-Bang

Value Based Management

By rector Eva Hofman-Bang, CPH WEST – Uddannelsescenter København Vest

In the 90s, just after I was began my career at CPH WEST, a group of young well-dressed, and very polite young men of Arabic origin, who just wanted to have a word with our Muslim students, turned up at the college. As a democrat by conviction, I immediately engaged myself in a serious debate with these men on religion and education, religion and the society, and religion in general, but soon discovered that my words fell on deaf ears. Our views were incompatible, and a sound democratic conversation was not possible. Not that you always have to reach some kind of consensus, but some times you just have to come to terms with the fact that a democratic conversation is based on mutual respect.

I really made an honest attempt to explain that the college is responsible for students, who are under the age of 18, and that we cannot accept any kind of political or religious agitation. On the other hand, we make a great effort to present different cultures and views in the teaching. The college shall – in collaboration with the students – decide on the educational plan. Not external individuals.

As a democratic dialogue was impossible, I asked the young men to leave the college, which offended them severely. But that is how my little story ended, and this approach still stands. When the college has a call from political or religious agitators, or both at the same time, we simply ask them to leave any eventual information at our administrative office.

This has been our policy for many years, and has proved to work very well in practice.

The school is based on mutual respect and tolerance

The technical and vocational school has 2,500 students with a very diverse social, cultural and ethnic background. Consequently, the management shall – to a higher extent than other schools – consider what measures to take to ensure the democratic school. Thus the school has a huge responsibility with regards to the society, parents, students, and employees. Not least the employees face significant challenges, which the management shall be aware of. A couple of years ago, the school experienced that a significant number of external youngsters caused trouble at the school, and in same cases committed acts of violence. Moreover some students had a very aggressive and threatening behaviour towards especially the female teachers. More than once, an employee has received psychological help due to intimidating threats. It was evident that an immediate response was required.

A meeting with the Ministry of Education made it clear to me that we should not rely on them for assistance. They sympathized with our problems, but after all, we were the ones who had the practical experience. They sent us a consultant of “the flying squad” of that time. He was not able to solve the problems, but it served as a catalyst for the process we initiated afterwards.

Firstly, I held a meeting with the Chief Constable, and we established collaboration with the local schoolpolice consultants. Secondly, we held numerous meetings with the education authorities, and the social services of the surrounding municipalities. Furthermore we held numerous meetings at the school focussing on the fundamental values of the school, and the required measures to combat the negative development. Who are we, what are our objectives, what shall we do, in the event that… These questions were debated. The practical realities were often in focus, but in order to deal with these specific realities properly, a clear set of fundamental values and rules are required.

The initial result was a so-called “handbook on procedures,” stipulating the code of conduct in relation to specific situations, and these rules were actually obeyed.

Given the past and present realities of the school, it is absolutely vital that the management is active, dynamic, and visible. The employees must fell the presence of a strong management that will always assist them, and is not afraid to step in and take the right decisions when it is required. Basically, this stipulates that the code of conduct is transparent, and we had to add to the school rules that “the school is based on mutual respect and tolerance. Bullying, threatening, noisy, or aggressive conduct shall not be accepted”. In practice such conduct gives rise to expulsion, which the students are aware of.

It is equally important that the management reflects on the educational role of employees in the school. What are our objectives? What kind of school do we want to create in collaboration with students and employees? This requires numerous meetings and much debate because all involved parties must stand behind the common concept.

Democratic Education

Our school aims at providing a liberal education focussing on democracy, broad-mindedness, openness, respect, and tolerance. Thus democracy and social matters shall be an integrated part of the teaching, which comes naturally at a technical and vocational school where all students e.g. attend social studies. However other initiatives are required. The school makes a great effort to ensure a fruitful debate at the school on cultural aspects and politics via councils and other schools events. In particular the school always focuses on general elections and EU elections, which are debated in classes and in connection with specific debating events, where the school invites either local youth politicians or local senior politicians of the parliaments in Denmark or the EU to debate political issues with the students. These events are always a great success. Furthermore the school each year sends off a couple of classes to the so-called youth parliament in Strassbourg to test the linguistic, academic, and political competences of the students in an EU context.

