Exploring Adult Education
Exploring Adult Education
Looking for a new job, Koen Buntinx considered a move into teaching. Concerned about the teacher shortage, he decided to explore the possibilities and attended the open school day at Crescendo CVO in Sint-Genesius-Rode. There, he attended an NT2 (Dutch for non-native speakers) class and spoke with teachers.
Koen Buntinx: “This gave me a good idea of the lessons. Coincidentally, at that moment you were looking for a substitute teacher for Dutch for non-native speakers (NT2). I couldn’t combine the daytime lessons with my job, but teaching two evenings a week was feasible. It was an opportunity to get a taste of adult education. I hold a degree in Dutch-English-Spanish translation and worked over 20 years as a team leader. My experience with technical training and work instructions provided me with a solid foundation for giving lessons.”
Motivated NT2 Class
“I taught six hours after my work, which brought quite a bit of pressure. I really enjoyed the teaching itself. The class was motivated and at a good level. The support from the school was excellent, with clear guidance and well-prepared instructions. On the other hand, although I knew in advance that a lot of preparation work would be required, it took more time than expected. All teaching materials are available, but you need to make them your own. You also need to allocate time to understand the school organization and various digital tools (SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, Athenasoft). My course supervisor advised me to focus on the lessons first, which turned out to be good advice.”
“The experience was definitely positive. I enjoy teaching, even though it is intensive with all the preparation and administrative extras. Adult education is challenging, especially for beginner teachers. NT2 has the advantage that there is a lot of material available, but if you want to keep the lessons engaging for both yourself and the students, I think you need to supplement it a bit. Perhaps I set the bar too high for myself. If I were to make a permanent transition into teaching, I would certainly need to learn to work more efficiently to bring preparation time to an acceptable level.”