Optimaliseren van leren in en rond PO, VO en MBO.

In deze presentatie wordt ingegaan op mogelijkheden het onderwijs voor en het leren van jonge kinderen en leerlingen in het PO, VO en MBO te optimaliseren.

Learning for self-regulation: Improving instructional benefits for pupils, teachers, parents, schools, and society at large

Compulsory education laws oblige primary and secondary schools to give each pupil positive encouragement in, for example, social, emotional, cognitive, creative, and ethical respects. This is a fairly smooth process for most pupils, but it is not as easy to achieve with others. A pattern of pupil, home or family, and school variables turns out to be responsible for a long-term process that may lead to a pupil’s dropping out of education. A systemic approach will do much to introduce more clarity into the diagnosis, potential reduction and possible prevention of some persistent educational problems that express themselves in related phenomena, for example low school motivation and achievement; forced underachievement of high ability pupils; concentration of bullying and violent behaviour in and around some types of classes and schools; and drop-out percentages that are relatively constant across time. Such problems have a negative effect on pupils, teachers, parents, schools, and society alike. In this address, I would therefore like to clarify some of the systemic causes and processes that we have identified between specific educational and pupil characteristics. Both theory and practice can assist in developing, implementing, and checking better learning methods and coaching procedures, particularly for pupils at risk. This development approach will take time and require co-ordination, but it will result in much better processes and outcomes than we are used to. First, I will diagnose some systemic aspects of education that do not seem to optimise the learning processes and school careers of some types of pupils in particular. Second, I will specify cognitive, social, motivational, and self-regulative aspects of learning tasks and relate corresponding learning processes to relevant instructional and wider educational contexts. I will elaborate these theoretical notions into an educational design with systemic instructional guidelines and multilevel procedures that may improve learning processes for different types of pupils. Internet-based Information and Communication Technology, or ICT, also plays a major role here. Third, I will report on concrete developments made in prototype research and trials. The development process concerns ICT-based differentiation of learning materials and procedures, and ICT-based strategies to improve pupil development and learning. Fourth, I will focus on the experience gained in primary and secondary educational practice with respect to implementation. We can learn much from such practical experience, in particular about the conditions for developing and implementing the necessary changes in and around schools. Finally, I will propose future research. As I hope to make clear, theory-based development and implementation research can join forces with systemic innovation and differentiated assessment in educational practice, to pave the way for optimal “learning for self-regulation” for pupils, teachers, parents, schools, and society at large.

Optimal Scaffolding Methods for Students with Emotional and Behavioural Disorders

Optimal assistance of an adult, adapted to the current level of understanding of the student (scaffolding), can help students with emotional and behavioural problems (EBD) to demonstrate a similar level of understanding on scientific tasks, compared to students from regular education (Van Der Steen, Steenbeek, Wielinski & Van Geert, 2012). In the present study the optimal scaffolding techniques for EBD students were investigated, as well as how these differ from scaffolding techniques used for regular students. A researcher visited five EBD students and five regular students (aged three to six years old) three times in a 1,5 years period. Student and researcher worked together on scientific tasks about gravity and air pressure, while the researcher asked questions. An adaptive protocol was used, so that all children were asked the same basic questions about the mechanisms of the task. Beside this, the researcher was also allowed to ask follow-up questions and use scaffolding methods when these seemed necessary. We found a bigger amount of scaffolding in the group of EBD students compared to the regular students. The scaffolding techniques that were used also differed between the two groups. For EBD students, we saw more scaffolding strategies focused on keeping the student committed to the task, and less strategies aimed at the relationship between the child and the researcher. Furthermore, in the group of regular students we saw a decreasing trend in the amount of scaffolding over the course of three visits. This trend was not visible for the EBD students. These results highlight the importance for using different scaffolding strategies when working with EBD students compared to regular students. Future research can give a clearer image of the differences in scaffolding needs between these two groups.

Mentale Veerkracht als Buffer tegen Docenten Stress-Reactiviteit: een ESM-studie

Om meer inzicht te krijgen in factoren die positief bijdragen aan de stress-reactiviteit van de docent wordt in deze studie onderzocht in hoeverre mentale veerkracht en docenten eigen effectiviteitsverwachting (DEE) een bufferende werking hebben in de samenhang tussen dagelijkse gebeurtenissen met stress en het positief (PA) en negatief affect (NA). Deze kennis kan gebruikt worden op zowel preventief (selectie) als curatief niveau. Het onderzoek is gedaan onder 41 docenten (leeftijd M=40, SD=9.2) uit verschillende typen onderwijs. Middels de experience sample methode werden gedurende een week activiteitsgerelateerde, sociale en gebeurtenisgerelateerde stress en de emotionele reactiviteit, geobjectiveerd in veranderingen in PA en NA gemeten. Vooraf de onderzoeksweek vulden zij twee vragenlijsten in betreffende mentale veerkracht en DEE. Het meten van positief en negatief affect (PA en NA), activiteitsgerelateerde, sociale en gebeurtenisgerelateerde stress gebeurde door middel van de Experience Sample Methode, zowel via papieren boekje als digitaal (smartphone, tablet, computer). Mentale veerkracht is gemeten met de RS-NL, DEE door middel van een vertaalde vragenlijst van de Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale. Door middel van een multi-level regressieanalysie werden tussen de drie stressmaten en de afhankelijke variabelen PA en NA zijn significante samenhangen gevonden. Volgens de verwachting speelt mentale veerkracht een modererende rol in de samenhang tussen de stressmaten en NA. DEE speelt een modererende rol in de samenhang tussen sociale stress en PA.