Week 8

Personal Reflection

12th - 19th March

Since being here in The Netherlands I have come to realise that each day brings something new, whether it be the people I find myself with, places we visit or the situation I find myself in. It has made me exceedingly aware of how routinely and ordinary my life can be at home a lot of the time. Even though this is normal and how society functions, I ask myself do I really challenge my thinking like I am doing here by partaking in conversations which makes me think about areas of life that are controversial and have no answers or do I prefer to partake in superficial conversations which are of no profit. I wonder do I always seek to try new things and broaden my horizons, making the most out of the opportunities I am given. I can definitely say after this experience there are many things that will have changed for the better both my attitude and perspective of life.

Over the past few weeks many situations that I’ve found myself in have impacted me greatly and have made me reflect upon myself, one of these being a trip to Amsterdam during Carnival break. There is no way I could leave The Netherlands without having visited one of the most famous cities in the Europe so Christine and I went along with two of the American girls, Linz from Brighton and Ines who is from Portugal for the weekend. It was a great trip and in my eyes a very beautiful city seeped in cultural heritage. We also took a walk through the Red Light District which was most certainly an eye opener for me. Personally I felt very uncomfortable and uneasy walking down these streets yet they were swarming with people and there was real buzz with people sitting outside pubs enjoying the atmosphere and the sunshine.

Although these women have rights and are treated very well I do not believe it is right for anybody to sell their body, even if it is to make money. In speaking with my flatmates after our trip about it I was surprised to hear that they saw prostitution as acceptable in society. Some said people are going to do it anyway so why not make it legal so they are treated better. As a Christian I was saddened to hear this as I firmly believe sex was created by God as bond of love meant between a husband and wife.

Since being on the trip I also came to the conclusion that our cultures have a big impact on our personalities and the way we act. Now that I’ve got to know people better and am spending more time with them I can agree you do see their true colours! I’ve looked at myself in many situations and thought you just don’t do that. Many of these other Erasmus students are very forthright with their opinions to the point that they are self centred and aren’t really concerned about what others think. I’ve realised that people of the Irish culture are caring and concerning for others making sure that we all get to do what everybody wants and everybody is happy yet still being able to stay together in a group whereas the others just wandered off doing their own thing without any unease about splitting from the group in an unfamiliar city.  

As Carl Jung once said, “The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.” Reflecting upon this I can agree that I will come away from this experience with a transformed attitude and personality having been in the company of others who are very different to what I am. I can also say there are certain features of people’s personalities where I think that would be unacceptable back home and is a very undesirable trait. Maybe these people who have experienced my personality would be able to take something from me too.

Kathryn   

Week 7

Cultural Blog

5th - 12th March

There are many things which we associate with being typically Dutch yet after speaking to some Dutch students they informed me that many of these objects did not originate in The Netherlands. For instance it surprised me to find out that tulips originated in Turkey. Clogs or ‘klompen’ on the other hand are assuredly Dutch and they take great pride in these.

The Dutch have been wearing clogs since medieval times. Originally, they were made with a wooden sole and a leather top or strap tacked to the wood. Eventually, the shoes were made entirely from wood to protect the whole foot. Wooden shoe wearers claim the shoes are warm in winter, cool in summer and provide support for good posture. The wood also absorbs perspiration so that the foot can breathe. In my estimation this sounds like the ideal shoe for healthy feet and one any podiatrist would recommend. Contrary to this in an extract by Wilson (1937), he argued that the only reason the Dutch wore clogs was because they lasted longer than shoes of a comparable price thus reflecting the notion of the Dutch being tight with money!

On our trip to Zaanse Schans we had the opportunity to visit a tradesman’s workshop and see the clogs being crafted. The shoes are made by machine today but there are still a few wooden shoe makers in Holland who are able to hand craft these shoes. Given the shape of the shoe and it being one single piece of wood with no joints it was very interesting to see them gradually take shape after beginning with a one rectangular piece of wood. Afterwards many of us had fun finding clogs our size and trying them on to experience them for ourselves. Personally I still cannot understand how they can be comfortable for everyday use as they are worn a size bigger than your normal shoe size resulting in your feet sliding about inside them as you walk.

As well as this there was an exhibition of the many clogs that have been made down through the years, all with different purposes and therefore varying in shape, design and colour. This was very interesting as we were able to see how the clog evolved and changed over time.

