niversity of Applied Science, Teacher Training Institute Primary Education
Hogeschool Katholieke PABO Zwolle
Ten Oeverstraat 68,
8012 EW Zwolle,
The Netherlands
Tel.: +31 (0)384217425
Fax: +31(0)384210914
webaddress:www.kpz.nl
Erasmus code: NL ZWOLLE06
Coordinators:
Harrie Poulssen (International Officer)
Katholieke Pabo Zwolle
Ten Oeverstraat 68
8012 EW Zwolle
The Netherlands
Phone: 0031(0)38 4217425
Email: h.poulssen@kpz.nl
Bert Thole (Coordinator IM)
Katholieke Pabo Zwolle
Ten Oeverstraat 68
8012 EW Zwolle
The Netherlands
Phone: 0031(0)38 4217425
Email: b.thole@kpz.nl
About the University:
The Katholieke Pabo Zwolle, also known as KPZ, is an independent Interactum University of Applied Sciences (Dutch "hogeschool"). There are over 650 students and a staff of about 70. This means that the KPZ is one of the many small- to medium-sized institutes for higher professional education in the Netherlands.
The International Minor Program (IM) is a five month course in English for 30 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System). The website contains all the necessary information about our teacher training course in which we combine theory and practice and offer a varied study programme with a clear structure using the module system and ECTS. For the IM you need a required level of English like TOEFL or IELTS. Upon consultation, it is also possible to stay three moths. Therefore, 20 ECTS have to be achieved.
The organisation and interactum:
The Katholieke Pabo Zwolle is an organisation where a clear identity and familiartiy play an important role. Whether you are following the teacher training course or a refresher course, you will notice that things are well organised.
University of Applied Sciences works within the Educational Federation Interactum together with four other independent teacher training colleges for pirmary education. The aim with this collaboration is to assure and imporve the quality of teacher training in primary education.
Canteen/cafeteria, ICT and library:
Next to the auditorium you will find the canteen where you can buy coffee, tea, soup, rolls and various other small snacks. The offers are really cheap and delicious.
The KPZ offers quiet workspaces equipped with computers where you can study on your own or in pairs. Software applications that are suitable for word processing, internet, multimedia use, email and aducational subjects have been installed. The multi media centre is a large modern facility where you have access to information you need when preparing for yours study and your work placement. KPS´s extensice collections consits text books, youth literature, methods for primary education, audiovisual material, software, flash cards and various magazines. Laptops, cameras as well as video cameras can be hired.
A huge benefit is that printing in black and white is for free. So you will have no addtional costs for printed work.
How can I apply?
Each year we have an international minor in spring semester from 1st of February until 1st of July.
Deadline for application is: 1 November (previous calendar year)
For application you need to fill in this student application form and mail it to us.
[application form on the website]
Please note: When we have received your complete application form an overview on admission will be held by means of Skype.
Preparations for the Erasmus+ stay at the UV:
Before applying on the KPZ you have to make some organisational manners on the UV as well:
Before we got to Zwolle:
We have written a lot of emails and had to do a few things before we got here, for example we had to make a language test in Dutch, which was not really a success (we have to do it also afterwards, to see our progress).
To attend the Pabo we all have had a conversation via Skype, where a few thinks were asked in order to notice the level in English. Some questions were:
What do you expect from your Erasmus+ trip?
Why do you want to go to the Netherlands?
In the Skype interview, the level of English as well as the organisational and social skills were tested.
Furthermore, we had to get some information about how fractions are tought in Spain, we had to copy the schoolbooks, made a short clip about a mathlesson, made a foto of the classroom, etc. The assignment was used in the course "Research 1".
The Pabo organised an accomodation, but we prefered to look for another one cheaper and closer to the Kpz by ourselves. They ofered us a chalet on camping the Agnietenberg, but we decided to book a room on Leliestraat, a building for Students situated in the same street as the school.
Then Ria Posthumus asked us when and how we will get to Zwolle and if we wanted to have a welcome guide, who wouls pick us up from the railway station and bring us to our houses. Our guide was Bert Thole, one of the coordinators.
