Encourage more male students to start at teacher training college in Emmen. That was the aim of the NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences in Emmen during the open day that was held today.
A majority of the House of Representatives wants teacher training colleges to put more effort into creating more teachers for the classroom. At the teacher training college in Emmen, 27 percent of the students are already male, compared to 17 percent nationally. But it can be even better.
One of the students who had to help the visitors get across the finish line is fourth-year student Bas Stoevelaar. “I really like it. I hope to be in front of the class soon. I really enjoy that. The children give you energy. When you have explained something and you see the penny drop, it is really nice to to see.”
The fact that the teacher training college in Emmen attracts many male students is partly due to the attention paid to science and technology in that course, thinks teacher training teacher Ester Hulshof. “I think men are a little more into tools, programming and film activities.”
But the nursery internship is not that popular among male students. In the first year, students are required to do an internship with preschoolers, which means that boys regularly drop out after the first year. In Emmen they try to keep those students on board.
“I tell them that it only takes six months of the training. And you can also do an internship in other groups. And the toddlers are also great fun,” says Stoevelaar.
According to teacher Hulshof, the school tries to be flexible with this. “If a male student indicates that the nursery internship is not his thing, or he is dreading it, then we say: ‘try it’. And if it doesn’t work out, we will look at what is a good and suitable group for the student to meet. to fulfill his wishes.”
That is exactly what the House of Representatives wants: a more specialized teacher training college aimed at older primary school students. The aim is 50 percent masters and 50 percent teachers in the class. But is that feasible?
“It is a nice goal if it is 50/50, but there is no guarantee that it will succeed,” says Hulshof.
View the report below at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences in Emmen.