Proud to be tvmbo - Kortlopend Onderwijsonderzoek

proving in English and feel proud of that fact. This might well have an impact on their
self-image.
Two schools mentioned that the bilingual vmbo group, in comparison with their regular
vmbo-t classes, is a more motivated; stronger group with a good atmosphere. They
try to talk English and don’t mind if they make mistakes. This all means that they are,
in some ways, easier to teach than the regular groups, and that more material can be
got through. At the two schools with combination thavo/tvmbo groups, a majority of
the students went into thavo in the second year; unfortunately, no conclusions can be
drawn from this information as yet, but this might be related to motivation.
Hands on, variety and activity
Teachers mention during the interviews that the concentration span of tvmbo students
is short. Their advice is to get them working, to get them active quickly at the start of
lessons and to provide enough variety and short activities. They believe that classroom
activities where students do things help tvmbo students to learn; examples of this are
giving presentations or short speeches, making things such as posters or visuals, cooking,
doing art work, working with mind maps to make the subject visual, puzzles,
crosswords or memory games. Working in small groups with clear assignments and
structure helps tvmbo students, too. Keep active yourself is also advised: walk around
the classroom to monitor work and the use of English. Coordinators also mentioned
that good tvmbo teachers are able to activate students and use variety of tasks to stimulate
participation. They see tvmbo pupils as being interested, and are not afraid to do a
variety of activities in English.
A good tvmbo teacher
The coordinators were also asked specifically about their opinions about what makes a
good tvmbo teacher. The coordinators mentioned that their bilingual teachers are enthusiastic,
motivated and ambitious members of staff. Similarly to the teachers in the
interviews, the TTO coordinators consider aspects of teaching in tvmbo such as variety
and interaction important in the classroom. In the classroom, coordinators all agreed
that doing practical, hands-on tasks and games motivate tvmbo students. Projects are
also considered motivating.
Contact and ability to assess
One of the main aspects of good tvmbo teachers, according to the coordinators, is that
they are good at making contact with their students and have a ‘feeling’ for working
with vmbo students. Good tvmbo teachers can assess the ability of the students, both in
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