It is a great challenge for a young student to debate political issues in front of more than hundreds of young students from other EU countries – moreover it provides an excellent opportunity to learn how to do well in an international context. Furthermore lectures are continuously held at the school on political, economic, commercial, and cultural issues.

The students’ council plays an important role in relation to the above-mentioned, and it is most important that it functions well each year. Thus the school is prepared to assist in keeping the council on the right track, and support the arrangements initiated by the students’ council the best we can. Partly because student initiatives and student participation play an important role in relation to the objectives of creating a democratic school, and partly because these processes prepare the students for participation in a democratic society. The students are e.g. to a large extent responsible for the very popular Friday café.

Due to the numerous ethnical nationalities, the school has also established a bilingual council, which among others arranges a cultural day with dancing, music, good food, and academic presentations and debates focussing on various nationalities and religions.

Our general values e.g. means that we decided on a pragmatic attitude towards saying one’s prayers. After I was contacted by a colleague from another youth educational institution, I realised that the Ministry of Education had no rules or guidance on this issue. I hereafter contacted four other schools who all had four different set of rules. We have chosen not to establish praying facilities, and just a few students have made requests hereon. However the school accepts that students retire to an empty location to say prayers during e.g. the Ramadan. This level of religious conduct is most acceptable to us, but, naturally, we also pay much attention to ensure that none of the students force others to take on a specific religious conduct against their will. We have experienced this on one occasion, and we have a clear school policy to intervene immediately in such cases. Next year a prohibition of covering your face in class will be added to the code of conduct of the school, because the teaching is based on dialogue which requires that we can see each other. We have not yet seen students wear the Burka, but have already decided on our position hereon.

Quality Development and a Culture of Success

Quite a number of years ago, the school management decided to work systematically in an attempt to continually develop the school, and this work is implemented at numerous levels in compliance with a carefully prepared concept:

The school has in many years participated in a common quality development process, where the results of student and employee surveys, and a financial survey, are benchmarked with seven other schools, providing a clear picture of the deficiencies of the education, and a substantial basis for the further development of the school.

The results are carefully scrutinized by the management, departments, teachers, and classes. Hereafter the management is responsible for pointing out areas where an increased effort is needed, although the classes are also entitled to join this developing process of creating a better school. These efforts have a positive academic effect, and are above all an excellent tool for creating a better school.

We focus strongly on continues development of the school, and attach great importance to the development of the academic and democratic teaching, although the school has meagre financial resources.

Finally we have introduced a culture of success. I often hear people say that our school is located in an area with many social casualties. It is a fact that a significant number of our students initially have poor competences in relation to completing the education, because they to a large extent are brought up in a milieu with little focus on education. But they are going to be part of the society like anyone else. Thus we attempt to create a culture of success, which implies that all students are motivated to try one’s utmost. It is our objective that all students become content and active citizens who are prepared for further education, or a good job within the Danish private sector. Generally speaking, students who are prepared to take on the responsibilities and tasks of a democratic citizen. Thus all students need to acquire the best possible competences academically, personally, and socially.

Ambition is a positive word at our school. Thus participating in sports competitions has a high priority at our school. Many of our students play football at the highest level, and we have won the Danish championship for students at commercial colleges the last five years. The students also participate in business competitions, the previously mentioned juvenile parliament where the school brought home a prize the first time we participated, and lately we participated in Young Enterprise, and likewise brought home a prize the first time. Celebrating the victories and complementing the students hereon are part of the overall concept, because we hereby indicate that it is possible to win the gold medals.

Furthermore we make sure that resources are available in order to keep the school proper and clean. Both employees and students must take pride in their school, which is difficult if the school is in a poor condition.

All together, the various efforts shall contribute to establish an educational environment where the students learn that education is important, irrespective of personal background, and that we all have a common mission in relation to the school and the surrounding society. As a result, it is e.g. now often the students who inform the management first when outsiders turn up at the school. We do the best we can to comply with our task of contributing to strengthen the social cohesion and competitiveness of the Danish society, and we are happy when we succeed to live up to our objectives, and take pride each time we say goodbye to a new brood of graduates.

This page is part of the electronic publication "Learning democracy"
© The Ministry of Education 2008