Amsterdam's first "Steve Jobs" school opens Friday

Friday marks the official opening of De Ontplooiing, the first Steve Jobs-inspired school in Amsterdam. Aiming to eliminate the traditional method of classroom teaching, this new style of schooling is more reliant on new technology, and gives students the freedom to learn at their own pace. Every child is equipped with a colourful iPad, which provides a highly individualised style of learning for both the students and the teachers. The school boasts a multi-disciplinary environment, with each classroom serving a different educational purpose. There is a language room, a quiet room, workshops and studio spaces. Well-known Dutch pollster Maurice de Hond, one of the founders of the school, announced the new school's name which translates means The Development or Evolution. The school was opened on Friday by Amsterdam alderman Simone Kukenheim., with attendance figures starting at 55 students. The facility has the capacity to serve up to 130 pupils. The "Steve Jobs" school was created to eliminate traditional classroom teaching methods in favour of an individualized learning environment. Students do not attend regular classes, but learn in studio spaces with other children who are at roughly the same progress level "Old schools are stupid. You need to sit on a chair with a pencil in hand. Here they want to get ready for the future," one enthusiastic student told broadcaster AT5. The Amsterdam school is part of a 21-school project which launched two years ago across the Netherlands.