Students training to become primary school teachers appear to have little awareness of the core concepts of geography (teaching). To ensure that future primary school teachers are able to develop their pupils' geographical awareness, a six weeks programme was developed. The characteristics of this programme -- named Consciously Teaching Geography…

Adapting support contingently to student needs by first diagnosing their current understanding, that is, scaffolding, is considered a key aspect of excellent teaching. The use of classroom scaffolding is rare, however. We therefore investigated the benefits to teachers of a professional development program that was based upon a model of contingent…

The costs for providing medical school education and services in Vietnam's universities continue to increase. Through a collaborative project between the Government of the Netherlands and Vietnam's Ministry of Health, a five year experimental program to develop in-country capacity and reduce the dependence upon a foreign medical service delivery…

Over the period 2006-2008, the Dutch Open Universiteit Nederland conducted an experiment in which Open Educational Resources (OER) were offered in an effort to bridge the gap between informal and formal learning and to establish a new style of entry portal to higher education with no barriers at all. OpenER received considerable attention both in…

This experimental study assessed the effectiveness of fundraising messages. Based on recent findings regarding the effects of message framing and evidence, effective fundraising messages should combine abstract, statistical information with a negative message frame and anecdotal evidence with a positive message frame. In addition, building on…

Two experiments were conducted to provide a window on the processes by which the accuracy and rate of reading develop during psycholinguistic treatment for dyslexia. In experiment 1,140 children with dyslexia followed a treatment method that presented them with a learning system that clarifies the basic elements and operations by which one's…

This publication discusses plans for an experimental "middenschool" program, which is being considered for adoption in the Netherlands. The middenschool program would extend the period of basic education beyond primary school into the first stage of secondary school, serving students in the 12-16 or 11-15 age bracket. This booklet…

This publication includes discussion of the use of "combined teaching systems" (and most specifically television) in various European adult education programs. Brief reports are included on several programs (general and technical education, and arts and letters courses, in France; literacy in Italy; and various televised courses in…

Under the 1969 Compulsory Education Act in the Netherlands, immigrant parents of school age children are obliged to enroll them in a primary school. Chief problems in the education of these children are the Dutch language, and a great cultural diversity in the children's backgrounds. Another problem relates to length of residence -- although the…

Background: To overcome the "teacher bandwidth problem" in supporting large groups of students, both automated process support (cueing) and face-to-face feedback by peers during small group work (collaboration) can be provided to students. Aim: The purpose of this experimental study was to examine whether a multimedia practical…

This report describes an experimental day care program in Amsterdam, begun in 1969 to investigate how a day care center could contribute towards the favorable development of children under four from unskilled and semiskilled families. Because it is only recently that day care for children under four has been used to any extent, this is the first…

This collection of eight papers reflects Dutch experiences on topics of common interest and concern in the education of less able 16 to 19 year olds throughout the European economic community. "An Outline of the Dutch System of Education" (Philippa Andrews and Colin Turner) provides a basic background to Dutch education, concentrating…