What is Teacher Training: We Teach The World?

The English-taught semester in the teacher training department is meant for students in education departments with a bachelor’s or master’s degree. At Howest, we train teachers to teach in nursery schools, primary schools and the lower years of secondary schools (from 2,5 to 16-year olds). This semester will add value to your degree and career opportunities by improving your teamworking and communication skills, entrepreneurship and teaching methodology.

The international teacher training semester is a modular semester, offered in autumn, that covers topics related to teacher training and development, as well as broad educational topics. The modules are a combination of lectures, educational trips and internships. At Howest, we focus on innovation, creativity, diversity, teamwork and inquiry based learning. In the English-taught semester, various competences can be acquired such as communication, coaching and IT skills. Our student teachers do a number of internships and complete their training in real school environments so that, once they have graduated, they can start immediately as teachers having the required skills and competences. In our English-taught semester, we offer a total of 30 ECTS credits. We think it is important to integrate international students in our teacher training department and esteem that fruitful communication and cooperation can be developed between them and our own students. So let's teach the world together!

This English-taught semester is organised by our Bachelor of Teacher Training: Pre-Primary/Primary/Secondary Education (BAKO/BALO/BASO).

This programme is only available in English.

Studenten aan de slag in marketing en communicatie.

What makes this semester unique?

The international semester in teacher training is meant for students in education departments, and those with a bachelor’s or master’s degree. At Howest, we train teachers to teach in nursery, primary and the lower years of secondary schools (from ages 2,5 to 16). This semester will add value to degree and career opportunities by improving teamworking and communication skills as well as teaching methodology.

Prerequisites

Minimum 2 successfully completed semesters or an equivalent of 60 ECTS in a bachelor's programme. This will need to be confirmed by means of an official certificate, a survey of completed courses, or a signed letter from the sending university.

Click here for Howest language expectations.

All Howest and exchange students should bring their own laptop, with all necessary and officially licensed software. The course overview above mentions the specific software (if any) necessary for the course unit. Howest applies a very strict policy on the use of legal software.

Non-exchange students are not able to attend this international semester.

Course overview

Find the course unit descriptions for this programme (course catalogue) here.

Comparing Educational Systems (3ECTS)

In this course, students learn to look at the Belgian/Flemish education system and compare it with their home country. Each year, the focus is on a specific and innovative aspect of Flemish education. In groups with others, students develop a vision on this specific topic, set up a research cycle on it and look at how this can be implemented in Flemish schools. For academic year 24-25, the topic will be 'activity-friendly learning'. To this end, students will be working together with four secondary schools to make their classrooms and playgrounds more exercise friendly. Students from WTTW receive the necessary explanation about the Flemish education system and about exercise friendly learning. Then, together with fellow students, they set to work this out for the schools. Finally, they reflect and compare the knowledge gained with their own school context in the home country.

This is training component takes up a full week in terms of physical teaching and has 12 contact hours 'blended' teaching in the form of online sessions that prepare and conclude this week.

EdTech (3 ECTS)

This module aims at problem solving in education using 21st century skills, with a focus on pre-primary and primary education.

Two major themes are addressed in this course unit:

Educational technology:
You will learn to use technology in a well-considered pedagogical context and linked to appropriate content in order to create a powerful, contemporary learning environment tailored to the pupils/students.

Design-based learning:
You will create your own didactic materials and work with concrete examples to arrive at a design together with the pupils/students.

Traineeships in schools (6ECTS)

This module is aimed at teaching in practice. As an international student, you either teach yourself or assist teachers in a Belgian school.

English Language Teaching (3ECTS)

In this course, we offer a course in English language teaching with a focus on the newest teaching methods and didactics.

International Projects in Education (6ECTS)

In this module, you will get good practices of existing international projects and design an international project for a school yourself. You will be introduced to eTwinning as a means and platform in Europe
used for international project-based learning. You will develop skills in international collaboration, language competence and ICT.

Integration in the different fields: education (6ECTS)

Introduction of the history and demography of migration in the world and Europe. Overview of integration projects in Flanders as case study. Field visits in multiple domains (housing, employment, culture, sport, youth, education…) The result of the module will be comparative learning by analysis of the situation of their own and compare this with the Flemish situation and other European countries.

English for Exchange Students (3ECTS)

This English course provides exchange students with training in speaking, listening, reading and writing skills, all focused on their ongoing or upcoming academic experience. The lecturer will take the diversity of academic areas of the participants into account by addressing a range of topics and choosing subjects that are relevant to the attending students wherever possible.

The classes for this course take place in the evening.