The Koning Willem II college in Tilburg has itself developed a Science subject to better prepare pre-university students for university. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science has issued a license with which the grade for this subject will count towards the final exam with effect from next school year.
There is a long silence in the online classroom. Some 3 pre-university students from the Koning Willem II college in Tilburg are working together on an assignment. Their teacher Annabel Romijn asked them to come up with a topic that you can research from both biology and physics. That turns out to be quite difficult. Then Jakub suddenly suggests:“The ear!” Mika confirms:“Good one:the ear itself is biology and the sound waves are physics.”
During the discussion, in class in another online room, Romijn is satisfied with their answer. “So you see that the subjects you get at school are not separate boxes, but are all related. Just like in science”, she summarizes her lesson. “You can also find physics in geography, for example, such as pressure differences when it comes to rain. And you can actually link history to any field.”
Romijn's lesson is part of the Science subject, which her school has developed to better prepare pre-university students for university. Recently, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science licensed the school to make science an examination subject. From next school year, the grade will count towards the school exam. Until now, only one school has received such a license.
Really preparing for academic education
“When supervising the profile papers of the students in 6 vwo, we realized that we hardly train them for this”, says Tjeerd van de Laar, who, as a teacher of Philosophy, forms the basis of the new school subject. “The profile paper is a concluding, cross-curricular project that serves as a kind of test of research competence. For example, students must formulate a good research question and conduct thorough research from sources. We cannot expect them to be able to do all of that.”
Based on the idea that pre-university education (VWO) should actually prepare for scientific education, the school therefore started developing the learning track five years ago. “We took the profile assignment as a starting point:what do we expect from the students? We started working towards that from 1 VWO.”
The Science subject at the school now has a permanent place on the schedule for grades 1 to 5 vwo. The material from 4 and 5 vwo forms the examination programme, for which a license has now been obtained. The grade for this subject counts towards the combination grade, the average grade of a few subjects in which the students do not take a central exam, such as social studies, CKV and general natural sciences (ANW).
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The rules of the game
Doesn't this course largely overlap with the existing ANW course? “Some schools do indeed choose to include comparable material in the subject of general natural sciences,” confirms Van de Laar. “But we thought that was too limited a form. When they think of science, students usually only think of science subjects. We just want to show that science is reflected in all school subjects. Also in geography, Dutch and even in gym.”
The Science subject therefore links up as much as possible with what other teachers do with the students. “In physical education, for example, students conduct research into the relationship between sport and music or food. And in Dutch they learn more about bilingualism, for example through interviews with students from the international transition class.”
The lessons are a mix of theory and practice. “We think about what actually makes science scientific. How does scientific knowledge differ from other types of knowledge? That is real philosophy of science”, says Van de Laar enthusiastically. “But they also regularly work on their own. In this way they not only learn the rules of the game, they also learn to play the game.”
Strengthen start position
Anick Vollebergh teaches the course Academic Skills to first-year Anthropology students at Radboud University and sees major differences between students. “When they start their studies, some of the secondary school students have little insight into what exactly science entails and what the ethical and practical guidelines are for gathering and communicating scientific knowledge,” she says.
Although a large proportion of these students make a huge catch up in the first year, the lack of prior knowledge is a permanent problem for some. For example, they only realize after a while that a university study is not for them. “They often find the continuous doubting of truths, the existence of multiple theoretical perspectives, and the need to master a scientific language and writing style frustrating. Or they continue to have great difficulty – and sometimes little motivation – to master the scientific codes and attitude. For this small group, we as a training program have to pay a lot of attention to these basic skills.”
She therefore thinks that a science subject in high school is a good idea. “Especially for first-generation students, who have not acquired an affinity with and insight into university knowledge and training from home, I can imagine that a 'science line' in secondary education can contribute to strengthening their starting position.”
Blind spot
During the development of the learning track, Van de Laar regularly consulted the university community. “I myself obtained my PhD in philosophy, so I still have a lot of contacts there. In addition, at a professional conference I met Kees de Glopper, professor of Dutch Language Proficiency at the University of Groningen. He also regularly monitored and, for example, gave feedback on the attainment targets. That was very nice, otherwise you can easily develop a blind spot. Even now that the course is in place, we have to keep looking for that connection.”
At the end of the online lesson, Romijn tells her class how she graduated in biophysics herself. “The name alone shows the overlap between the disciplines. I was working on a biosensor that can measure biological processes in your body. The best known is the pregnancy test. This biosensor registered a substance in the blood that can predict heart failure. So very useful!” Without webcams, it's hard to see if her enthusiasm comes across to the students. It is clear that science is much broader than they thought possible based on their school subjects.
Item from Omroep Tilburg about the extra exam subject of the King Willem II college