In speaking with a Dutch student he said that if you walked down a street with clogs on in the present day people would give you a funny look. In any case this is probably true as I have not yet seen anybody wearing clogs other than the tradesman at the clog workshop. He told me that only farmers, fishermen and factory workers still wear clogs. As well as being waterproof, clogs also protect the foot from heavy and sharp objects therefore being very practical for these people.

After hearing the origin of the clog and finding out more about its practicality and benefits I found myself wondering why the majority of society have stopped wearing clogs as part of their everyday life. The only possible conclusion I could come to was that of the modernising of society and the trends in fashion that are present all over the world. Down through the generations maybe these people have abandoned the uniqueness of the clog to conform to society’s notion of fashionable. This is also likely to be the case for our own society back home, down through the years I’m sure unique objects, events and ways of life have been abandoned by generations in place of more modern ideas.





Kathryn

Week 6

Professional Reflection

26th February - 5th March



Here I am again at the end of another week reflecting on what has been happening here in Nijmegen and what I have gained from these experiences. In terms of professional development this week has been the highlight so far.



The school building



On Tuesday morning Kine (who is from Norway) and I embarked on the journey to our placement school in Oeffelt. Without the help of a very useful Dutch website which planned our journey and gave us all the options of travel I don’t know how we would have got there. Stranmillis students complain about having to get up early during school based work, we left at 7:10am to be in school for 8:30am and still arrived late.

On arrival we were greeted by our mentor Hella who is also the teacher of one of the Grade 8 classes (11/12 yr olds) we are with. Being an international student stepping into a Dutch school for the very first time with little to none of the Dutch language was a very daunting experience but she made us feel at ease right away. She explained all the details we needed to know for the forthcoming practise and told us about the school and the environment we would be working in as well as answering any questions we had.

Basisschool het Telaraam runs under the ideology of the ‘essential schools model’ which on my first impression is very evident within the school. The common principles of this model are students taking centre stage as workers with the teacher acting as a coach, strong sense of democracy and equity, less being more – depth over coverage and personalisation for each individual to name but a few characteristics. The Coalition of Essential Schools states “We envision an educational system that equips all students with the intellectual, emotional, and social habits and skills to become powerful and informed citizens who contribute actively toward a democratic and equitable society.”

The surrounding area

As I we took a tour of the school and observed various activities and lessons going on I was able to see many similarities with this model and that of what the Northern Ireland Curriculum aims to engage children in and achieve. This being the case I look forward to comparing teaching strategies and gaining insight into innovative and creative methods which I am not familiar with and using these as a future educator.

One unique difference I have noticed and been taken back by is the relaxed atmosphere upheld by everybody in the school which is reflected in the positive behaviour of all pupils in the school. There is a strong sense of partnership and trust between teachers and pupils. In many ways teachers are on a much closer level with pupils. Children call teachers by their first names. As Hella told us, teachers need to know children but children also need to know the teacher. I can agree strongly with this, children are able to sense a teacher’s enthusiasm and commitment to their learning. A strong relationship is built on trust and respect from both partners. Pondering on my own experiences of education I can say that this was not the case for the most. As a class we openly shared our experiences but we never heard of the teacher’s experiences.

School Council

I noticed that teachers and the principal talked to children in an informal manner most of the time, had fun with them and made sure the environment was very positive with lots of laughing and joking. I could sense that the children were happy to be there and enjoyed school. On Wednesday afternoon we had the opportunity to attend the student council meeting which was a very beneficial experience in many ways. One particular observation that I still can’t get my head around was one of the younger pupils sat on the principal’s knee because there weren’t enough seats. It seems to me that this is normal behaviour. As well as this the pupils were eager for us to participate in a Physical Education lesson with them. I am constantly reminded of child protection issues, safety issues and the notion of ‘keeping yourself right’ if something were to happen which is central to all practice at home.

Reflecting upon all of this I feel much more comfortable in the schooling environment here in the Netherlands. If I were to comment on the relationship between the teacher and pupil back home I would say that there is a barrier between them. In some ways there is still the traditional view that teachers are on a different level to pupils which is reflected in the way they treat pupils and the authoritarian figure upheld.  

As a future educator this has made me ponder on how I will conduct my practice and develop relationships with pupils. According to Adler, “the purpose of learning is growth, and our minds unlike our bodies continue growing as long as we live.” In any case we wish to foster the notion of the teacher being the facilitator rather than the island of knowledge. We do not know everything nor have we got all the answers to questions, it is through experiences and interactions we too learn and develop knowledge therefore there needs to be an equal status in the relationship.

