The platform for open and practice-oriented research

product

Netherlands: Education for democratic citizenship in Dutch schools

Highlights−Constitutional freedom of education affects democratic citizenship education policy.−Citizenship education legislation in 2006 and 2007 placed little demands on schools.−Legislation introduced in 2021 has further specified what is expected from schools.−Studies of citizenship education in practice are largely critical of the extentto which schools teach about, through and for democracy.Purpose:This paper discusses developments in citizenship education policy and practice in the Netherlands, and outlines key challenges as faced by the different stakeholders involved.Design/methodology/approach:Our discussion is based on existing research and policy documents in the Netherlands. The authors, from three Dutch universities, are experts in the field of research on citizenship education.Findings:Promoting citizenship education in primary, secondary and vocational tertiary education in the Netherlands has been challenging, particularly in light of the constitutional freedom of education in the Netherlands. Five issues are discussed in this regard: the contents of CE legislation, the normative character of legal requirements, integration of CE legislation in national curriculum aims, clarifying expectations from schools in teaching CE, and teacher education and professionalization.

PDF

Netherlands: Education for democratic citizenship in Dutch schools

product

Green education to strengthen human capital

This one-off magazine is a joint publication of Dutch and Indonesian partners in the INNOCAP and vegIMPACT NL programmes. These partners worked together to strengthen agricultural education in poultry, horticulture and ruminant production at SMK level. SMKs (Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan) are vocational upper secondary schools. All programme partners share the conviction that educational cooperation and private sector development should go hand in hand. The digital version of this magazine is enriched with links to websites and videos of the programme partners and their highlights of the results of the joint Indonesian - Dutch programmes. “The cooperation between Indonesia and the Netherlands can build further on the lessons learned from INNOCAP and vegIMPACT NL programmes to invest in vocational education for agricultural growth”.

MULTIFILE

Green education to strengthen human capital

product

Secondary school mathematics teacher education in the Netherlands

In this chapter, we discuss the education of secondary school mathematics teachers in the Netherlands. There are different routes for qualifying as a secondary school mathematics teacher. These routes target different student teacher populations, ranging from those who have just graduated from high school to those who have already pursued a career outside education or working teachers who want to qualify for teaching in higher grades. After discussing the complex structure this leads to, we focus on the aspects that these different routes have in common. We point out typical characteristics of Dutch school mathematics and discuss the aims and challenges in teacher education that result from this. We give examples of different approaches used in Dutch teacher education, which we link to a particular model for designing vocational and professional learning environments.We end the chapter with a reﬂection on the current situation.

LINK

product

Whether and how coaching for mental health and well-being should be offered in post-Covid-19 pandemic Dutch higher vocational education: coaches’ perceptions

In this article, the outcomes of a survey aimed to investigate how aware of and how capable coaches in higher vocational Dutch education perceive themselves to assist students displaying mental health and well-being issues are presented. Additionally, the article explores coaches’ perceptions regarding the frequency, form of help offered, topics to be tackled and the preferred form in which this help should be provided. The author conducted a survey that gathered qualitative and quantitative data from coaches (N 5 82) at a Dutch University of Applied Sciences in the north of the Netherlands. A differentiation in coaches’ number of years of teaching and coaching experience was considered.

MULTIFILE

Whether and how coaching for mental health and well-being should be offered in post-Covid-19 pandemic Dutch higher vocational education: coaches’ perceptions

product

Evaluating opportunities in Dutch EFL course books for developing pre-vocational learners’ oral interactional ability

Course materials play a vital role in the foreign language classroom. Relatively little attention has been paid, however, to analyzing the activities that foster oral interactional ability in EFL course materials. For the purpose of this study, a coding scheme was designed that focuses specifically on the development of interactional ability. This was used to analyse the three most commonly used EFL course books for pre-vocational learners in The Netherlands. The analysis revealed that course books focus more on developing language knowledge than on developing the ability to use this knowledge in interaction, that interactional strategies practice is missing, and that interactional practice is limited to the personal and public context. We conclude that EFL course books lag behind current SLA theories in the practical application of activities focused on developing interactional ability. Recommendations to strengthen the link between theory and practice are made.

PDF

Evaluating opportunities in Dutch EFL course books for developing pre-vocational learners’ oral interactional ability

product

A dialogue worth having

The cultivation of intrinsic motivation is key in the 21th century, but most students in Dutch vocational education lack this quality. To foster intrinsic motivation, a strong career-learning environment is needed that enables students to develop career competencies and a career identity. However such an environment is absent in much of vocational education in The Netherlands. Research shows that the desired learning must be practice based (real life experiences are key), enable a dialogue (in order to attach personal meaning to real life experiences) and give students more autonomy in making choices in their school careers. Although there has been an increase in the use of portfolios and personal-development plans, these instruments are used mainly for improving success at school but are not in career and work. In addition research on the conversations between student and teachers/work-place mentors shows that the latter talk primarily to (65%), and about (21%), but rarely with (9%) students. The culture in schools is still predominately monological. Most teachers feel uncertain about their abilities to help students in developing career competencies and a career identity, though a growing number of teachers want to be trained in initiating meaningful career dialogues. In order to make such training successful in terms of promoting new guidance behaviours, it is essential that school managers create a strong career-learning environment for teachers. The Standards Era policies (Gatto, 2009) that dominate Dutch vocational education at the moment, however, leaves managers little space to do so. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50734-7_7 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reinekke-lengelle-phd-767a4322/