Info about the general things and the first weeks:
We are in a "seperate class" - The international Minor/class. All in all we are 15 people (6 Spanish girls, 1 girl from Turkey, 1 boy from Nepal, 2 Czech girls and 5 people from Austria). All our courses we have together - we do not have any courses with the students from the PABO.
The first week was a welcome week to get aquainted with each other:
The first day most of our teachers and the headmaster were here to welcome us and to introduce themselves.
We also had to introduce ourselves to the other ones and to speak about our expectations.
The welcome week was really a good experiences, we were ice skating and played traditional Dutch games.
The courses:
1) English language (1 ECTS)
The objective of this course revolves around writing and presenting an academic paper in English in which your own written work will play a pivotal role. This very short course of 4 lessons focuses both on development of academic writing skills and strenghtening presentation skills.
2) Culture and Society ( 4 ECTS)
The students ude their ecperience and the kknowledge theyhave mastered of Dutch history, culture, art and society as a tool to understand and explore their own and other societies. Moreover students are confronted witht the questoins in which way history, culture and society shape our cultural identity, our wy of being.
3) Pedagogics (5 ECTS)
We will examine reform pedagogy in all its aspects. We will see which concepts are still used today.
We wonder what a present day and future child need. We explore the new didactics and explore existing concepts which have caught on in the Netherlands.
4) Dutch language (3 ECTS)
This is a Dutch course for our class. We learn the basics of the language, for example to introduce ourselves, talk about our hobbies, colors, show someone the way, ect.
5) Coaching/Counselling and tutorship (CCT / 3 ECTS)
The CCT is different from other modules, since most of the content is not definite yet.
There will be time for teambuilding activities and for personal coaching. Moreover students will be prepared for the practical training.
6) DRAMU (Drama and Music) (2 ECTS)
Starting with rhythm activities, movement and finishing with songd for children we learn to understand the meaning of rhythm, melody and harmony. All native songs will be produces on seet music and recorded ona CD.
Then, at Drama we learnt how to use our body, face and voice to act, to be actors in front of our children. We do a lot of activities during the lessons for doing a final movie where we evaluate our improvement ourselves.
7) Project week "Randstad" (2 ECTS)
During the semester we will take part in a prject week and a number of cultural activities. In this week (in Amsterdam and Den Haag) we will visit a number of cultural and social institutions.
8) Research (5 ECTS)
The research modules offer a good method to examime educational reform. During practical training we will be at school where we will do our research.
9) Teaching practise (4 ECTS)
This is the main and for me the most important part of the whole semester. I am in Zwolle in a Jenaplan school. I have to teach at least 26 lessons. I will see the idea of Jenaplan in a practical way.
10) Teacher in Europe student conference (1 ECTS)
Students learn in an international environment how to design a project under Erasmus + and to complete a final proposal.
Zwolle:
Zwolle is the capital city of the province "Overijssel" being a paradise for students. It is a lively city with a population of more than 118.000 people. It boasts a beautiful city centre with historic buildings, canals and the remainders of an old city wall. But Zwolle has more to offer than just historic landmarks. The city is also rich in art and culture.
Green
Zwolle has great shopping, with charming shopping streets in the centre, where large chain stores alternate with small specialty shops. There are also plenty of culinary delights to be found in and around the centre, ranging from top restaurants to bistros and cafés.
The municipality of Zwolle feels very strongly about the nature found in and around the city. Not only will you find plenty of green spaces, but the municipality also maintains its natural beauty in an innovative fashion. With nearly eighty thousand jobs, Zwolle is also an excellent source of emplyment. The employed population of Zwolle is younger than the overall Dutch average.
Accomodation
The name of my accomodation is Leliestraat, as the street it is situated (street of flowers in Dutch). It is a building in which a lot of Erasmus students of other univiersities are staying. It has got 10 floors of which the 7th, 8th and 9th are only for Erasmus students, the others are for whoever. My room costs 305€ because is shared. The individual ones cost about 400€. My room is 306b, situated in the 7th floor.
