2_0_ScanMag_70_Nov_2014_Text:Scan Magazine 1
5/11/14
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Page 59
Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Education in Denmark
The IGCSE subjects are taught in English, and the course is attended by both Danish and international students with global ambitions. Some of the school’s growing number of non-Danish students, however, enrol in SKALs’ International Project Class, an exam-free, project-based class taught in English. “This class attracts students of high academic levels from both Denmark and abroad, students who want to explore other ways to work with their competences and improve their media, communication and presentation skills,” explains Primdal, adding: “Our aim is to prepare our students not just for their further education but also for their role as global citizens.” The different programmes all take annual study trips to Cambridge, UK; Limerick, Ireland; Hanoi, Vietnam; or Nepal. Students from all classes travel together to Berlin. Wanting to learn Students enrolled on SKALs Efterskole’s regular 9th and 10th grade programmes are divided into several smaller subgroups of varying academic levels and teaching styles across different subjects. All classes have a strong academic focus and aim to prepare students for the specific line of post-secondary study they wish to pursue. This does not, however, mean that it is all about books, stresses Primdal. “SKALs Efterskole is not a rigidly academic school where we pace our students through hard subjects. On the contrary, it’s about involving both your head and your heart. Being a student here is not about being academically strong: it’s about wanting to be.” All students have to spend at least one hour daily doing homework, but the school, which is located just a 15-minute bus ride from the regional capital Viborg, also offers an array of possible afterschool activities such as swimming, kayaking and tennis.
For more information, please visit: www.skals-efterskole.dk
At a glance: SKALs Efterskole is located in Skals, a town of approximately 2,000 inhabitants, 14 kilometres from Viborg and 78 kilometres from Aarhus. SKALs Efterskole’s 144 students share four-bed dormitory rooms; students can choose between single- or mixed-gender floors. SKALs Efterskole offers a 9th and 10th grade education based on the students’ different learning approaches and academic levels as well as an English-language, project-based 10th grade with no examinations, and Cambridge classes (9th and 10th grades). SKALs Efterskole is among just a handful of schools in Denmark offering the entire IGCSE curriculum and, furthermore, is the Danish headquarters for IGCSE-approved education in Denmark.
Issue 70 | November 2014 | 59