Wetenschappelijk directeur Inge Molenaar van NOLAI geeft uitleg over de co-implementatiepilot tijdens het werkbezoek van de staatssecretaris
Wetenschappelijk directeur Inge Molenaar van NOLAI geeft uitleg over de co-implementatiepilot tijdens het werkbezoek van de staatssecretaris

State secretary Becking visits AI pilot at school

News item

Koen Becking, State secretary of Education, Culture and Science (Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap, OCW), visited Christelijke Basisschool De Vijverhof in Den Haag last Monday. The school is part of a co-implementation pilot in which Lucas Onderwijs, Snappet and NOLAI are creating a method for sustainable implementation of AI in primary education.

Snappet Copilot supports teachers

Within the pilot, Snappet Copilot takes central stage. It is an AI prototype which analyses student data and translates it into practical insights for teachers. This way, teachers are able to tailor their lessons more precisely to the needs of individual students by offering extra support or more challenging material. We call this curriculum adaptivity.

Participating partners present pilot

Representatives of all parties in the project were present at the work visit: Martijn Allessie (CEO Snappet), Inge Molenaar (scientific director NOLAI), Linda Rainey (leader of the co-implementation pilot), Raymond Trippe (policy advisor Lucas Onderwijs), Monique van Tiel (director De Vijverhof) and Rynk van der Togt (Snappetcoach Lucas Onderwijs). They shared their insights about the method and the first pilot results with the state secretary.

Staatssecretaris OCW Koen Becking en Raymond Trippe van Lucas Onderwijs in gesprek tijdens het werkbezoek

Practical experiences from the learning network

Monique van Tiel and Rynk van der Togt explain the approach of the Snappet learning network, where coaches and expert teachers play a central role in joint professional development. Van der Togt demonstrated how Snappet Copilot supports teachers with the preparation of their tailored lessons. Next, Inge Molenaar explained how the pilot project is systematically exploring how AI can best be integrated into daily educational practice, with a focus on scalability, professional development and impact on the education systems.

Collaboration in the triangle

Inge Molenaar showed how the three partners from education, business and science closely work together to not just test an educational AI application, but also to truly integrate it into everyday teaching practice. Scientific research provides insight into the various forms of teacher-AI collaboration that are emerging. This insight guides not only product development but also the professional development of teachers, school-level policy and potential systemic changes within the education system.

Infographic van co-implementatie: van prototype naar schaalbaar product

Teachers and students respond positively

During a classroom visit, the state secretary spoke with teachers and students about their experiences with Snappet Copilot. Teachers Nikki, Babette, and Ruben noted that, thanks to the AI support, they have a better understanding of their students’ progress and can provide more targeted guidance. One student enthusiastically explained that a customized lesson plan helped her avoid getting stuck: “I was able to do 120 math problems, whereas normally I can only do 40, so I’m doing really well!” 

Control and customization thanks to AI

Teachers emphasized that they always remain in control: they know their students better than any AI ever could. The AI supports their professional judgment but does not make decisions about instruction. At the same time, the teachers involved were clear: they can no longer imagine working without the additional information provided by the AI. Of course, they alternate between paper and digital resources in the classroom, but without the insights from the dashboards, they would be much less able to tailor their lessons to the needs of individual students.

Perspectives on AI in Education

The working visit concluded with a look at NOLAI’s broader co-implementation program, in which multiple AI applications will be tested, implemented, and scaled up in a similar manner. The pilot at De Vijverhof - along with 23 other schools in the Lucas Onderwijs network - represents an important step toward the responsible, well-considered, and sustainable use of AI in Dutch education.

In the media

Recently, the NRC and the AD published articles about this smart application. Read more about it in these articles (subscription required):

Nationaal Onderwijslab AI

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Organizational unit
National Education Lab AI (NOLAI)
Theme
Artificial intelligence (AI)