Job Shadowing in Wolfert PRO - The Netherlands

We were visiting the Nehterlands from 4th to 12th of September.
We were participating in a Learning Mobility experience inside the EU's Erasmus+ programme KA1.
Our destiny was Wolfert PRO in Bergschenhoek. It is in the suburbs of Rotterdam.

Education System in The Netherlands

Education in the Netherlands is characterized by division. Education is divided over schools for different age groups, some of which are divided in streams for different educational levels. Schools are furthermore divided in public, special (religious), and general-special (neutral) schools,[1] although there are also a few private schools. 

The education in the Netherlands as the 9th best in the world as of 2008.

Compulsory education in the Netherlands starts at the age of five and ends at the age of 16.

Secondary School

After attending elementary education, children in the Netherlands (by that time usually 12 years old) go directly to high school. The Dutch educational system divides children in educational levels around the age of 12. Informed by the advice of the elementary school and the results of the Cito test, a choice is made for either voorbereidend middelbaar beroepsonderwijs (VMBO), hoger algemeen voortgezet onderwijs (HAVO) or voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijs (VWO) by the pupil and their parents.
There is some criticism about the IQ testing. It may aid to reduce mistakes in choosing levels, research has also shown that IQ is not fixed at the age of 12 and may still improve with exposure to the proper educational stimuli, which the current Dutch system by design (early separation into levels) may fail to provide.

The first year of all levels in Dutch high schools is referred to as the brugklas (literally "bridge class"), as it connects the elementary school system to the secondary education system.One of the goals for the students in this year is dealing with increased personal responsibility

It is possible for pupils who have attained the VMBO diploma to attend the final two years of HAVO level education and sit the HAVO exam, and for pupils with a HAVO diploma to attend the final two years of VWO level education and sit the VWO exam.

But also the Dutch education is flexible, for example, when a bright pupil was sent to VMBO because she/he was unmotivated but later discovered its potential or has acquired the desire to achieve better, the pupil can still attain a higher level by moving on to HAVO. 

Aside from moving up, there is also a system in place where pupils can be demoted to a lower level of education. When for example a pupil has entered secondary education at a level they cannot cope with, or when they lack the interest to spend effort on their education resulting in poor grades, they can be sent from VWO to HAVO, from HAVO to VMBO, and from any level of VMBO to a lower level of VMBO.

VMBO at WOLFERT PRO

The VMBO ("pre-vocational education") education lasts four years, from the age of twelve to sixteen.It combines vocational training with theoretical education in languages, mathematics, history, arts and science.

The curriculum in VMBO at WOLFERT PRO is composed of an equal amount of theoretical education and vocational training. It prepares for middle management and vocational training at the MBO level of tertiary education.

The timetable for students and teachers

The first class from 8.30 - 9.15 is usually held by the mentor of the group to talk about the subjects of the day and the difficulties the students can face.

Methodology 

In class the majority of the teachers works with the project based learning method. In most of the cases they work in projects related to the subject and the teachers guide the students about what they have to do.

As they work in projects they must try to follow the following guideline that is printed in each class and all the students are used to.

WHAT-WHY-HOW-TIME-HELP-DONE

After the school time the teacher can assist to courses scheduled by the coordinator.

In this picture you can see the teacher and students working in a project. All the classes have in their whiteboads a green card with "WHAT-WHY-HOW-TIME-HELP-DONE"

School Holidays

The summer holiday lasts six weeks in elementary school, and starts and ends in different weeks for the northern, middle and southern provinces to prevent families from all going on vacation simultaneously. 

The summer holiday is followed by a one-week autumn holiday in the second half of October.

There is a two-week Christmas holiday that includes New Year's in the second half of December, and a one-week spring holiday in the second half of February.

The last school holiday of the year is a one- or two-week May holiday around 27 April (Kings Day).

The summer holiday dates are compulsory, the other dates are government recommendations and can be changed by each school, as long as the right number of weeks is observed.

Our experience in Wolfert PRO. Some extra ideas.

As foreign teachers in a job shadow project, we attended several classes in Wolfert PRO, like Universal studies, English, Economics, Spanish, etc. Most of them were teached in English or Spanish, but also in Dutch.

We observed that the school provides with high-end laptops to the teachers, and also all the classes have a projection system to connect the laptop.

The students also work with their own laptops, tablets and phones.

Most of the teachers work part time. They can have help from interim teachers and also assistant teachers.

They have a briefing meeting at 8 for 30 minutes to put in common the actions and problems they will face during this day.

Teachers have a timetable with the guard time they have to be in the common spaces to take care of the students.

After the school time (from 16 to 17.30), the teacher or parents can schedule a meeting with the student. Apart from the teacher, the student has to fill an assessment about what he/she thinks are the problems with the subject. The meeting is held with the student.

After the school time the teacher can assist to courses scheduled by the coordinator.

Meeting with parents

During the school year the parents and the student hold 3 meetings with the mentor. Student fills the assessment

And also the parents and the student hold 2 meetings with the subject teacher

Students' orientation

During our job shadowing experience in Wolfert PRO, we visited the two people in charge of orientating students and to manage with students' difficulties to learn or diversity, Anne Marie van Herwaarden and Angelique van Schajik. We had an interview with them, asking them questions that worry us in our daily tasks.

The topics we talked about were:

• Types of learning needs they have to face. Above all hyperactivity, dyslexia, problems with maths, high capacities and some other problems, including even Syndome of Down.
• Type of treatment they apply for every case. They receive from the primary school a complete report about all the students in the school. With that report, they check and analyse certain variables, such as their IQ level and their results, to check if their results are consequent with the IQ level. Apart from that, they decide if they should choose a subject or a more suitable subject for them and the type of support they are going to give to that student.
• Groups according to diversity problems. They make the groups to divide the students with problems. At the very beginning in the course and every two or three months, they will review with the mentor the learning process of each student.
• Program to include foreign students. They have students who are immigrants but they don't have a special program to make them feel comfortable, because usually they have studied the primary school in Holland and they can speak and write the language without problem. If any new student is coming, they go to a special school, an International school until they can speak Dutch and they can study in the normal schools.
• Itineraries. About the early selection of itineraries in Holland, they help the students in primary school. In the secondary school, they review or check if the student can move to another school to change the itinerary.
• Supporting teachers. They have supporting teachers, usually one supporting teacher who helps the student with problems to learn in the same class, inside the classroom.
• Collaborative work. They use a lot the collaborative work among students.
• Meeting with mentors. They have meetings with each mentor every two weeks.
• Assessment sessions. They follow the assessment sessions and give advices about every child. They are also in charge of the absent meetings in case of absenteeism.