Strengthening individual talents TEXT: CHARLOTTE VAN HEK | PHOTOS: SINT-LODEWIJKSCOLLEGE
The right secondary education is one’s very first real stepping stone for the future. The Sint-Lodewijkscollege is for those students that are ready to take on the world, supported by their own critical thinking and reflection, safe surroundings, and an educational environment that lets individual ambitions and talents shine. The Sint-Lodewijkscollege is based in the scenic city of Brugge, teaching 1,320 pupils who are all preparing for higher education. The students, aged between 12 and 18, are spread over 58 classes and are taught by 140 teachers.
A tradition of excellence The Sint-Lodewijkscollege, founded in 1834, has a 182-year-long tradition of combining the best quality education with setting high standards in a dynamic 72 | Issue 35 | November 2016
environment – witnessed by the many academics the school has yielded. Students choose from numerous study areas, with options that can be roughly divided between the Latin-Greek (or classic humanities) and modern humanities. “While the classic and the modern humanities share a lot of communal courses such as Dutch, theology, and mathematics, the modern humanities leave larger space for STEM courses,” explains Koen Seynaeve, director of the SintLodewijkscollege. In the third grade (the fifth and sixth school year), students are provided with even more options to tailor their studies to their interests and qualities.
Forming independent thinkers Whichever educational path a student follows, everyone is equally supported to discover his or her personal strengths.
“We strongly believe that every student is unique; no one learns in the same way or follows the same path. We aim to guide our students alongside this path, supporting and guiding them along the way. The bond with the teacher is hereby of crucial importance. A student cannot spread his or her wings without the right feedback and assurance, but also needs to take matters in their own hands. That way of teaching results in students widening their minds and seeking knowledge themselves.” The importance of autonomy is clearly reflected by the ‘problem-based learning’ project held at the end of each course, allowing pupils to conduct a research project about a self-chosen topic. After writing a paper, the project is presented to an independent jury. “In those projects the teacher is no more than a coach: he is