Our Wildwood, Volume 50

SWEDEN

DENMARK

discussions, and to think about my own role as a teacher and how I can foster these approaches to learning. This shifting mindset was only reinforced during my time in Copenhagen, where an administrator showed me an example of how they implement democratic practices into classrooms in Denmark. There, in a debate room, black wooden blocks could be moved by students to form desks or chairs, and the shape of the debate space was drawn on the floor with a circle. The circle served as a space to listen to both sides—and encouraged students to change their minds as they heard arguments. These ideas—that a teacher can see themselves as a leader of a class, or micro-society, who engages with students about how to set up the chairs or tables, what protocol to use (for example, fishbowl or Harkness), or how to vote in smaller stakes situations, were all useful pointers that I’ve taken back with me to Wildwood.

Middle School Humanities Teacher Alex Cussen explores the Swedish countryside with educator Harold Gotson.

OWW WINTER 2024

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