English Honours Programme

As a student of the English Honours Programme you examine key concepts related to learning, language, education and pedagogy within a bilingual environment. You will analyse systems of education, build a motivated critique of the purpose of education and develop your professional skills as well as your professional network.

The EHP is a full-time, grade two teacher training programme. From day 1 you will be required to carry out a placement at a bilingual school; requiring a proactive and professional approach. You will learn to analyse issues encountered in your teaching, to carry out independent research and to express ideas coherently both in Dutch and in English. The programme provides a stimulating learning environment that will stretch and develop your intellectual potential to its fullest. You will be expected to be able to adapt to the diverse urban multilingual and multicultural environment in the Amsterdam region and teach at various types of (bilingual/language-intensive) schools ranging from vmbo through havo, vwo and mbo.

CORNERSTONES

Our programme focusses on three areas of development:

1. subject knowledge;
2. teaching placement;
3. professional development.

You will also spend a compulsory semester improving your intercultural skills and knowledge whilst studying at a university abroad.

Year one is spent on the mainstream English programme. Students who have obtained 60 credits at the end of year one on the English Teacher Training programme may choose to apply to the English Honours programme.

In your second year you will broaden and deepen your knowledge of linguistics and literature; two essential aspects of teaching English in bilingual schools, as well as learning about Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) whereby other subjects are taught in English. The English teacher in bilingual education plays a pivotal role within the school and needs to have a thorough understanding of how children learn language and content in this environment as well as how other subject teachers can best teach using English.

A WEEK ABROAD

Your second year involves more than studying and school placements. There will also be a one-week trip to the UK where you will visit several universities. This trip will introduce you to what it will be like to live and study for a semester outside the Netherlands in your third year. This will also be the opportunity to experience CLIL first-hand as a student abroad. Naturally, there will be time to enjoy British culture as well.

SECOND PLACEMENT

Your second-year placement lasts the entire year. Every Wednesday and Thursday you will be at the school with another EHP student learning to hone your teaching skills. You will be teaching entire lessons but now more focused on the specificity of teaching in a bilingual environment and the learning needs and abilities of these specific pupils.

You will start to become a member of the teaching team at your placement school, i.e. teaching full lessons, invigilating exams, going on school excursions. For a full description on your placement requirements, see the year two placement handbook.

SPECIALISATION IN THE EHP

At the end of year two you may apply to specialise in either a literature route or a linguistics route. Successfully completing one of these routes will enable you to apply for direct access to a related master's programme at the UvA or the VU i.e. without the need for a pre-Masters, which is generally required from HBO graduates.

Eligibility depends on meeting admission criteria. A successful evaluation by EHP staff grants access to the extra-curricular programme in literature and linguistics.

FIRST SEMESTER

During semester one of year three you will follow modules such as teaching methodology with a focus on differentiation, Language and Society, and Literary History all of which intend to prepare you for your semester abroad.

SECOND SEMESTER: EXCHANGE ABROAD

EXCHANGE SEMESTER

Semester two is typically spent studying at a European University with one of our European Erasmus Exchange Programme partners. Optional work experience places may be a possibility.

In Europe, the AUAS is extending existing agreements with a university in Sweden, the Czech Republic and Finland. There is careful consideration in the choice of partner universities to ensure that all students are able to fulfil the requirements of the Dutch compulsory National Knowledge test. In this way, the semester spent outside the Netherlands fully complements the rest of the EHP.

Note: The exchange between universities is part of the Erasmus programme; students from participating countries may apply for an Erasmus grant.

All EHP students are required to go abroad as a part of the International programme.

SPECIALISATION

At the end of your third year of study you will select a profile specialisation:

• preparatory secondary vocational education/senior secondary vocational education (vmbo/mbo) or
• senior general secondary education/pre-university education (havo/vwo).

The main phase of the specialisation consists of 60 credits, which covers the entire year 4 programme including placement and your final research project both of which are still focused on the specialised field of bilingual education.

Please note that your specialisation is directly linked to your choice of placement school at the end of year 3. You may not, for example, choose your specialisation in vocational education and then complete your fourth-year placement at a Pre-university school. ​

Your fourth year consists of modules and a parallel placement at a Dutch (tto) school. You will deepen/broaden your knowledge of literature and linguistics. All modules cater to your chosen specialisation. Research takes a central role as you focus on collecting, analysing and evaluating data at your placement school that will further support your understanding of learners in their learning process.

In year four you are required to complete the National Knowledge Test as a prerequisite for obtaining the teaching diploma.

THE NATIONAL KNOWLEDGE TEST

For every school subject in the Netherlands, a National Knowledge Base (landelijke kennisbasis) has been compiled, which lists the underpinning knowledge needed by teachers of that subject. The subject knowledge in this document is tested annually in the National Knowledge Test (NKT).

For the subject of English, the test consists of two parts:

• the Digital Knowledge Base Test, covering the foundation knowledge base and
• the Cambridge English Proficiency Exam (CPE).

All grade 2 students are required to pass the NKT to attain their diploma.

For further information on the NKT, please refer to '10voordeleraar' website. Here you will find an exam guide specifying exactly what subject knowledge is tested as well as a mock test for the digital exam.

Students must have attained their Foundation year certificate and they must have passed sixty-five percent (65%) of the subject-specific modules including English Speaking World to take the exam. Note that subject-specific modules do not include placement.

Once you have completed your studies at the grade 2 English teacher training programme you will be a qualified English teacher and may use the title Bachelors of Education (with Honours).

If you feel you wish to continue with your studies, you may choose to follow one of the Masters routes. The Masters routes allow students to directly transfer to one of the following master's programmes at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS), at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) or at the VU University Amsterdam (VU).

• Master Leraar Engels at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
• Master Leraar Voorbereidend Hoger Onderwijs Engels at the VU University Amsterdam
• Master Language and Education at the University of Amsterdam
• Master Literature and Edudation at the University of Amsterdam

The EHP offers the chance to travel and experience European cultures from the 'inside'.

In your third year, you will spend one semester studying abroad at a European university. Studying abroad puts you in a unique position to find out about English and Education studies from a different, foreign perspective and compare this to what you have experienced at home.

Living and studying in another country doesn’t just give you a broader view of the world but also a richer understanding of life. It goes without saying that the modules at AUAS also feature an international outlook on the world – but to go abroad and experience diversity first-hand in a foreign classroom is an experience unto itself!

The programme is compact and intensive, totalling 180 credits in the three higher years. One credit equals 28 hours of study time for a four-year programme. This translates to 42 weeks of classes per year, with an average of 40 hours of study a week.

Students who have attained 60 credits at the end of year one on the English Teacher Training programme may choose to apply to the English Honours programme.

Successful completion of the English Honours Programme grants you the title of Bachelor of Education (with Honours).

As a graduate of the EHP you may start work as an English teacher in the grade 2 area (the lower years of secondary school) in the Netherlands. You will have specialised in bilingual, challenging English programmes (fast-track English) at Dutch secondary schools and you will have gained more in-depth knowledge of the working of international schools.

• Take into account that you will also have costs for books, readers and other study materials, on average €150 per semester, in addition to your university tuition fees.
• In your second year, you will also go to the UK with the programme. You will visit several universities in preparation for your year three abroad. Costs for this trip are about €300 to € 400 on average.
• In year three you will study abroad for one semester. Though your tuition fees are paid at the AUAS, you will need money for housing and living expenses. The amount needed depends on the country where you are going to study.