Internationalization at Porta Mosana College
Porta Mosana is the Latin word for ‘’Maaspoort’’, Gate of the Meuse, symbol for the regional and historical roots of the school. The word Porta, gate, refers to the openness, hospitality and public identity. It also stands for the gate to progress and development. Students grow during their time at this school, they become adults and develop their knowledge. Furthermore Porta refers to the unity of the three locations and on a larger scale to the development of a united Europe. The Latin name refers to the history and the cultural background of the school and also points out that the school values international contacts and global understanding.
The Logo
The gateway is the most important part in the logo. The abstract forms give the logo a very modern look. The gateway is built up of three different blocks each block resembles one different school type: VMBO, HAVO, VWO. Each block has its own colour. The gateway is designed from the bottom perspective, making the gate look ‘’grand’’ optically. It gives you the feeling that you are actually underneath it and could walk straight on. The blue colour resembles the water of the Meuse. Incorporated in the gate it makes it look as if it is reflected in the water. The black colour almost looks brownish in the lighter shades, resembling the earth.
Objectives of Internationalization
Internationalization is a very important element in the curriculum of Porta Mosana. In accordance with the guidelines of the European Platform the school has been giving shape to internationalization for many years. Internationalization is all about knowledge, skills and attitudes: it contributes to the individual and social education of students.
Internationalization has a multi-level goal:
- Students should be aware of international history and developments.
- Students should be able to find their way in an international society and (possibly) take part in developing it.
The above clearly shows that internationalization has been integrated into the curriculum and is not only part of , or only meant for the language courses. In nearly all subjects attention is paid to international aspects. The entire curriculum is full of subjects that have something to do with internationalization. This offers students the opportunity to develop their talents in yet another way. Porta Mosana College wants to make sure that every student has an international basis after completing their studies. Besides the basic curriculum, motivated students get the opportunity to give internationalization an even more prominent place in their school career.
To realize this we participate in a number of national and international networks. We are an ELOS-school, a pilot school for CertiLingua, a UNESCO-school and a participant of the Meuse-Rhine Euroregional school project. We also take part in two Comenius projects.
Internationalization in the curriculum
From the first year on we try to use small projects to integrate internationalization into the curriculum at all levels (Havo, Vwo and Bilingual Education). Students create a digital portfolio in their first year in which they keep a record of their knowledge, skills and progress in internationalization. In all courses there are elements of internationalization, either in the standard programme or as a special project. This is continued throughout the programme of the subsequent school years.
In the first year the projects are: Children’s Rights, The Romans and The Medieval City.
In year two three projects of Codename Future are integrated into the programme: Service Learning for The Hartstichting , My Behaviour in the Public Space and Europe and Sustainability. A short exchange programme is linked to this last theme, based on a one day stay of our students in a partner school in Cologne, and a return visit of the German students. So during this exchange the students work on the important international issue of Sustainable Development.
Year three prepares students for the subject choices they have to make for their senior years. During each period special attention is paid to a possible specialization. Within these courses internationalization is an important issue and there is often a link towards European developments.
Besides the specialization, year three has a number of exchanges with partner schools abroad.
Within the courses of the upper grades a number of European related aspects are covered. There is a literature project in cooperation with a German school on the book Twins written by Tessa de Loo, and a number of students take part in the Euroregio Literaturpreis für Schüler). A number of students write their final examination paper on a European or International Subject.
VWO students have the possibility to obtain a CertiLingua certificate. CertiLingua is a quality label for students who finish two languages at VWO-level (B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference) and take a Cambridge, Delf or Goethe exam on top of their VWO exam and can show they have obtained sufficient knowledge of European and International subjects (EIO –exam). They also have to show they have used their foreign languages in an actual working environment. This certificate grants students more possibilities with foreign internships and studies at foreign universities.
ELOS is also developing an official certificate. This certificate will enable students to show they have additional qualifications and will offer students more opportunities in their higher studies and their career.
Bilingual Education (TTO)
Besides the Lyceum and Atheneum the VWO also has a bilingual section where half of the subjects are taught in English. In the upper grades bilingual students can take part in the IB-programme (International Baccalaureate) and can qualify for the IB certificate of English . This certificate grants students access to all national and international universities with English as the main language. There is more specific information about TTO elsewhere on our website.
The ELOS-project
- In practise this means that there is a high focus on European and International subjects during the courses. (The so-called EIO: European and International Orientation).
- European oriented study projects are part of the teaching programme.
- At many foreign partner schools the EIO model is also used.
