Educational Programme
at Peter Sabroe Seminariet

The National Institute for Social Educators  - Peter Sabroe Seminariet is an independent institution for Higher Education in Århus training social educators on a 3.5 years training programme. The training programme has 7 semesters - subjects - Education Studies, Psychology, Social Studied, Health Studies, Activity, Art and Culture, Communication, Organisation and Management.

According to Ministerial Order no. 930 of 8 December 1997 issued by the Danish Ministry of Education concerning the education of social educators a signed and certified Diploma Supplement will be issued to all students after completion of their studies.

Each student’s individual training course depends on the student's personal contribution. However, the student’s activity in different groups and teams means that the student is extremely dependent on her/his fellow students as well as the teachers who play a part in the educational programme. Therefore, it is almost impossible to give an adequate specification of the educational programme, and each student will experience the education differently.

However, it could be useful to get an overall view of the education in order to give the student an idea of the journey he/she commences.

To get an idea of the training by reading a curriculum is not easy. The curriculum is, and has got to be drawn up in a series of sections, kind of legal terms, which specify the obligations the student must fulfil and also the privileges that forms part of the commitment between the student and the College of Education. What is my right and what is my duty? Read the curriculum and you will find the answer to all disputed points.

The following section gives an overall presentation of the education, duration 3 ½ years, at Peter Sabroe Seminariet.

1st semester

Firstly, the students are gathered in one large group of 110 to 120 students. The large group splits up into two groups of 55 to 60 students with their team of teachers. Thereafter, each group is split up into 4 units of 13 to15 students with a tutor who is also going to be the unit’s field­ supervisor. The training during 1st semester is mainly concentrating on these two groups of 55 to 60 students and a number of changeable groupings of the students in these groups.

During the first week there will be a set up of groups through an introduction. Thereafter, the group will be engaged in 3 to 4 basic educational subjects, i.e. communication, plays, interaction, history (different phases of life), changes etc. These subjects automatically involve a number of educational subjects. A camp is compulsory and the subjects will be nature studies within the educational work.

Later on, the groups get through a 14 days culture and activity project together with their teachers, which enable the students to display their mode of expression within art and music.

At the end of 1st semester there will be one to two weeks preparation time for 1st placement, which takes place at the beginning of 2nd semester. Preparation for placement is a subject with an introduction and a formulation of the problems related to placement such as types of institutions and user groups.

2nd semester

The initial 12 weeks of 2nd semester is a so-called practice placement. During this period all students take a compulsory practice placement in an institution, i.e. kindergarten or a residential institution that should have a specific reference to the social educators situation within the institution. It is the student’s own responsibility to prepare her/his own statement of aims for the practice placement. However, twice during the practice placement the teaching practice supervisor pays a visit to the institution in order to discuss the student’s statement of aims and achievement during the placement period. During the practice placement the student makes a placement assignment.

During the practice placement the group meets at Peter Sabroe Seminariet at a so-called "summon" to a common debate on practice placement, as well as an introduction to new theoretical and practical options, which could be useful for the student during the practice placement.

Shortly after the practice placement period there is a 3 weeks course involving summing up from the practice placement and preparations for a 3rd seminar, which is the first salaried placement. In preparation for this placement, focus is on the theoretical and practical educational activity, and it also involves a first aid course etc.

Following the evaluation and the preparatory work, the group will be introduced to different methods, which should qualify the students to study independently. Towards the end of 2nd semester there is a 3 weeks project period with a final examination - 1st year test. The project aim is to train the student’s ability to combine theory and practice in connection with a chosen educational activity. It should also prove the student’s ability to communicate and to adopt a critical and explorative attitude to her/his own product.

3rd semester

3rd semester - duration of 6 months - consists of the first salaried placement period with a 32½ hours working week in a mainstream institution or a special need institution. It is up to the students beforehand to choose some professional as well as personal problem descriptions to work in depth with during the placement period. The aim is, among other things, that the student develops her/his professional and personal qualifications, identity and self-understanding. The student is expected to work independently but there should also be a close co-operation between staff, parents and other people involved.

Similar to the practice placement the student prepares a placement assignment and twice during the practice placement, the teaching practice supervisor pays a visit to the institution in order to discuss the student’s statement of aims and achievement during the placement period. There will be 2 "summons" - duration one week - during the 6 months period. The first summon is about aims, means and methods in the educational work. The subject of the second summon is "supervision of colleagues".

1.   3rd semester has been constructed in a way so that the student is broadly introduced into the educational work. Together these three semesters function as a foundation throughout the continuous studies. 3rd till 6th semester the student gets deeper into the chosen professional and personal problem solving and hereby makes a kind of specialisation: Building up one’s own profile. 

4th and 5th semester are different from the other semesters, the difference is whether it is a spring semester or an autumn semester. During autumn semester all students from both semesters get involved in the "Aarhus Festival Week". During spring semester all students from both semesters are making a written exercise. These procedures regarding 4th and 5th semester are described after 5th semester.

4th semester

4th semester starts with either a "Aarhus Festival Week" project (see below) a project with a subject period.

