My Experience Studying Abroad
In May 2012, I had the opportunity to study abroad in the Netherlands, Europe for three weeks focusing on education, culture and technology. We visited various types of schools in Maastricht, Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Aachen (Germany). We toured, taught, and/or observed in 5 schools within these three cities. Each school offered a different experience and also the opportunity to see education in a different way than what we usually see at home in America. I hope to show you what this experience was like for me and how it has helped me to think about education differently.
At the beginning of the program we were asked to focus on three global competencies that we would be developing throughout our stay in Europe. The three global competencies I chose are conveying my ideas verbally, the ability to work independently and applying information to new or broader concepts. Development of these competencies came through working and observing in the schools as well as immersing ourselves in the European culture to complete an assignment entitled “Hour by myself.” This assignment required us to spend an hour alone exploring the city by doing something that took us outside of our comfort zone. When we completed the hour alone we had to document what we did and what we discovered about ourselves and the culture by recording video logs. Below is an example of one of my hour by myself videos:
An Hour By Myself
During this hour by myself I went to the cinema to see a movie, a Dutch movie. The main characters spoke in Dutch therefore I could not understand what they were saying. I had to use facial expressions, actions, emotions and other context clues to understand what was going on. Though it was difficult because of the language barrier, it gave me a better understanding of what it is like to learn another language through watching tv or a movie. In many of the schools we visited teachers mentioned that students learn English by watching movies or television.
With this assignment I put myself in the shoes of a second language learner and this video details the outcome.
With this assignment I put myself in the shoes of a second language learner and this video details the outcome.
Inquiries
In addition to the hour by myself assignments we were also required to complete inquiry posts that were based off questions we had after visiting the different schools and seeing differences in their culture. Here are few examples of my inquiry posts describing questions that I had and things that were of particular interest to me:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/cristyn-wilson/inquiry-1-church-and-state/288122657946858
This is the first inquiry I completed in which I discuss the idea of church and state in the Dutch society. I found this to be interesting because in most of their schools they teach religion, however the amount of people who practice religion has diminished over time. I wanted to know if there was any relation between the teaching that is done in the classroom and the change in society. In this post I explored religious teachings in the Dutch Society and how it has changed over the years.
http://www.facebook.com/notes/cristyn-wilson/inquiry-7-benefits-of-teaching-art-education/297042577054866
In this inquiry I discussed the use and presence of art in the classroom and how it can help benefit students overall learning. In most of the schools we visited, there was always some element of art either in the classrooms or throughout the halls that was created by the students. In one school in particular, teachers created a gallery in one of the halls for students to display their artistic abilities. I found this to be extremely intriguing because in the United States there is less of a focus on art. This inquiry post describes what I found out about teaching art education in the classroom.
http://www.facebook.com/notes/cristyn-wilson/black-vs-white-in-dutch-education/296108283814962
In this inquiry post I focused on the idea Black and White schools in the Netherlands. I learned that the schools in the Netherlands are segregated between the North and the South where “black” students attend school in the North and white students attend school in the South. This was of particular interest to me because I have a focus in urban education. Also, this was intriguing because their definition of Black is different than what I would consider Black. In this post you will see what I found out about the perception of “black” schools in the Netherlands.
http://www.facebook.com/notes/cristyn-wilson/inquiry-1-church-and-state/288122657946858
This is the first inquiry I completed in which I discuss the idea of church and state in the Dutch society. I found this to be interesting because in most of their schools they teach religion, however the amount of people who practice religion has diminished over time. I wanted to know if there was any relation between the teaching that is done in the classroom and the change in society. In this post I explored religious teachings in the Dutch Society and how it has changed over the years.
http://www.facebook.com/notes/cristyn-wilson/inquiry-7-benefits-of-teaching-art-education/297042577054866
In this inquiry I discussed the use and presence of art in the classroom and how it can help benefit students overall learning. In most of the schools we visited, there was always some element of art either in the classrooms or throughout the halls that was created by the students. In one school in particular, teachers created a gallery in one of the halls for students to display their artistic abilities. I found this to be extremely intriguing because in the United States there is less of a focus on art. This inquiry post describes what I found out about teaching art education in the classroom.
http://www.facebook.com/notes/cristyn-wilson/black-vs-white-in-dutch-education/296108283814962
In this inquiry post I focused on the idea Black and White schools in the Netherlands. I learned that the schools in the Netherlands are segregated between the North and the South where “black” students attend school in the North and white students attend school in the South. This was of particular interest to me because I have a focus in urban education. Also, this was intriguing because their definition of Black is different than what I would consider Black. In this post you will see what I found out about the perception of “black” schools in the Netherlands.