International Teacher Education for Primary Schools (ITEPS) course summary
The ITEPS degree at NHL Stenden teaches you how to think and work in a multicultural environment and from a cross-cultural perspective. You will become a creative professional able to teach in privately funded international primary schools or in another position in the field of international education.
The programme for ITEPS
The programme offers a diverse range of subjects and has a strong practical focus. You will gain extensive experience teaching at international primary schools in the Netherlands and abroad. There you will work on developing educational, pedagogical and teaching skills in the context of a multicultural classroom.
Semester 1
Through the modules Introduction to Teaching and Learning,
you focus on developing your basic teaching skills. Covering pedagogy, didactics and developmental psychology, you learn the different theories and apply them immediately during classes.
Throughout the year, you work on your research skills, applying for instance, practice-oriented research in your assignments. The teaching practice is at the end
of the first semester. You also do teaching practice for four weeks in an international school.
Semester 2
Explore the basic subjects of mathematics and English as an international language and learn about dealing with a diversity of students in the classroom through the subject democratic citizenship. You carry out assessments that bring the subjects you study together so that you form your own vision on teaching and learning.
Work on multi-week thematic plans for a particular year group, designing lessons and thinking about classroom design and teaching aids. In addition, you work in a group writing a children’s book, which you actually go on to publish and present at our book fair.
Subjects:
Study load: 12-20 contact hours per week, 24 hours self-study hours per week | 60 ECTS
Semester 1
Continue to develop your teaching skills and work on your didactics for maths and English as an international language. Work on projects related to the sustainable development goals, culminating in a conference that you organise as a class.
Semester 2
Develop a maths tool that you try out in practice and later present to primary school pupils during the end-of-semester exhibition.
Subjects:
Study load: 12-20 contact hours per week, 24 hours self-study hours per week | 60 ECTS
Minor subject (study abroad)
During your minor you focus on a specific subject or expand your knowledge by taking an additional subject. This allows you to truly take charge of your education by ‘customising’ your course.
You can take these minors on the NHL Stenden campus in the Netherlands or at one of the NHL Stenden Grand Tour locations in South Africa, Bali or Thailand. You can also choose from minors offered by other courses and universities of applied sciences via an Exchange programme – this is all part of broadening your academic skills.
Read more about the options available and where you can take your minors in the section below on minors and specialisations.
Internship & research
Prepare for the final phase of your studies with the subjects educational studies and research. Undertake a teaching practice for 10 consecutive weeks.
Subjects:
Study load: 12-20 contact hours per week, 24 hours self-study hours per week | 60 ECTS
Minor subject (study abroad)
During your minor you focus on a specific subject or expand your knowledge by taking an additional subject. This allows you to truly take charge of your education by ‘customising’ your course.
You can take these minors on the NHL Stenden campus in the Netherlands or at one of the NHL Stenden Grand Tour locations in South Africa, Bali or Thailand. You can also choose from minors offered by other courses and universities of applied sciences via an Exchange programme – this is all part of broadening your academic skills.
Read more about the options available and where you can take your minors in the section below on minors and specialisations.
Teaching practice & thesis
Spend 9-12 weeks on an teaching practice in an international school. You teach at least 85% of the lessons and are fully committed to teaching 100% of the lessons for two consecutive weeks. Following your teaching practice, you complete your design-based bachelor thesis.
60 ECTS
Download the brochure to get a really useful one-page overview of the curriculum with a description of the modules and a list of subjects per year, the study load and the ECTS you can earn. Use it to compare the programme with other studies you’re interested in.
Minors and specialisations of ITEPS
In the third & fourth year of ITEPS, you get to specialise by taking a number of minors.
- Arts and Culture (Meppel, the Netherlands)
Give practical meaning to art & culture lessons and activities with this minor. You develop your own art & culture skills as well as your pedagogical skills and your understanding of why the arts are important in child development. - Inclusive Education (Meppel, the Netherlands)
With this minor, you learn about the history of special education and inclusive education in different countries, and gain experience in planning and implementing education that fosters inclusion and accounts for different learning needs. - Intercultural Understanding and Religion (Meppel, the Netherlands)
Offering a combination of theories on religion and philosophical approaches, this minor helps you to not only analyse current problems and events, but also understand the role intercultural understanding and religion plays in our globalised world. - Science & Technology (Meppel, the Netherlands)
The minor in Science & Technology provides a basis for planning and developing science teaching in an international primary environment. You'll be able to explain phenomena scientifically and make links to the world around us. - Education in South Africa (South Africa)
This minor gives you exposure to a different cultural environment in which teachers are operating, helping you to develop your people skills, and giving you a firmer knowledge of others.
Course Catalogue
Practical approach of ITEPS
We aim to help you put theory into practice as quickly as possible. Through our educational concept, Design-Based Education (DBE), you work in small teams of students, teachers, researchers and industry professionals. You tackle current, real-life issues developing and adapting your visions and ideas to form a solid solution.
International opportunities
We want to prepare you for an international, intercultural, and ever-changing environment, so that you can dive into the unknown and gain experience in an international context. It is possible with our Grand Tour, Exchange programme or one of our mobility options offered by RUN-EU. Or you can choose to do your internship abroad. You’ll be able to put together the right combination of courses and internships to develop both your professional and personal skills – and develop your own network for the future.
International Teacher Education talks
If you’re curious about life in the world of International Teacher Education, then check out the ITEtalks podcast. Host Melinda Karaca invites guests from far and wide to give you the inside scoop on life as a student and future teacher.
Tune in for chats about teaching, the qualities of a good teacher, student life, getting motivated and motivating others, hear about different internships, and get inspiration on a range of topics all related to international teaching, from gender and feminism to creating curriculum, from cultural identity to global citizenship.
Is this the degree for you?
If you're confident this degree is the one for you, then why not apply online straightaway? Or pick one of the other options to help you take the next step.