Name of accomodation: Leliestraat
Adress: Leliestraat
8034 PJ Zwolle
Country: Netherlands
Website: http://www.sshxl.nl/
Transport
In the Netherlands it is an obligation to have a bike! Without a bike you are totally lost. In the Netherlans are more bikes than cars, it is incredible. There are special ways for bikes everywhere, even in the roundabouts and cars have to stop for you.
But also the train in the Netherlands is really cool! Every 30 minutes there is a direct connection to the bigger cities (Amsterdam, Den Haag, Rotterdam, Groningen, ...) and it is quite cheap. But one thing is really good: the more people you are, the less is costs. So if you are a group of 10, you can go to any city you want for just 7 Euros - and this ticket is valid for the whole day (so back and forth).
Nevertheless, we suggest that you buy a bike when you arrive here. You can either go to a second hand shop or buy a bike from another student leafing Zwolle. Normally, the bikes are around 30€ to 70€. But be aware that you have a good tyre as well as chain, otherwise repairing can get really expensive.
Life in the Netherlands
Here in Zwolle are a lot of opportunities to do something, especially at night. Here are a lot of bars, discos and pubs. A bar called "The flying horse" is the most popular for students, it is always full! But it is not just good for drinking, you can get a meal for 2,50 Euros, which is really cheap.
When you compare Spain and the Netherland from the prices, it is actually the same (maybe in some stuff like meat, fish or alcoholic drinks Spain is cheaper). Clothes are the same, but I think products for "beauty" are quite expensive, but you can always get a special offer at "Kruidvat".
In the city center are a lot of shops where you can buy clothes, something to eat and a lot of other stuff!
When you are here, you have to visit the bigger cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Den Haag! They are absolutely wonderful and every city has its own charme!
Teaching practice:
First of all, Bert Thole divided us to different schools. Some schools are located in Zwolle, one school is in Heerde and one school in Dronten. You teach either alone or in pairs. Moreover, the university decided to mix the nationalities of the students. For example: Austria and Turkey. In addition, some schools have a reformpedagogical focus, like Jenaplan or Dalton. Other schools are concerned on ICT and on the foreign language English. Most of the primary schools can be reached by bus or bike.
In general the primary school in the Netherlands is called "basisschool" and the pupils have to attend school from the age of 4 to 12. All in all the pupils are divided in eight groups. Group 1 and 2 are similar to the "guarderia" in Spain. Group 3 to 6 are like Spanish primary schools.
Teaching practice:
Mid February we had the first contact with our teaching practice schools. The first two Mondays we just observed the lessons of our allocated groups. Moreover, we observed the teachers behaviour including the rituals, (non)-verbal signals and the arrangement in class. While this time we supported the teacher as much as we could. We have to mention, it wasn´t always easy to help the teacher because of the language barrier. It was realy difficult for us Spanish people because our language is specially different than Dutch.
Generally, we were welcomed very friendly at each school and they were happy to have international students at their school because of improving the pupils´ English knowledge. In addition the cultural exchange of the diverse nationalities is a further advantage for the school.
Pupils behaviour:
At the first encounter with the pupils we recognised immediately that their behaviour is different to Spanish pupils. The pupils in our teaching practice schools were working very independently altough the teacher isn´t in the classroom. In addition, if they have a problem or question due to a task, they ask a classmate for advise before asking the teacher. The cohesion of the classes is very strong and the pupils help each other.
When you enter the schools you feel comfortable and relaxed! Each school seems like one family. Moreover, the pupils like being in school and we think that they know the importance of learning. The pupils have already recognised that they learn for themselves and for their future. This way of thinking is given through the working atmosphere in school.
Concerning the "teacher-pupils-relation" in our Netherland schools and in comparison to Austria, this relationship is much closer. This becomes apparent in class because the teacher seems to be like a "friend" or a "companion" for the pupils. Nevertheless, the pupils respect the teacher as an authority.
As you can see below there is the overview of our teaching practice lessons:
All in all we have to absolve 32 teaching practice lessons. For the students which stay 3 months have to absolve 26 lessons.
