Get to know Luxembourg's English school options, both public and private, as we take you inside each school and meet staff and students.
Mondorf's International School is quite different from all other international schools in Luxembourg.
With an education system that has remained "rather static" over the last 100 years or so - in terms of subjects, approach to teaching and the general ideas behind pedagogy - Mondorf's director Camille Weyrich wanted to create something different.
"Every person learns differently"
The idea behind the school is to give every child the opportunity to learn at their own pace. Therefore there are no fixed subject slots, and children can work on assignments when they want. They still have to meet deadlines laid out in the curriculum, but the approach to learning is more flexible and puts more responsibility in the children's hands.
As secondary student Felix Modert explains in more detail: "We have a set of missions that we have to complete within six weeks. Then we can choose which one we do first...all missions are on the iPad".
After years of planning and preparation, the school's structure is finally in place. Students are known as 'learners' and teachers become 'facilitators', guiding children on their educational journey with a more mature approach.
There are no fixed classrooms - instead, learners from all years work in small groups in large rooms, where facilitators provide support on various subjects. This arrangement then transitions into focus sessions in small groups when a facilitor wants to dive deeper into a subject.
Some projects also get carried over to other subjects. For example, learners were tasked to create a car using recycled materials, along with an accompanying soundtrack in music class before creating a video advertisement for their initial creation.
"It resembles an open space office," says Felix, highlighting the more 'university-style' approach to independent and proactive learning. It requires a lot of maturity from students, but that is a much-appreciated skill, as Iannis and Veronica, who are both in primary, say.
"Over the last five years it's been wonderful to watch the development of education," continues Moira Kielty from the Support Team. "It's not a traditional school. It is very open, diverse and different. By nature we are very creative and curious."
"It's very child-centered," says Kate Calmeille of Primary. "It's focused on people doing things at their own speed and rhythm. Giving them as much or as little support as they need. We're a new school, but we're making improvements all the time."
The response by the Ministry of Education has been very positive, says Weyrich: "We are breaking lots of taboos but it works. I hope we are setting a precedent."
To learn more about education and daily life at Mondorf International School, visit their website.
Read our first story in the 'Meet Luxembourg's English Schools' series: Lënster Lycée International School