All students are to follow a subject period consisting of subjects such as "psychology", "health education" and "communication, organisation and management". Each sequence’s duration is one week.

After these subject periods and for the rest of the semester the students follow "activity and cultural studies". The student chooses one from among 4 different interdisciplinary subjects: "Nature and physical education", "music and physical education", "movement", "Danish and drama or art", "drama and media". Through a thorough study there will be a slight specialisation in a chosen subject. An exercise in interdisciplinary co-operation between related subjects.

After one week of "activity and cultural subjects" there is at the same time two courses: "Educational theory and "bildung" - duration 5 weeks, then, "educational theory and development" -duration 7 weeks.

"Educational theory and "bildung" is a 5 weeks compulsory study for all students in the group. The aim is that the student gets an up-to-date and historical knowledge about educational theory, ethics and basic ideas.

"Educational theory and "bildung" is one unit - duration 7 weeks. The aim is that the student gets a thorough theoretical knowledge, methodological consciousness and methodological proficiency. Furthermore, the aim is also to qualify the student to a critical level of reflection and give the student an ability to obtain knowledge via different educational theories. All this is partly to enable the student to follow, apply to and take part in experimental and developmental works, but also to get qualifications to further education.

At the end of 4th semester, spring semester, the students make a "written test" (see below).

5th semester

Spring term is the beginning of 5th semester and starts with a "written exercise" (see below) and is followed by a "special study" - duration 11 weeks, and professional profiling and written test", duration 5 weeks. The student chooses one of four new groups in a special study which represents a basic and up-to-date fracture in contemporary educational theory: "Educational theory and cultural expressions", "one world, many worlds", "the social educator and people of different nature", socio-education and the organisations". The training is project organised and work in depth is highly important. The subject "special study" includes a study tour abroad, duration 1 week. At the end of "special study" there is a synopsis presentation.

"Professional profiling and written exams" is an improvement of one of the subject periods from 4th semester. The aim is to enable the student to create her/his specific profile within the education by working in depth with one of the subjects such as social studies, health education or communication, organisation or management. There is a final individual written exam.

Towards the end of the seminar there is one week’s preparation for the second salaried placement in the 6th semester with focus on "the social educator’s qualifications".

The final week of the term the students work on a "Show", a special cultural project closely connected with Peter Sabroe Seminariets graduation event "dimissionsarrangement" for newly qualified social educators.

"Aarhus Festival Week", 4th or 5th semester

Those who started their studies in February as well as those who started in September, respectively start off their 4th and 5th semester with a comprehensive cultural project in connection with Aarhus Festival Week. The project has already been outlined in last semester and exact preparation time and implementation is approx. 14 days before the festival week and the first week of September. The aim is that the student achieves experience from a cultural production, a production with an element of cultural, artistic and educational commitment.

The semester, which includes a festival week project, i.e. during autumn, includes a one week course with the subject "learning methods" and the subject is aesthetic learning process based on experiences achieved from the festival week. The project is on 4th semester placed between "education and "bildung" and "educational knowledge and educational theory". 5th semester, the course is between the subject "special study" and "professional profiling".

Written test, 4th or 5th semester

Those, who started their studies in September as well as those who started in February, respectively start off their 4th and 5th semester by attending a 2 weeks course on the subject "written test". The aim is that the student achieves knowledge and skills within the fields of the professional educator. Furthermore, the aim is to intensify the student’s written communication skills.

6th semester

The 6th semester, duration 6months, is the 2nd salaried placement, with a 32½ hours working week. If both the practice placement and the first salaried placement have taken place in a main stream institution, the next salaried placement must take place in a special needs institution, and vice versa. The aim is that the student clarifies her/his breadth of view and overall view within the organisation and implementation of the educational theory in work relations. The aim is to function as closely to the professional social educator’s level as possible.

It is also required that the student prepares a placement report for this placement. The supervisor of teaching practice arranges a meeting with the students where the purpose of the placement will be discussed. Furthermore, when almost 2/3 of the placement period is over, the supervisor of teaching practice pays a visit to the institution. The first "summon" is among other things on the subject "the social educator ’s own bildung". The subject of the second summon is possibilities and barriers in work relations, administrative and political co-operation together with the social educator’s impact and accept.

7th semester

Heading of the final semester is perspective, comprehension and synthesis.

Initially the student has two subjects: Educational theory (if convenient along with psychology) and given free choice, one of the activity and cultural subjects, movement, Danish, drama, music, nature studies or art and craft. The two subjects are usually performed in groups and there is a final oral examination, point of reference is a sample (product).

A bachelor project terminates the education. The project covers a period of 10 weeks and there is a final examination. The students can work together in groups or individually, but the final examination is always individual. The bachelor project can either be a purely theoretical examining and ends up in a written report or become a cultural production or another production, primarily with a social, educational or a communicative purpose. A bachelor project must always consist of a written section and moreover it should be presented in a suitable way for evaluation at the examination. The aim of the project is that the student acquires special knowledge in a well-defined central field or problem of both theoretical and practical character within the educational field. Furthermore, the aim is, that the student develops skills in collecting and adapting relevant information and achieves skills in presenting one’s view and opinion.