Teacher Training in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Says Ellen ( Erasmus student from Gent, Belgium in Economics, Ethics and IT): "The idea of Science Across the World is brilliant. This course was the best I followed in Amsterdam.

First of all we thought we had to produce a project of our own, but surprise, everything was available, so we could start straightaway. I was very glad one of the topics was about food. Wonderful idea to exchange your results with students in other countries. So you learn about other cultures and you communicate in a foreign language."

Learning Practice Science across the World

A Learning Practice in Amsterdam is a 'dynamic concept of curriculum, that educates teachers to be capable of pro-actively managing with change and guiding education from the industrial age into the information age'.

Students at EFA (Educational Faculty Amsterdam) that choose the Learning Practice (LP) invest 160 hours of study (6 European credits) to get to know the Science across the World programme and to write an implementation plan for their (future) school.

Apart from the weekly meetings with the whole group, we use an electronic learning environment (Efadesk) with possibilities for a mutual agenda, chatting, emailing, to organise a group archive and collaborating on a file. We established a group Science across the World and students organised their own groups around their chosen topic: Genetics, Chemistry (in our lives), Eating and Drinking en Food (What do you eat?).

Usually also foreign students, who stay at EFA in the Erasmus exchange programme for three months, join the LP. This year the group consisted of Erasmus students form Belgium and Spain, a native student form the Dutch Antilles (Curaçao) and students of Biology, Chemistry, Information Technology and English (full time and part time). Two of the Erasmus students were future primary teachers, so we dealt with a whole variety of subjects. Ton Koet (English) and Lida Schoen (science) acted as tutors.

Topic group

Students had to choose a topic, carry out all the activities (from either the student pages in English or from the translation in Spanish or Dutch) and fill in the Exchange Form.

Ellen: "I collaborated with Jaskara from Curaçao. We compared our diets and we concluded there are many differences.

Because of Estel (Erasmus student from Barcelona, Spain) all teaching, presenting and communication was in English. This was a real challenge for me. Sometimes I didn't understand a concept, but it was a chance to polish my English."

After completing, the students looked at the topic with (future) teachers eyes. They searched the web for useful links for the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain.

This phase of the LP ended with a PowerPoint presentation about products and the process with the other students as a critical audience.

The picture shows Ellen and Jaskara preparing their joint presentation.

Implementation in a school

During the second part of the LP the students write a realistic implementation plan for a real school with e.g.:

·       how to convince the school management to take part in the programme;

·       collaboration with (a) colleague(s);

·       benefits for the school, teachers, students;

·       what to do with the results, apart from discussing the exchange forms from other countries;

and a scenario for the lessons with e.g.:

·       period of the school year;

·       substitute or enrich part(s) of the curriculum;

·       how to register the topic and the period of the year on the Science across the World site;

·       how to find partner schools to exchange with;

·       how to involve the students in your class;

·       class management;

·       independent learning and responsibilities;

·       contact with the partner school(s) during the process;

·       evaluation (related to aims).

Julie's story

At the start we got a lot of information. I (Erasmus student from Brugge, Belgium: primary education) had to get used to this way of teaching. The teacher students in the Netherlands get more independent tasks and less class room teaching than Belgian students. In Belgium the teacher explains everything in 30 teaching periods a week. Many compared to the number in the Netherlands. I felt very insecure and 'stupid'. This was a real concern, but in the end I got answers on all my questions!

Towards the end of the course I started feeling better and better in the group. I learned to produce a PowerPoint presentation and other computer skills: e.g to collaborate on a one Word document. I could even introduce illustrations and links to Internet sites, related to 'Eating and Drinking' for Belgian primary schools, in our final presentation. I was so proud….  The presentations were fun. During the presentations we learned about the other student's subjects. Afterwards we had to ask questions about the content and had to offer improvements, also about the (computer) technique used in the presentation and about the presenting. That was not easy.

We had to present in English. I am very grateful, because I could practice and improve my English.

After finishing the LP, I have a sound grasp of the Science across the World site, the programme, the student pages, the teachers notes, the exchange form and the theory. I got to know a subject that at the start was completely unknown to me. It gives me a good feeling, I always like to get my teeth in a difficult subject. The good thing about Science across the World are the ready made materials, as well as for the students and for the teacher. The students carry out their own investigations and exchange information with other students in countries all over the world. A wonderful idea!

Jáskara's story

Jáskara (Dutch student of English) finished the LP by implementing the Science across the World programme during her teaching practice period in the Ignatius College on Curaçao (Netherlands Antilles). In her final evaluation she writes:

The students were excited, although in the end the whole topic 'What do you eat?' was restricted to one week, due to problems with the time table in the school. We spend six hours on studying the topic: two for English, one for Home Economics, three for IT en one for the evaluation. During the IT lessons we found and visited relevant interactive websites about food and diets. Later these new information sources were added to the Dutch translation of 'What did you eat? The students sent and received an exchange form from the Himeji Nishi school in Himeji (near Kyoto) in Japan. Apart from exchanging facts and opinions about food, students learnt about the meaning of the Japanese flag. That made them think about the meaning of their own Curaçao flag! For a poster presentation at the end of the project I chose food and food habits in Japan. Students found additional information about Japan on the internet.

For a next time I will start organising and finding partner schools (longer) in advance. And I will let the students work more independently, now I know what to do! And I will also produce a 'smaller' timetable' because so often something happens in a school….
 

October 2004, Lida Schoen (text, photos)