Promovendus: Bregje Prent

Promotors: Carla van Boxtel, Jannet van Drie, Geerte Savenije

In een samenleving waarin door migratie en internet conflicterende perspectieven bij elkaar komen in het klaslokaal, is het van belang dat (geschiedenis)docenten zich vaardig en zelfverzekerd voelen om het onderwijsleergesprek over gevoelige onderwerpen in goede banen te leiden. Dit is geen gemakkelijk opdracht want hoe zorg je ervoor dat leerlingen hun mening geven, naar elkaar luisteren en dat de verschillende denkbeelden vervolgens op een historisch verantwoorde manier worden onderzocht? In dit onderzoek worden de benadering van dialogisch onderwijs en de expliciete instructie over multiperspectiviteit en de ethische dimensie aangedragen om het onderwijsleergesprek over gevoelige onderwerpen op een constructieve wijze te voeren. Een lessenserie op basis van deze principes geeft handvatten voor de professionalisering van docenten op dit gebied. De expliciete instructie over multiperspectiviteit en de ethische dimensie, zou een effect kunnen hebben op de mate waarin leerlingen in staat zijn om op een opbouwende manier deel te nemen aan het onderwijsleergesprek over gevoelige onderwerpen.

This project is part of an NWO PhD scholarship for teachers.

Promovendus: Sevin ç Göksen- Zayim

Promotors: Carla van Boxtel, Derk Pik

Mathematical modelling is a part of mathematical thinking. It consists of several phases: the problem has to be conceptualized, mathematized and interpreted. In each of these phases language skills play a fundamental role and often constitute an obstacle for the learner as well.The ability to translate problems back and forth between reality and mathematics strongly depends on the language proficiency of students. Other language skills are important in the conceptualizing and interpreting phases. In each of these phases several levels of abstraction can be discerned.

In this research we investigate the specific language problems occurring in the different phases of mathematical modelling. We will focus on collaborative learning to achieve level-raising. We will develop level-raising group assignments for learners from 11 up to 15 years.
Finally, in a quasi-experimental study, we explore the effect of collaborative learning on increasing language proficiency and its effect on the mathematical modelling performance of learners from 11 up to 15 years.

This research is part of an NWO PhD scholarship for teachers.

Promovendus: Yolande Potjer

Promotors: Carla van Boxtel

This PhD-research project is about historical reasoning in elementary schools. The main question of my research is: How can a professional development programme (PDP) assist elementary school teachers to stimulate historical thinking and reasoning in children between 8 and 12 years old, using inquiry based learning.

The aim of history education is developing historical awareness in children. This development is stimulated by learning how to critically assess and reason with historical sources and to use these to create new coherent histories. Historical reasoning skills encompass sourcing, contextualization and argumentation using concepts like continuity and change, cause and consequence and similarities and dissimilarities. Based on existing research, inquiry based learning appears to be a fitting approach to help children develop historical reasoning skills. However, as elementary school teachers themselves need to be skilled in historical reasoning before they can teach historical reasoning, the research focuses on professional development of teachers in historical reasoning.

Promovendus: Chris Veldwijk

Promotors: Carla van Boxtel, Marrit van de Guchte

In Dutch upper-intermediate EFL classrooms, not much attention is paid to purposefully acquiring new and more complex language in speaking pedagogy. Yet, when pupils expand their linguistic complexity (= linguistic repertoire), they will be able to communicate more effectively. With this research, we hope to create an awareness of the effect of complexity in oral communication among Dutch EFL pupils in upper-intermediate (pre-university) education and design a pedagogical approach that encourages them to use new, complex language. We hope to not only increase pupils’ linguistic complexity and proficiency, but also to increase their sense of learning and self-efficacy; lastly, we hope to contribute to research into increasing complexity in second language acquisition and education.

Promovendus: Genja Ferschtman-Ridley

Promotors: Carla van Boxtel, Matthijs Baas, Gert Rijlaarsdam, Marie-Thérèse van de Kamp

Creative processes benefit from a temporary distraction, the ‘incubation phase’. Distraction may stimulate largely unconscious processes active during incubation, such as dissociation and bisociation, both contributing to originality. Educators could enhance students’ incubation by inserting a well-chosen contrasting sub-task, that distracts from the target task. It therefore stimulates the ongoing unconscious processes generating original ideas. Such a task might be found in contrasting Arts disciplines.

The research aims to define, develop and test such contrasting sub-tasks. After instructional design studies, we will test the effectiveness on creative ideation after incubation, originality of the final product and metacognition, prerequisite for near-transfer.

Funded by: NWO Promotiebeurs voor Leraren

Promovendus: Saskia Arbon

Promotors: Carla van Boxtel, Geerte Savenije, Tessa van Schijndel, Jaap Schuitema

To strengthen democracy, people need to be able to think critically about controversial issues. Critical thinking about controversial issues tends to be sub-optimally integrated in most school subjects. The focus is usually on subject-specific skills and knowledge. However, developing critical thinking about controversial issues also requires more general critical thinking and moral reasoning skills. In cross-curricular approaches, on the other hand, there is little attention for subject-specific aspects. Little is known about more integrative approaches. With this proposal we therefore aim to develop and test an integrative approach towards the teaching of critical thinking about controversial issues. The basis for this integrative approach is Levinson’s (2006) framework for addressing the epistemological and ethical structure of controversy. This framework serves as a point of departure for developing a pedagogy for teaching students what is at stake in certain controversies, by explicating the roles of evidence and values. This approach will be embedded in an existing innovative controversial-issues pedagogy: ‘Science Journalism’.

Interlinked research project funded by NRO.