POW: relax and reflect in temporary living room
Relax with a book in an easy chair or on the sofa, reading light on and cup of tea by the side, play a game with fellow students and teachers in the living room. A fireplace would not have been out of place. From Tuesday 5 to Thursday 7 November, the Oostserre will be the focal point for the Personal Development Week (POW) for our Bachelor students. Kristel Aalbers, POW programme coordinator, explains what these reflection days are for.
Kristel Aalbers: ‘I myself always like to work in the garden or tidy up the house after a busy period, then I not only organise the garden and the house, but also my thoughts and the best plans emerge. The POW offers just that: space to reflect on how you experienced the past period and also time to think and daydream about how you want to develop. The POW notebook with the OntWikkel (‘Develop’) and the wide variety of interesting and fun activities we organise during the POW support this.’
It was one of the most frequently heard ‘comments’ from students. Always ‘run run run’ and no time for relaxation, reflection or personal deepening. During this week, students look back at the past education period, but they also look ahead. They can decide for themselves what they need for their personal development.
Scala of indoor and outdoor activities
Kristel: ‘During the POW, there is a large amount of activities in all kinds of areas: from being creative to sporting, on your own or together, at Bouwkunde, outside or just at home, with activities that broaden your horizons or deepen on a specific topic.’ On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, students can meet each other and teachers in the Oostserre, which has been transformed into a POW living room. Here, they can work on their digi-skills, listen to podcasts or dive into a book. There are places to read, listen, exercise and daydream with a biscuit and tea or coffee. Students can also attend an inspiring, interactive session here entitled BK OPEN with alumna Catherine Koekoek, now curator at the Architecture Biennale Rotterdam. There are also workshops to follow, for example on philosophy and language, or improvisation. And, of course, students can find out about possible minors, study abroad and master's programmes.
A decision tree has been developed to help students decide what kind of activities suit them.
Kristel Aalbers
‘It wouldn't be OK to only have an indoor programme and so, with the commitment of many colleagues and externals, there is also an outdoor programme for students who prefer this,’ Kristel says. So, there are plenty of outdoor activities to choose from as well: a hike in Midden-Delfland with ‘hiking professor’ Zef Hemel, pruning and planting in TU Delft's living lab production forest together with Peter de Jong, or having a blast on the road bike?
Kristel: ‘A decision tree has been developed to help students decide what kind of activities suit them. Also, just like at a festival, there are programme posters in the living room.’ The complete overview of activities can be found on Brightspace.
The POW activities we offer are for all Bachelor students. Some activities require advance registration, others do not and we apply the ‘first come, first serve’ principle. The POW living room and BK OPEN sessions are open to everyone, so: feel welcome!
Role of teachers at POW
The dual purpose of the POW is more air in the curriculum for both students and teachers and more time and space for reflection. Therefore, week 1.10 and week 3.10 are timetable-free weeks in which students reflect on who they are and how they want to develop, what they need to do so and how they combine that with the courses they are taking.
Teachers who teach Bachelor students also received a POW notebook with Unwrap and an explanation of the POW during the teacher instructions. ‘They have been asked, at the first session of a course after the POW, not only to discuss the learning objectives of the course, but also to question the students about the learning question they have set up for themselves during the POW. This way, we discuss whether the learning objectives of the course and learning questions of the students go together,’ Kristel said.
Students from OC, Stylos and FSC were also involved in shaping POW. In an earlier interview, Sophie de Kruijf answers the question of what she is most looking forward to: ‘Reflection is very important to me. What do I stand for? Who am I as a designer? What do I want to add? In the current curriculum, there is little or late attention to this.’ Bodil Bary: ‘I am an advocate for more air in the curriculum, so that I can learn skills I normally don't find the time for, but which are much needed to complete the bachelor's degree. For example, learning how best to create a portfolio.’
More information
Curious about the programme of the first POW week in week 1.10 (5 to 7 November)? The complete programme of activities, among all other information, can be found on the dedicated Brightspace page. Feel free to drop by!
Kristel Aalbers (Urbanism) is faculty programme coordinator POW. Any questions? Mail to pow-bk@tudelft.nl.
To learn more about the Bachelor Renewal and read previously posted articles and interviews, check out:
- Studentportal
- Intranet (employees)