In all my first experience in my practise school has been a very positive one and I look forward to teaching my Group 8 class.

Kathryn

Week 5

Personal Blog

19^th – 26^th February

Amongst many of the reasons why I’ve decided to take part on the Erasmus programme and leave home to study in another country for a semester is to develop as an individual and learn more about myself. This I can say already has most definitely been the case.

Our classes here uphold a very relaxed and open atmosphere. Most of the learning we do is through group work or discussions and personally I feel I am more confident in contributing to these discussions with independence of thought and personal opinion more so than I would at home. In thinking about this it puzzles me; I questioned whether it was because I don’t know the people on the same level as I know many of the people in my class back in Stranmillis or because the atmosphere and environment fostered is more inviting and respectful of one’s opinion. In any case from these experiences and others contribution, our discussions have been very engaging and interesting. I can say I have learned a lot and been stimulated to question and deepen my thinking.

With this in mind we also had a class on ‘Learning about Learning’. It was taken by one of our teachers who is an educational psychologist and has conducted a lot or research in this area especially with student teachers. According to her theory there are five ways in which we learn as student teachers. Inactive/survival, closed reproduction, open reproduction, dependant meaning or independent meaning (Oosterheert 2003). I was able to conclude that at present I see myself in the third stage. I am able to process theory when it is provided but I do not seek it out, ‘keep’ or ‘forget’ attitude and learning is predominantly on the surface, not asking ‘why’. The ideal stage is Stage 5, one where we have a deep independent use of sources, critically process, perceiving our current practice as a continuous ‘research area’ as well as being aware of limitations in our own intuitive knowledge. In any case these stages are not static for the individual and one could progress to becoming independent meaning orientated as they develop as an individual which is a very achievable goal.

We’ve also been taking a Dutch language course since we arrived in The Netherlands. I must admit this has not been the easiest, I never thought learning a language could be so difficult. The approach the teacher has adopted to teaching the language is obviously contrary to my learning style as it has been highly unsuccessful so far! Rather than starting with the usual vocabulary and useful phrases, we dived right with the grammar. I am determined not to leave without some Dutch so I shall persevere on with the help of Google and its wonderful translators and hopefully I’ll be able to master some.

This failed attempt so far made me consider and empathise with many learners in today’s classrooms.  Reflecting on my school practice in both 1^st and 2^nd year I questioned whether I had provided sufficient provision for all the types of learners within the classroom as well as building on what they already knew in order that each individual would be able to succeed in what they were doing. (Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences and Piaget’s Constructivism) Given this experience I am confident that it has impacted my thinking and in turn I will put much more careful thought into all aspects of planning lessons.

So I can assuredly say this has been a personal learning experience so far, one which I hope will impact me in many ways when I return home.

Kathryn

Week 4

Cultural Reflection

12th - 19th February

It’s been four weeks now since I first set foot on Dutch soil and what a fantastic first month it has been so far; making new friends, exploring Dutch culture, beginning class and adventuring around different parts of The Netherlands! Adding to this, we spent the weekend with our class on a ‘Tour to the West’ which was organised for us by the university as part of our programme.

We left on Thursday morning and travelled westwards making our first stop at Zaanse Schans, a quaint little village on the banks of the river Zaan. On arrival most of us were pleasantly surprised as this was our first experience of the typically Dutch windmills. This is a very beautiful place portraying what a Zaanse village would have looked liked in the 16^th and 17^th century. In the village there were charming green wooden houses, small humped backed bridges at the entrance of the houses, tradesmen’s workshops and at the heart of village were the windmills that are still fully functional today. We had the opportunity to take a tour inside the sawmill windmill where we were able to see the very detail of its construction in mastering many tasks yet using only wind as its source of power.

Given the century these windmills were originally constructed in made me ponder upon the innovation of their creation and the length of time it would have taken to construct and assemble each piece necessary to make it function inside and out with only the hands of talented and skilled labourers.

From here we travelled through the flat countryside to The Hague where we stayed in a hostel for the weekend. On the following day we had a tour of the city with a difference which was a lot more fun than a guided tour. We were split into groups of 4 with each group being given 11 envelopes and a map. Basically we had to find our way to various pieces of architecture, monuments and museums around the city based on the information in the envelopes. At each place we were able to read about its historical significance as well as finding an answer to a question in order to win a prize at the end if we got the most right. We also visited the parliament buildings and the Escher museum both of which have fascinating architecture and history.

