Waarom deze studie

My lifelong dream has been to be an educator. I always say: what do you think would solve the most problems in the world? Let that be your vocation. I think everything starts with education. The Educational Psychology master programme was the perfect choice to deepen my knowledge and experience an academic environment. My goal in life is: ‘I will teach youth how to love learning and become their best version within and after their educational journey’. Erasmus University has given me direction and support, and Rotterdam has given me a new home. I am currently a PhD candidate in the Netherlands, where I am working on a new theoretical framework for learning gain among university students. The research project aims to counterbalance the focus on study outcome and promote a reappraisal of students’ learning curves.

Leren en presteren zijn essentiële onderdelen van ons dagelijks leven. Het maakt niet uit of je jong of oud bent, beginner of expert, student of werknemer: leren en presteren staan gedurende het grootste deel van ons leven centraal in onze ontwikkeling. De meeste vormen van leren en presteren komen echter niet vanzelf, maar kunnen alleen bereikt worden met de juiste oefening of training. In ons internationale masterprogramma 'Leren en Presteren' zul je ontdekken hoe mensen leren, welke mechanismen ten grondslag liggen aan succesvol leren en aan leerproblemen en hoe deze inzichten toegepast kunnen worden om leeromgevingen zo effectief en efficiënt mogelijk te maken voor iedere individuele lerende door rekening te houden met de specifieke eigenschappen van de lerende (bijv. beginner of expert) en de leeromgeving (bijv. school of werkplek).

"Oh, so you want to become a teacher?” Following the Educational Master’s programme here at Erasmus University, which has the fancy name Educational Psychology: Learning and Performance, you will most likely be asked this question on a regular basis. It is still possible to become a teacher. You can still become a teacher in any field, I do believe this Master takes it a step further.

Let’s start with some cool research findings. Did you know that walking stimulates creativity? Furthermore, walking outside is even more effective than indoors. Another interesting fact: all psychology tests ever devised are racist and all teachers are biased. Read that again and take it in. OK. If you have some basic knowledge of psychology as a science, you would already have known this. We are biased in everything we do, and education is not unaffected by this. Should we give up? I think this is just another reason to continue!

This Master’s programme will teach you how to be critical and question everything. There is of course a focus on education and learning. How can walking improve creativity? Is this really true? Who has made this statement and how do you test if it is correct?! Before becoming completely paranoid, I should mention that the Master’s programme is very practical. You will get the chance to visit companies and learning institutions if you’re interested in these things. You will also learn to approach educational problems from a various perspectives.

Coming back to the first question, I can now try to give a better answer than one I gave at the beginning. One of the aims of the Master’s programme is to make sure teachers become better teachers by training. They are stimulated to use valid methods and coached to approach all subjects with energy and passion.  Moreover, they learn to form policies which  make sense and implement them in a way that account for all human differences, both in our schools but also in society as a whole. This sounds like a huge endeavor. However, if you realise that everything started with a shy, fragile hand that was raised, we should be honoured to have the chance to directly “prepare” our society’s future.  

This Master’s programme will teach you how to be critical and question everything, with a focus on education and learning of course.

Hi, my name is Catherine and after having moved here from China,  I have been living in the Netherlands for most of my life now. I chose to study the master Educational Psychology: Learning and Performance because I am interested in the most effective ways to study. Either for self-application or for the teaching of others. From this master I have learned to look at the process of learning from a different perspective. For the future I plan to become a primary school teacher. Any person interested in education is suited for this master!