NEWS! Because of the overwhelming demand and great feedback, we decided to continue this format after Summer! Learn more here.
A proven program: blended learning = online videos + virtual classrooms
UPDATE 2021:
– there will be an online Summer School
– the offline Dutch Summer School in Drenthe and Amsterdam is canceled
– we offer the same program as evening course (2 times/week) outside the Summer
Group levels / dates – 2021
Days of class (July/August):
– 9 days per session = week 1: Monday-Friday + week 2: Monday-Thursday
– intensive! (not recommended to combine with fulltime job)
Timetable:
– timetable A: 9:00-10:30 + 13:00-14:30 (Amsterdam time)
– timetable B: 10:45-13:00 + 14:45-16:15 (Amsterdam time)
– timetable C: 18:30-21:45 (Amsterdam time)
*Waiting list:
– Is the group you want to do full?
– Would like to do your level on a different date?
– Or perhaps different time of the day?
-> Click here to put your name on the waiting list. It is likely we will add more groups in Summer. Once there are enough people on the waiting list, we’ll open extra groups. Or we’ll inform you if a spot comes available in a group that was full.
E-learning = our key asset
We didn’t switch to e-learning because of COVID. In fact, we took this step in 2014. Three months per year, we are busy running Summer and Winter schools, but the majority of our time we’ve spent building our program. Why would we not use this extensive experience and all those materials that we created? After all, most of the students who visited us in the past, chose us because of this!
Blended learning
For the Dutch Summer School, we developed a ‘blended learning’ method, that maximises interaction in the classroom. We don’t teach the traditional way: where the teacher spends most of the time on explanations, the students copy that in their notebook and the homework is doing exercises with what you learned… No, that’s not how we do it!
The flipped classroom: with our method, you prepare for the next lesson. Prior to the lesson, you watch the videos, do exercises, learn the words. A maximum of the explanations is given in the videos (selfstudy). So that, when you come to the classroom, we can focus on interaction. The added value of a teacher/classroom is that you can ask questions and you can practise. Our blended learning approach combines the asset of the online materials and the interactive approach of our teachers. Read more about the flipped classroom here.
Does our method work in a virtual classroom?
The answer is yes. Zoom provides all the options that we need: showing Powerpoints, virtual whiteboard, but above all: interaction! Those who have followed our program in the past, know that conversation exercises in couples are an important element of the lesson. This way you practise a lot. And the teacher walks from couple to couple and provides feedback. This all can be done in Zoom.
Our experience of the past year: the student results are the same as in a real classroom. It is surprisingly efficient. Nothing beats a real classroom, but in a world without distractions we noticed a very high discipline when it comes to making homework, extremely motivated students who would like to make the best out of lockdowns, and in a world without social contacts it’s actually fun to meet online: gezellig!
Adaptions
Our e-summerschool program differs a bit from our regular Summer School:
– we limited the tuiton time per day (in the classroom), to have an increased attention span
– we decreased the maximum number of students in a group from 16 to 12
– book: normally you buy it upon arrival, we will provide the option to have it delivered by parcel (free shipping inside the Netherlands)
– unfortunately, no barbecues
Reviews
Prices – 2021
* 1 academic hour = 45 minutes, 2×2 academic hours ‘virtual classroom’ per day x 9 days
** shipping costs:
– within the Netherlands – free
– within EU – 13 euros
– outside EU – 18 euros
– if the book doesn’t arrive in time: we’ll provide access to the book through an online viewer
*** access to premium online course #dutchgrammar is included:
– from 4 weeks prior to the start of the course until 4 weeks after the end of the course
General conditions: please read here.