Despite the fact it was a bitterly cold day, I learned a lot about the rich cultural heritage of The Hague and would recommend a visit to this beautiful city.

On Saturday we took a trip to the nearby city of Delft the home of the famous artist Johannes Vermeer as well as the place where William of Orange resided during the time he fought against his Spanish occupier. We visited The Old Church and The New Church which is the burial place of William of Orange. Personally it was an enriching experience to see the stark contrasts in the places of worship between the Protestant and Catholic denominations. Although I have been in Catholic places of worship before I was surprised by the sheer amount of lavishness and decoration in this church. In my opinion it was overdone and took away from the very heart of what a church is for. Being a Christian, it was somewhat disheartening to see idols of Mary being worshipped as well as images of The Trinity being portrayed given that nowhere do we know what God looks like physically.

Each city that I have visited so far in the Netherlands has a market day and so was the case in Delft on Saturday. At these markets you can find almost anything yet the most prominent stalls seem to be flowers, cheese, fruit and vegetables and fish. After a little dander around the Delft market I must admit the highlight was seeing Stroopwafels actually being made. These are a type of wafel that are typically Dutch, made with two thin layers of biscuits and a layer of caramel in the middle. Well worth a taste!

We left the hostel on Sunday morning and on our journey home we visited Kinderdijk. This is another village in the Netherlands famous for its windmills, 19 in total. It is set on a polder and the windmills were used to pump the water when it gets too high out to the sea. Although this is done with electric powered engines now, the windmills are still functional and are used when water levels rise very high. Given that the windmills can only pump water a certain distance they are all at different levels working together to pump the water up.

Kinderdijk is a very picturesque place with much wildlife and habitation. As Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands once said “Nature is under control but not disturbed”, this can be seen at Kinderdijk.  Without being able to control the water levels it is evident that much of the surrounding areas which accommodate a lot of industry would be under threat.

In all it was a fantastic weekend spent with great people but also one in which I learned a lot and was able to see where traditions of Dutch culture originated from. As Pavlov (1935) once said, don’t become a mere recorder of facts but try to penetrate the mystery of their origin.

This experience has made me consider my knowledge of my own culture back home in Ireland. We've had the experience of telling our classmates about our countries and the culture we have but truthfully I feel I don't know very much about the deep rooted historical origins of our culture and heritage, something of which I am now inquisitive about.

Kathryn

Week 3

Professional Blog

5^th February – 12^th February

For my university study here in Nijmegen I am enrolled as part of the ‘Tomorrow’s Education Today’ programme which we undertake in the Teacher Training College at PABO which is a faculty of HAN University. In Stranmillis we are used to having the Erasmus students in our classes but this is not the case on the TET programme. Our class consists solely of 30 Erasmus students from countries all over Europe. In some ways it is relieving to know that all our classes are in English and given that this is our mother tongue we have no excuse not to understand, but it also means we do not get the opportunity to interact with the Dutch students in the college apart from social events.

Classes are now in ‘full swing’, having a maximum number of three days class per week so far! This will soon change when we start placement which we will have for 2 days a week also. The first class of the day begins at 8:45am, not a good time when we have a 30 minute cycle to get to university. It may be a good way to get us used to the early mornings; apparently schools open at 8:15am in the morning!

University life is in some ways very similar to home and in other ways remarkably different. Teachers are called by their first name and like home there is a very open relationship between students and teachers. They are willing to help and answer any questions we may have. I have noticed that they dress very informally and in my opinion this adds to the relaxed atmosphere that is fostered in all classes. On Friday afternoons the ‘PABO pub’ opens and this is a place where teachers and students go and socialise together after classes. Given the reactions from most of our class they had not seen such a sight either. I could not imagine all the Stranmillis students and lecturers heading to the union on a Friday afternoon to relax and socialise after classes. It made me think about our lives in Ireland and in a sense it reflects the busyness in our lives and attitude towards university. We all rush off after class whereas the Dutch seem to view this as an important part of everyday life spending time with educators and fellow peers in the positive atmosphere of the university.