A "lesson" is defined as follows: The student chooses one activtiy of at least 20 minutes. This activity has to be prepared by using a "lesson preparation form". Each teaching practice day, at least one of our lessons have to be evaluated by using the "evaluation form". In addition, we had to work out a number of compulsory teaching practice assignments (f.e. lesson observation forms, form of effective teacher behaviour, fill in a list of competences, demonstration portfolio, ...)
In conclusion, at least 26 lessons should be given and at least 13 must be evaluated. As already mentioned, in week 20 we had to carry out a project on "world citizeship". This project is in connection with the module "Culture and Society 1". During this project a comparison of the Netherlands and our home country (f.e. Austria) has to be done. Therefore, different topics could be used for preparing a lesson such as special meals, typical dances, differences in school systems, mimes and gestures, proverbs and so on.
Every student has a tutor from university. This tutor is coming one time to observe you during your teaching. Afterwards, a discussion about your lesson takes places. In addition, the "demonstration portfolio" is a basis for the meeting.
My teaching practice schools:
Jenapleinschool Zwolle
Activities during the Internatinal Minor
open podium? -> first week
ice skating
On the first day at the Katholieke Pabo Zwolle, all Erasmus students as well as three teachers went after some lectures ice skating in Deventer. The previous knowledge of this kind of sport was very different within us students. After ice skating, we were all sitting around a fire in the cafeteria of this ice hall. In my opinion, it was a great start of this Erasmus and we could get to know each other.
Typical Dutch games
In order to learn something about the Dutch culture, three Dutch students of the KPZ taught us some typical Dutch games, which are played especially at birthday parties.
This event was also in our first week and we played the following games:
“Zaklopen” (sack race)
“Koekhappen” (catching blindly an in the air hanging cookie only with the mouth )
“Touwtrekken” (tug war)
“Spijkerpoepen” (getting a on a string strapped spike, which is around your belly, into a bottle)
We liked those games very much and at the same time, our community within us international students was growing.
Week with English students
Due to the fact that English students were coming to the KPZ, the teachers had the idea to get them in touch with us international students. In addition, those students are also studying for becoming a primary school teacher. Generally, we had lectures together, in which we could also talk to each other as well as exchange experiences concerning teaching. In mixed national groups, we were playing board games, which were based on answering questions about school experiences. Additionally, we also talked in small groups about advantages as well as disadvantages concerning the educational system in England and in Austria, in our case. Furthermore, we had a Dutch dinner together at the famous student-pub “Het vliegende paard” with very delicious meals. On their last day in the Netherlands, two Dutch students of the KPZ organized a tour through the most popular pubs in Zwolle.
All in all, we think that it this meeting with the English students was a great idea and we could learn something from the others. In addition, the lectures of the KPZ-teachers were also informative and interesting.
International sport day
On the 27.03., the international sport day took place and we international students were invited to join. To be more precise, it had to do with a group competition within teams of the 5 schools for primary school in the Netherlands. In order to take part in it, we had to divide us in two groups and thereby, the minimum of seven students per team had to be considered
The following kinds of sports were offered:
Frisbee
“Monokorfbal”
Hockey
Football - different
Football
Wheel-chair basketball
basketball
All in all, this event was really amusing and we had a lot of fun.
Project week 'Randstad' (Amsterdam and The Hague)
The teachers of the KPZ organized for us international students a three day trip, which was called “Project Week Randstad”. On the first day, we went by train to Amsterdam, where we visited…. . In the evening, we went by train to The Hague, where we went to our hostel. On the second day we went to…. . The night from the second to the third day, we slept in the same hostel. On the third day, we visited…. .
All in all, it only cost 75€, what in my opinion is really less for this nice offer concerning the sights as well as the accommodation in a hostel.
All in all, we are all the same opinion that the organization as well as the choice of the sights was great and we are very grateful for offering this project week.
Reflection:
Studying in Zwolle for five months was an amazing experience. It definitelly changed my life. I especially enjoyed living on leliestraat with a lot of different erasmus students. The international group was also very insprining and I made a lot of new friendships. Last but not least, I will totally recommend going to Zwolle, although people have to be prepared to work hard.
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