Today I want to talk about elementary education and compare my experience in Sweden and the US. In the US, my experience is from New Jersey, which is essential since every state looks different. I have done some research online and found the most common comparisons between the two school systems, and I will add my own experience to this.
So let’s start. Elementary schools in Sweden and the US are similar in many ways, but there are also some significant differences. Today I will compare and contrast the two countries in terms of economy, knowledge, goals, teaching methods, grades, and curriculum, and try to add the perspective of teachers and students.
Economy
Let’s start by taking a look at the economy. In terms of economy, Sweden has a higher GDP per capita than the US, which means that its citizens generally have a higher standard of living. This is reflected in the education system, as Swedish schools are generally well-founded and well-equipped. In contrast, the US has a more uneven distribution of wealth, with some schools being well-funded and others being underfunded. This can lead to significant differences in students’ resources available to different schools. And one area where you see a main difference between the two countries is that in Sweden, All the school materials, including textbooks, writing materials, and things like glue, scissors, and everything else you can need, are free for all students. The schools buy the material, and the parents don’t have to contribute. Swedish students also get free school lunches, often regular meals like a home-cooked dinner. I know that many teachers in the US buy materials for their own money because there is such a lack of materials in the US schools.
Knowledge Goals
Now let’s take a look at the knowledge goals. These. Similar in many ways between Sweden and the US. Both countries strongly emphasize basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills. There are also some differences in how these skills are taught and emphasized. In Sweden, a greater emphasis is placed on problem-solving and critical thinking.
While in the US, there is often more of a focus on memorization and standardized testing In Sweden, each school breaks down the national curriculum and goals into a local plan and chooses the method they prefer to use. To reach these goals on a local level in Sweden, we are also capable of deciding what textbooks and what other materials we are going to use.
We are using standardized tests. But only in grades three, six, and nine, and only in Swedish language and math. Let’s talk about teaching methods. The teaching methods used in elementary schools in Sweden and the US are also somewhat different. In Sweden, teachers tend to use a more student-centered approach, focusing on group work and cooperative learning.
In contrast, teachers in the US often use a more traditional lecture-based approach. This difference in teaching methods is often attributed to the different educational philosophies in the two countries. And. Swedish teachers have much more autonomy to choose methods and materials.
We don’t have to supply detailed lesson plans and can be more flexible in our teaching. If something we teach seems to catch the students’ interest or needs more time to perfect it. We can keep spending time on that particular content in the US. The focus is much more on measurable facts, results, and learning for the test.
Grades
So let’s talk about grades. The grading systems in elementary schools in Sweden and the US are also somewhat different. In Sweden, grades are generally used later in elementary school. Instead, students receive more qualitative feedback on their work, such as written comments from teachers in the US grades are typically used from an early age, with students receiving grades for almost all of their work. When I worked in Sweden, we used individual educational plans for each child. These were often followed up by parent-teacher conferences where we discussed the goals for the student. Grades are given for the first time in Sweden in grade six. Before that, we write these statements.
So let’s take a look at the curriculum. In Sweden, the curriculum is generally more flexible and less prescriptive. Allowing teachers to tailor their instruction to the needs and interests of their students. The US curriculum is often more standardized and dictated by state or federal guidelines.
The Swedish curriculum places a strong emphasis on social studies. While the American curriculum focuses more on math and science, physical education is generally a more critical part of the Swedish Elementary School curriculum than in the US. Swedish Elementary called generally has more advanced technology and uses it more frequently in the classroom than American Elementary.
The Swedish educational system emphasizes holistic child development, which is why the local plants are so important in Sweden. The national curriculum includes physical education, music, craft arts, technology, and woodworking, equally important to language and science.
School Day
So let’s look at the organization of the school year and the school day. Swedish elementary schools typically have shorter school days and a more extended summer break than American elementary schools’ class sizes in Sweden are usually smaller than in America. Swedish students generally have less homework than American students. Swedish elementary schools generally have later start times and earlier end times than American schools. And Sweden has a strong focus on bullying prevention.
