I enjoyed settling into the Dutch way of life during my first week and now I was eager to begin classes. I was surprised to find that the majority of my classes where based around open discussion. The tutors themselves where fascinated in hearing about the education within our country. I found it intriguing to find out about the different education systems. I set out on Erasmus expecting to find out the differences between our educational system and that of the Netherlands. Perhaps I had underestimated the amount I would gain from such an experience. Through living with Greek, Belgium and Spanish friends over the last two weeks I have learnt a lot about their culture, and furthermore this has provided enormous opportunities to share ideas in relation to education. The knowledge I have gained already is extremely valuable and I appreciate that I would not learn half as much though studying a text book.
I have learnt a great deal about diverse educational systems, teaching styles and school curriculums through conversations with the Erasmus students in my class. It is great that everyone is willing to share their ideas about education. In the module ‘Dutch Culture and Society’ we looked at PISA ranking of top performing countries and I found it interesting that the Netherlands was rated higher than the United Kingdom in reading, mathematics and science. These figures shocked me at first and taught me to be more critical of my own education system but to also be more open-minded and accepting of other systems. I discovered that Finland was rated highly across the board and it was interesting to find out that a small quantity of money is pumped into schools in Finland in comparison to other countries. In addition, Finland is one of the few countries that require every teacher to have a Master’s degree.
I have learnt a great deal about diverse educational systems, teaching styles and school curriculums through conversations with the Erasmus students in my class. It is great that everyone is willing to share their ideas about education. In the module ‘Dutch Culture and Society’ we looked at PISA ranking of top performing countries and I found it interesting that the Netherlands was rated higher than the United Kingdom in reading, mathematics and science. These figures shocked me at first and taught me to be more critical of my own education system but to also be more open-minded and accepting of other systems. I discovered that Finland was rated highly across the board and it was interesting to find out that a small quantity of money is pumped into schools in Finland in comparison to other countries. In addition, Finland is one of the few countries that require every teacher to have a Master’s degree.
Enjoying the snow
This week it snowed in Nijmegen, temperatures reached as low as -12 degrees. Therefore, it was extremely cold and the snow made it difficult to cycle. My first attempt of cycling in the snow ended in me falling off my bike. Luckily there were no broken bones. To save myself any injuries, I decided to stick to walking and buses for the remainder of the week.
This week our buddies arranged a pub crawl for all the Erasmus students. It was the first night that the Erasmus students had all been together for a night out. It was a good chance to see all the good pubs and places to go out in Nijmegen town. In addition, it was a great bonding experience for all the Erasmus students and I am excited to enjoy more nights out with my new friends over the coming months.
This week our buddies arranged a pub crawl for all the Erasmus students. It was the first night that the Erasmus students had all been together for a night out. It was a good chance to see all the good pubs and places to go out in Nijmegen town. In addition, it was a great bonding experience for all the Erasmus students and I am excited to enjoy more nights out with my new friends over the coming months.
At the pub crawl with all my new Erasmus friends.
I am anxious to begin placement to see what a day in a Dutch school is really like and if it is much different to a typical Northern Irish school day. From classes so far, I have learnt that Dutch schools are keen to let the students take control of their own learning. It will be invaluable to see this first hand and to also experience teaching in such an environment. It is only the end of week two and I have already learnt so much. I feel it would be impossible to put a price on this experience of Erasmus. I can’t wait for the next few months as I feel I have yet so much more to learn.
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