Inside Dutch Schools

So this week it was getting down to business. My major reasons for being here in the EU are to take a look at education as it is unfolding on the continent at multiple levels. This includes primary, secondary, and university (or, tertiary as it is known here). So the week started with a look at university education. I began by travelling to the city of Heerlen, in the south of the country, quite near the German border. It was about a 2 1/2 hour trip from Amsterdam (with one train change which I'm getting pretty good at, especially when I have approximately 30 seconds to sprint from one 'spoor' --or platform-- to another). I noticed I was very close to Aachen (a city I had previously visited) as the road signs in Heerlen suggested. My purpose in this was to visit some of the faculty at Open Universiteit or Open University. I was interested in this particular school because of its innovative structure and, especially, for the chance to meet some of the faculty. The Open University was founded in the 1980s. It's a publicly funded institution whose mission is to increase access to higher education through distance learning. It's not quite a complete distance learning structure--students do come to the campus (take a look in Gallery 2 to see some of the campus) so it's perhaps more accurately described as, maybe, a blended learning model.

I had arranged to meet with Paul Kirschner, a well-known scholar in the field of technology and education-- although his work and writings touch upon so many related issues like cognitive load. When I initially contacted him, he e-mailed me back indicating he would be happy to meet with me and informed me about his own LI connection-- he was a graduate of SUNY Stonybrook. When I got to his office and he was telling me a little more about his background, it turned out that he is also a former New Yorker who attended Bronx High School of Science as well (it seems no matter where I travel, connections to the NYC public schools materialize.) And he had fond memories of Bronx Science and how it shaped him. He had some wonderful insights about the place of technology in education, but what interested me most was his explanation of the structure the Open Universiteit follows for its doctoral students. It seems there is no dissertation requirement (something some of my students might celebrate, perhaps?). Students apply for 'advertised' doctoral positions, are interviewed by the faculty, and then accepted into the program. It's strictly full time--no part time students allowed-- and it's for a set time limit of about four years from start to finish. As for a final product--well, working closely with a faculty member on what seemed to be a very rigorous basis, students complete a culminating product of what is the equivalent of four peer reviewed, published research publications on one topic--not a dissertation per se, but publications on various dimensions of the topic they are investigating. He showed me some of the work (bound in a paperback-type book) his students had completed, and it was pretty impressive.

I wondered how this model would fly in the US--the dissertation is a pretty entrenched (if not beloved) commodity-- but training students to write four research papers of publication quality seemed like a very practical alternative. It might require some academic 'reset' about course work, time limits, and final products and this model, as it stands, was designed for students more involved with psychology than education--but it seemed serious and scholarly. I'm sure some of my doctoral students would find it a viable alternative, especially those more interested in a research track. Worth a try definitely.

Paul then introduced me to his fellow faculty member, Renate de Groote. We both shared an interest in the neurosciences and she told me about some of the research she was conducting on brain sciences. What was interesting is that she had a close relationship with schools in Heerlen and was working to apply some of her research findings to classroom practice. She was interested in movement science and told me about a study she designed where students wore motion monitors for about a week which kept track of their movements throughout the day. The study looked at comparisons of active motor movement on weekdays vs. weekends. The hypothesis revolved around the idea that kids would be more active on weekends than weekdays--sports, play, bicycling (especially bicycling!) etc. would occur in free time. Turned out...no. Kids are more 'motor active' in school during weekdays than at home on weekends. I guess when you factor in that kids may just kick back on the weekends because of the motor intensity of the schoolday, it does make sense. But--they were surprised. She also told me about her interest in omega-3 fatty acids, especially their role in improving sleep in adolescents. Of course, sleep is a research interest of mine as well and we talked about sleep issues that, turned out, to be be the same for kids in the EU and US. Basically, they're both ambulatory examples of chronic sleep deprivation.

Moving on, before I came to the Netherlands, I was in touch with the Education Ministry of the Netherlands and they recommended taking a look at something called the Elos Schools. I didn't know much (make that anything) about these schools but came to learn that they were really part of a 'bigger idea'-- a European network of schools (not just in the Netherlands although the idea began here in 2004) that are centered on a common concept of internationalization, of establishing pan-EU citizenship. It's not surprising that EU countries who have to live in close proximity with each other are focused on internationalizing schools. It's an integral part, a microcosm really, of what is happening in the EU across a variety of sectors--- political, financial, social, and educational, that is a motivation to unify and bring countries closer together. Elos wants to stretch borders and stretch them they do in order to better understand each other's cultures. And these schools seemed to do more than just deliver a message of globalization--They become the message. (Check out Gallery 2 for some pictures of schools.)