In elementary school, a typical school day in Sweden usually starts at eight o’clock. Our schools are generally smaller, and most students live within walking distance from their school. This means we have no yellow school buses, and very few parents drive their kids to school. Kids walk, so an eight o’clock start time is very common, and usually, the school day ends around 2:30 or 3. During a school day in Sweden, we typically have three breaks, one 20-minute break in the early morning, around 10 o’clock, a lunch break midday, which usually is about 45 minutes, and another 20-minute break in the afternoon. During these breaks, the students go outside. Unless the weather is bad and we have a rolling schedule where some of the teachers are outside and supervising the students.
Another difference between the two countries is that special education services are integrated into the mainstream classroom in Sweden. While in the US, special education services are often provided in separate classrooms or schools, which is a big difference. We have a special education teacher that usually works within the classroom in cooperation with the regular classroom teacher.
Another important difference I forgot to mention is that in the younger years up to grade six in Sweden, as a teacher, you usually follow one class for three years; you have the same class, for example, in grades 1, 2, and 3. Or in grades 4, 5, and 6. This makes it easier to follow up on special education or other special needs for individual students because you get to know them. In Sweden, elementary schools are funded by the government, and there are very few differences depending on where you live; it is all state money.
While in the US, school funding is often a combination of local, state, and federal funds. So, it’s a bigger difference depending on where in the country you live.
Teacher Life
Now, let’s talk about being a teacher from a teacher’s perspective. In Sweden, the primary school system is based on a holistic approach to education that emphasizes children’s overall development. Swedish schools strongly emphasize play-based learning and aim to create a positive, nurturing environment for children. Teachers in Sweden are expected to be adaptable and often collaborate closely with other professionals, such as social workers and psychologists.
I found this online, and it’s a little misleading to say that we have play-based learning. We have a more significant variation of learning methods. It’s more experimental in the Swedish school system and less book study than here.
So let’s look at what the internet said about the United States. In the United States, the education system is more centralized and standardized, with a greater emphasis on academic achievements. American elementary schools often have a more structured and hierarchical approach to teaching with a greater focus on testing. And accountability teachers in the United States may have more rigid schedules and be required to follow a set curriculum.
The biggest difference for me as a teacher is just this in the US, you have to hand in your lesson plan, and they usually have to include exactly what you are studying, what pages in a book, what book you are using, or what video you are watching, and you are expected to do precisely that. You will never catch up if something happens and you deviate from that plan. While in Sweden, you can stop what you’re doing. If something comes up, something happens in the world, and you have to discuss it in class or address it in any way, you have that possibility.
Student Life
And let’s look from a pure student perspective; as a student in Sweden, the class size are typically smaller. You usually have a higher teacher-student ratio, so fewer students per teacher. So as a student, you have access to a teacher with a higher degree in Sweden than in the US. I also talked about the shorter school day and the lesser amount of homework in Sweden. The curriculum includes subjects that are normally not included in the same way here in the US, which means that in the US, there is more focus on after-school activities, like band or sports or theater groups or something like that. While. In Sweden, we have all this as a natural part of the school day. This also means that in Sweden, students have a greater impact on how they prefer to or how they best learn. There is room for many different learning styles within the Swedish system. Another important difference is that my students call me by my first name in Sweden. That was one of the things that were rather hard for me to get used to when I first moved here, that I was called Mrs. T instead of my first name, which created in my way of thinking a distance or a barrier between me and my, especially in the lower grades.
So to sum this up, I would say that the biggest difference between the two school systems is the view we have on teaching in the US and Sweden. All interested parties, politicians, administrators, teachers, parents, and students want the best. Still, the way to reach that best is very different in the two school systems. I believe since I have gotten my teacher’s education, both in Sweden and later on here in the US, where I went back to college to get my American teacher’s degree, I believe that a lot of these differences start with the teacher education, which is very, very different between the two countries. Of course, it’s very hard to say what came; first, the egg or the hen; in the same way, it’s hard to say what has the most impact, the teacher’s education or the educational. They both influence each other, but I would love to do another episode in this series where I talk specifically about teachers’ education in Sweden and the US. If that interests you, I would love for you to leave a review of my podcast. Go to my website@swedishfka.com and leave a comment on this episode’s show notes.
Until next time, as we say in Sweden
Hej Då
