Abstract

In search for teacher excellence. Honours programs and recognition of teacher excellence in the Netherlands

Marco Snoek, Hogeschool van Amsterdam, Netherlands
Ellen Van Den Berg, Hogeschool Edith Stein, Netherlands
Edmée Suasso De Lima De Prado, Hogeschool Edith Stein, Netherlands

In the Netherlands, teacher policy and teacher education are strongly focused on maintaining minimum standards of teachers. Main instruments are explicit descriptions of the knowledge base that each teacher needs to master and the development and implementation of national tests that assess the knowledge of students graduating teacher education.
As all students need to meet those knowledge standards, there is a risk that the main emphasis in teacher education programs is to prepare all students for those tests using criteria which apply to all students, leading to a middle-of-the-road perspective on teacher education and on teachers.

However, within higher education in general there is a growing awareness of the diversity of students with respect to their ability and ambitions. Supported by the government, the higher education institutions try to meet this diversity by developing programs that recognize and accepts student diversity where the abilities and ambitions of some students exceed the regular programs and that offer ‘excellent’ students new challenges in the development of their excellence. In this way, excellence and honours programmes are introduced in the Dutch higher education system, which traditionally is very much focused on equality and a one-size-fits-all approach in higher education programs.
As the concept is not centrally defined, higher education institutes can define the concept of excellence independently. In our paper and presentation we will describe two examples and the first experiences of teacher education institutes which developed honours programs emphasising excellent (student) teachers. The concept of excellence is defined differently, one focusing on primary teacher roles, including prospective and inservice teachers, the other focusing on secondary teacher roles.
Each of the institutes uses research in the content of the honours programs and in the evaluation of the programs.

In line with the focus on excellence, as identified in these two examples, the Dutch government is developing policies which recognize excellence of teachers. In March 2011 the Dutch Education Council published a report on teacher excellence which was received with mixed feelings by teachers, unions and school leaders.
In the paper we will summarize the report and the response it received.