So far we’ve had classes on Children’s rights and Diversity in Education. The main aim of these classes is to develop a better understanding of this dimension of education through sharing our experiences in these areas and learning from others. We have had no lectures so far and to my knowledge I don’t think there is even such a place as a lecturer theatre in PABO. In these classes we have taken part in a lot of paired and group work, sharing and discussing and reflecting and concluding activities. I have really enjoyed these classes as they have been highly interactive and there has been a sound sense of supportiveness where all opinions are welcomed and fostered.

From my participation in these classes it has made me realise how important it is for children to be fully engaged in their learning, working with others to construct meaning within a positive and supportive environment. For me Johnson et al (1991) sums up the environment in which learning should take place. They say learning is a social process that occurs through interpersonal interaction within a cooperative context. Individuals, working together, construct shared understandings and knowledge. From my teaching experience I have seen that this is the case in Northern Ireland and is evident in the majority of classrooms that have embraced the Northern Ireland Curriculum. Through my participation in these experiences already I can see how I have been challenged in my thinking, gained confidence in sharing my opinions and learned from others in order to construct a better understanding. Essentially this is what I aspire to foster in the learning environment I will create as a teacher. As the Northern Curriculum (2007) states, “children learn best when learning is interactive, practical and enjoyable”.

Kathryn

Week 2

 Cultural Reflection

29th January - 5th February

As I reflect on my cultural experiences and learning over the last two weeks and I can say it has been most fascinating and interesting. I came to The Netherlands with the stereotypical view that is painted in most people’s mind of the Dutch culture; windmills, bicycles, cheese, tulips and the notion of ‘going Dutch’ etc. Yet beyond these facts there is so much more to their culture and way of living that I have only became aware of through participation in Dutch society and communicating with these Dutch people. As well as this, living with people from around the world has also deepened my understanding of other cultures.

Bicycles take centre stage in Dutch society. There is nearly 19,000km of cycle paths in The Netherlands and over twice as many bicycles as inhabitants. We all have our own bicycles now and it has become a part of our daily living too. We leave 40 minutes before class starts to cycle the 7km journey to university. It still amuses me as to how much priority cyclists have over other road users.  On our first journey to class we experienced our first roundabout which we were negotiating on a bicycle. Not only was I confused as to which way the cars were coming as they drive on the other side of the road but when I came to the junction all traffic approaching just came to a halt in mid flow of going around the roundabout to allow me to continue my journey. If this were at home I’m sure I’d have been run over by now given the road rage most Irish drivers have. This is most certainly one dimension of Dutch culture that has been a real learning curve for me. Although I have noticed Dutch drivers just like the Irish have not quite understood the concept of the zebra crossing. Just like home it’s always safer to look left and right and cross when there are no cars coming.

In our first ‘Diversity’ class we compared and discussed how people greet each other in each of our cultures. This class was most interesting; we were able to conclude that for most cultures there are different words for saying hello, these being formal and informal. Yet the Irish do not differentiate between different people with different greetings, they prefer to use body language to signify formal and informal. The Dutch like to greet people they have not seen in a while with three kisses. Quite frankly I can’t imagine the Irish adopting this tradition, a hug is about the closest you’ll get!

During introduction week we had group creative assignments presentations. In groups with others from the same country we presented to the rest of the class what are countries are like, the values we focus on and what our culture is like. Personally I gained a lot from this, not only did I learn a lot about the different countries and cultures of my classmates, I had to reflect on the Irish culture and together with the others in the group decide how best to present the Irish culture. It was a great opportunity to reflect and appreciate my own country as well as comparing it with other countries. Many people in the class commented on how Ireland was their favourite and they’d love to come and visit. I think we did a very good job promoting the Emerald Isle!

For me I feel Nehru (1889) sums up my experience of culture so far. He said culture is about the widening of the mind and of the spirit. Personally I feel this has been the case, already I can say I have a much more broadened view of other cultures, one that goes beyond the conventional thinking of the majority who have not experienced it firsthand. As well as this I have been able to reflect on my own culture and develop a real appreciation of it.



I feel what I have learned will be of great benefit as a teacher. Before coming to The Netherlands I had adopted the stereotypical view of the Dutch but as I have noticed there is much more to Dutch culture and society. Within the multicultural classrooms that I will be engaged in, I have been made aware that we cannot make assumptions of individual’s cultures. After all as Hollins (1996) states, “Culture is an integral part of human existence.” In any case culture is part of who we are and as a teacher we aim to develop pupils as individuals to their full potential. Therefore it must not be assumed we are a common culture even within the same country.

Kathryn