Exchanges with foreign schools and international seminars:
Through exchanges students get a good impression of other cultures.
The exchanges are facilitated by the European Platform.
Exchange Programmes
Taking part in an exchange means that students stay with a partner from a school in a foreign country for a couple of days to a week and the foreign students pay a return visit and also stay at their partners’ houses here. The aim of these visits is to really get to know young people from abroad by working together and having fun together. The programme of the exchange includes visits to classes, a jointly prepared educational project and cultural and leisure activities.
For the upper grades an international activity can be combined with a practical assignment, a final paper or Service Learning. This year the school has exchange projects with, among others, Spain, Germany and France. The Comenius projects mentioned below also offer possibilities for exchanges.
Comenius Projects
Comenius projects are funded by the European Platform. Both during and outside the regular courses. Students from the participating countries work on the same projects and communicate about them in English, French or German via e-mail and small groups of students participate in school-visits.
During the past few years we have participated in a project called Different Past-Common Future (2008-2010) together with schools from Spain, France, Czech Republic and Cyprus.
For the period 2010-2012 we will participate in two new projects. One of them is called ‘’Fit for Jobs in Europe’’ and is in cooperation with schools from Poland, Germany, Spain, France, Hungary, Greece and Estonia. The project will mainly focus on opportunities, possibilities and difficulties students encounter in the participating countries when they have to make choices for their studies, internships and careers in Europe, in their own countries as well as abroad.
The other Comenius project is called: ‘’Buy and Breathe: Utopia?’’ In this project students will do research into the possibilities of combining social responsibilities with maintaining a lifestyle which corresponds with the wishes and future of the young people of today. This project is in cooperation with schools from France, Italy, Sweden and Austria.
Euroregio school
The project Euroregio schools focuses on strengthening the use of neighbour languages and broadening the cultural awareness. The three languages involved are of course French, German and Dutch. Porta Mosana College has chosen the French language to participate in this project. A number of primary schools also participate in this project. We work together with some of these primary schools in Maastricht and in this way we try to offer the students a curriculum that is as uninterrupted as possible. First and second year students have the possibility to choose intensive language education in French, alongside the normal French language course.
Euregio Literary Award
Students are encouraged to read contemporary literature . Not just one book, but six of them. Not only books of their own country, but also books from neighbouring countries.
The Euroregio Literary Award is a unique opportunity for students.
This prize was first established in 2001 as an initiative from the Meuse-Rhine Euroregio Centre for literature. Since 2004 the region of Aachen has taken care of the organization.
The main aim of the prize is to encourage the reading of literature among students in the Meuse-Rhine Euroregio and to get them acquainted with modern literature from both their country and the neighbouring countries. The prize honours the creativity of contemporary writers and translators and supports the language skills, reading abilities and evaluation skills of students from the upper grades.
The idea behind the project is as simple as it is brilliant: students from the upper years decide for themselves what qualifies as good literature. Students read the books chosen by the bureau of literature in their mother tongue. Two of those have to be written by a German author, two by a French and two by a Dutch writer. During the lectures they get the opportunity to personally discuss the books with the authors and translators. Finally students choose the winner during a ‘’jury day’’ and later participate in the award ceremony in Aachen. Both the lectures and the ‘’jury day’’ are cross-border meetings between students from all three countries and ensure an exchange in three languages. ‘’Crossing Borders’’, hence the slogan can be explained geographically , linguistically and interculturally. This year more than 30 schools are participating, resulting in more than 400 Belgian, Dutch and German participating students.
CertiLingua
We are one of the seven schools in the Netherlands which have been selected to participate in the project CertiLingua. This means that VWO final examination students can participate in a number of exams (Cambridge, Delf, Goethe and EIO ) that enable them to qualify for an internationally recognized CertiLingua certificate. This certificate shows that you have gained the required knowledge, skills and experience to be able to complete academic studies in a foreign country. We work together with a number of CertiLingua schools in Germany.
Assistant Language Teachers
Through the European Platform we have the possibility to employ assistant language teachers in our foreign language courses. Usually these are foreign students, native speakers, who want to get experience in education for their studies. They stay for a couple of months up to a year and are interested in Dutch culture and society. They can make a very interesting and positive contribution to the position of foreign languages in education, and add something extra to international activities.
Unesco-school
Porta Mosana college is part of the Anna Lindh Foundation and has been a UNESCO-school since 2009. Within the network of UNESCO-schools we participate in an intercultural dialogue with schools from different countries.