The Elos schools cooperate with each other in the sense of providing opportunities for schools participating in the network across Europe to interact with each other. For example, the director of the program told me that his students had recently travelled to Italy and Spain to spend time with students there. These visits also included home stays. From my own experiences I know that these kinds of exchanges require logistical wizardry and this seemed to be the case here. These teachers made it happen. They also actively encourage international projects that seem to use a project-based learning approach in keeping with how this trend is handled in the US.

These schools put a great emphasis on communication of all kinds and are officially--and proudly-- focused on global languages. Which speaks to one feature of the culture in the Netherlands you just can't miss. Everybody speaks English. Perfectly. I am long past the point of, say, stopping for directions and beginning the conversation with, "Do you speak English?" I've found it's almost an insult to ask. The answer, inevitably, is a surprised but secure "Of course." To a monolingual American, that's always impressive.

After visiting an Elos school, this ubiquitous English competency doesn't surprise me. Dutch education seems to get this skill set right. These schools make it a requirement to speak two (or more) languages and the students do so mostly with ease. When I met with the Directors of the program at the school, they walked me through the concept of the Elos schools as it exists throughout the EU, and how their school, the Carolus Clusius College (but think high school level in the US) in Zwolle, attempts to operationalize the program. I remember some research I came across about the schools in the Netherlands being among the best in the world for teaching languages--and I found this certainly to be the case. (Not only languages, but other subjects as their PISA scores attest--but more on that in a later post).

As I walked around the school with the teachers, I saw that students were relaxed, focused, and engaged with what was happening in school. One of the Directors gave me the opportunity to meet with her class and just chat with them about suggestions on how they could apply to attend college in the US. I walked in (they all stood up, by the way, when I walked in, and waited for me to be introduced) and right after that we began a lively Q&A about school in the US (and other related topics). One of the things that surprised me was their surprise at my advice to 'sell yourself' on any US college application. It seems that the notion of Dutch 'modesty' does not appear to encourage one to, basically, talk about themselves. They saw it as (American-style) boasting--which to them was somewhat unseemly. I tried to explain that competition for universities is strong in the US and you have to make the case as to why a school would want to accept you. I think they got the idea--but I really wasn't sure they were comfortable with it.

Right after this visit, I went to another school in Zwolle- this time to what is designated as a bilingual school, the difference primarily being the 50/50 split of Dutch and English use during the school day. Again, an impressive place. I was very interested in hearing about their approach to bilingualism and how they structured the curriculum so as to ensure that students engage in language activities that actually develop their competencies so they can speak it. In the US, it's no secret that the study of a foreign language is becoming an endangered species. The prevailing attitude appears to be since English is globally ubiquitous, why bother to learn another language? When I taught undergraduates, I could count on the fingers of one hand (and not very far on the hand) the number of pre-service teachers I had in my class who intended to teach foreign languages. The priority Dutch schools appeared to place on the mastery of a second (and even third) language was impressive and explained the priority of place English seems to enjoy in the Netherlands.

Oh, and one other nice surprise. This school had a room dedicated to theatre and drama. It seems they place a good deal of emphasis on the dramatic arts in developing communication skills. The room was designed as almost a 'black box' theatre, something like I've seen at places like Juilliard in NY. High on my list of 'public school heaven' would be a room like this is every school (along with a dance classroom, orchestra rehearsal space, and art studio) to make sure the arts sit right alongside every other subject and get their due.

Now, a few (non-related but related) asides...first, I mentioned I was surprised at the ease with which I was able to enter the school. Being used to metal detectors, security guards, and tracking cameras, just walking in through the front doors and asking for directions to the main office was a bit of a surprise--but a nice one. Next--technology. The schools both seemed well-equipped to serve their technological needs, but these didn't seem to drive their instructional day. It had a nice balance. They both seemed to have somewhat of a modified BYOD policy (bring your own device) and gave students opportunities to use computer equipment while in school. And because my visit was right in the middle of the Olympics, there was a large TV screen set up in both schools with a feed right from the Olympics in Sochi channel. The Netherlands was doing very well there (as you might remember) and everyone wanted to keep up.

Following these school visits, I had the opportunity to travel to the offices of the European Platform in Haarlem and meet with the Directors and Coordinators of the Elos Program for all of the Netherlands. The dedication of these educators to the concepts of bilingualism and internationalization was amazing. They had a clear vision as to how internationalizing schools in the Netherlands was absolutely essential in the 21st century, and worked to set up programs where Dutch students could interact with other students in countries across the EU. I think about the sometimes perfunctory lip service in US education given to the concept of globalization and its (so-called) importance, and was really excited to hear about how the Netherlands was not just talking the talk but walking the walk. One of the things we discussed was establishing linkages between schools in NY and in the Netherlands in terms of some partnerships which sounds like an exciting prospect. Am excited to bring suggestion back to my doctoral students so we can begin experimenting with this and establishing some trans-Atlantic connections that will truly be connections.

All in all, this has been a pretty fruitful week.