MULTIFILE

product

Vocational education in the Netherlands: in search of a new identity

When the Netherlands developed a national system of vocational education at the end of the 19th century, it was a direct answer to obvious shortcomings in the technical and trade professions (De Jonge, 1968). It concentrated on training craftsmen for the traditional, mainly agrarian economy, and technicians for the new, industrial economy. The training being offered was closely related to actual professional practices. In the first place, there was a very stable occupational structure, in which professional knowledge and skills did not become obsolete quickly. This, in turn, made it possible that education was -and remained - up-to-date. Secondly, almost all teachers were also experienced craftsmen, who only started teaching after a long career. The teachers learned actual professional practices through direct experience. In addition, students were also frequently familiar with actual practice, because the occupational structure was so stable: they knew exactly for which profession they were being trained. A stable occupational structure, a clear occupational orientation by the students, and teachers with extensive firsthand work experience ensured that vocational education was a powerful learning environment. For this reason, a dual system had hardly any added value. A consequence is that the apprenticeship system in the Netherlands - as opposed to almost all surrounding countries - had a lower status and fewer students than full-time education (Teerling & Bijveld, 1982).

PDF

Vocational education in the Netherlands: in search of a new identity

product

The relationship between learning environment and career competencies of students in vocational education

This article focuses on which aspects of the learning environment, aimed at fostering career learning, correspond with the development of career competencies among students (aged 12-19 years) enrolled in prevocational and secondary vocational education in The Netherlands. Aspects of the learning environment that are taken into account here are the following: career orientation and guidance methods used, instruments implemented, and the degree to which the curriculum is practice-based and dialogical. In the study, three career competencies are identified: career reflection (reflective behaviour), career forming (proactive behaviour), and networking (interactive behaviour). To research the relationship between the learning environment and the presence of career competencies, a study was done among 3499 students and 166 teachers in 226 classes in 34 schools. The results show that career guidance in school, in which a dialogue takes place with the student about concrete experiences and which is focused on the future, contributes most to the presence of career competencies among students. Without this dialogue, career guidance methods and instruments barely contribute to the acquisition of career competencies.

PDF

The relationship between learning environment and career competencies of students in vocational education

product

Learning to question the status quo. Critical thinking, citizenschip education and Bildung in vocational education

Educational policies in the Netherlands reveal that the current mainstream participatory approach to citizenship education jeopardises students’ autonomy. Especially in Dutch post-secondary vocational education, citizenship education has been shown to be mainly aimed at socialization: initiating students into tradition, internalising rules, societal norms and values. This article reports on the findings of a research project, which is grounded in the assumption that integrating Bildung, citizenship education and critical thinking is a promising way to grapple with the perceived overemphasis on socialization strategies. We justify the interrelationship of critical thinking, Bildung, citizenship education, and professional training from two perspectives – historical and contemporary. It is only by combining these concepts, we contend, that educational professionals can create teaching materials more geared to developing autonomy, and prepare students in vocational training to navigate the political and societal dilemma’s on the work floor. Furthermore, we also clarify our perspective by offering three educational principles, used in our project to guide the design of teaching materials, that form a context for integrating citizenship, critical thinking, and Bildung in vocational education. A practical illustration is subsequently discussed.

PDF

Search results

Products 292

Netherlands: Education for democratic citizenship in Dutch schools

Green education to strengthen human capital

Secondary school mathematics teacher education in the Netherlands

Whether and how coaching for mental health and well-being should be offered in post-Covid-19 pandemic Dutch higher vocational education: coaches’ perceptions

Evaluating opportunities in Dutch EFL course books for developing pre-vocational learners’ oral interactional ability

A dialogue worth having

Vocational education in the Netherlands: in search of a new identity

The relationship between learning environment and career competencies of students in vocational education

Learning to question the status quo. Critical thinking, citizenschip education and Bildung in vocational education

Navigate to

Categories

Filters

Products 292

Netherlands: Education for democratic citizenship in Dutch schools

Green education to strengthen human capital

Secondary school mathematics teacher education in the Netherlands

Whether and how coaching for mental health and well-being should be offered in post-Covid-19 pandemic Dutch higher vocational education: coaches’ perceptions

Evaluating opportunities in Dutch EFL course books for developing pre-vocational learners’ oral interactional ability

A dialogue worth having

Vocational education in the Netherlands: in search of a new identity

The relationship between learning environment and career competencies of students in vocational education

Learning to question the status quo. Critical thinking, citizenschip education and Bildung in vocational education