Idea: research that matters
Pabo students conduct their research at the Snijdersschool in Rijswijk together with the teachers. According to coordinator Janneke Moeleker, everyone is reaping the benefits.
Image: Angeliek de Jonge
The thesis that teacher training students write on the basis of their practical research takes a lot of time, and then often ends up on a shelf somewhere. That is a shame, according to Hogeschool Leiden and JH Snijdersschool in Rijswijk and they devised the research program four years ago learning lab.
The teacher is co-owner of the research
Third-year students get to work with a question from primary school and for its implementation they are linked to a teacher. “Through this collaboration, the teacher becomes co-owner of the research,” says Janneke Moeleker, teacher and learning lab coordinator at the Snijdersschool. “The advantage for the student is that the research is really meaningful, while it is also great fun for us as teachers to participate. You will have the opportunity to increase your research skills and to delve into material that you would otherwise often not be able to deal with. You also learn from it yourself. ”
Learning lab is supervised by a teacher training teacher and starts with a mini lecture at primary school about what a good research question is and how data can be collected. The student and teacher then determine together how they conduct the research and meet once a month. The student writes a theoretical framework and the teacher carries out interventions together with the student, such as administering questionnaires or letting the students practice with something.
Mindset
About seven students conduct research at the Snijdersschool every year. An important condition for success is that the student can agree with the subject. Sometimes they work together. Last year, for example, three students and teachers researched the growth en fixed mindset: ways of thinking that, according to the American psychologist Carol Dweck, have a major influence on the learning process. Someone with a fixed mindset thinks that his capacities and competencies are fixed, while with a growth mindset he thinks that you can develop them. Students investigated how teachers can promote the growth mindset.
“It is important for students to know that they can influence it themselves,” explains Moeleker. “So they first got a lesson on how the brain works and then played games to practice with it. It is also important how teachers address the students. We already approach children positively, but certain words can make a big difference. "Tell us something about it", for example, sounds inviting, but better is: "Do you want to tell about it?" because the student thus feels the freedom to choose his own path. ”
Everyone is curious about the results
Almost the entire team will be present at the final presentations in June, as will people from the board and from Hogeschool Leiden. Moeleker: “We will make it a festive afternoon. The involvement is great, so that the research comes to life at school and everyone is curious about the results. ”
Support base
Any school could implement this, Moeleker thinks. “Schools may be afraid that it will take too much time, but you could also start with one student. With us, teachers get hours for it; it differs per colleague how much time they spend on it. One mainly reads along with the student, while the other picks up a large part of the research. If you, as a school, already find it very difficult to supervise students, this is a step too far. ” Hogeschool Leiden therefore also offers a light variant, in which the teachers initially play no role. Several schools have now become acquainted with the program in this way.
Decisions also have more support
In the past four years, many studies have been conducted at the Snijdersschool, for example into the method for spelling and opening up the digital portfolio. “The great thing is that decisions based on research also have more support,” says Moeleker. “For example, by questioning both parents and teachers about the portfolio, mutual wishes and expectations became clear. When we subsequently decided to open up the portfolio, there were almost no more critical questions. ”
Renewal School
Whether enough topics remain for research? Moeleker: “We are a innovation school so we keep trying out wonderful things. Another question could also be how we can safeguard the growth mindset, so that it becomes even more part of our culture. That is the best thing about this collaboration: our education is getting a little better every time. ”
If you would like to know more about this, please send an email to Janneke Moeleker, jmoeleker@snijdersschool.nl or Sanne van der Linden (Hogeschool Leiden), linden.vd.s@hsleiden.nl
This is an article from the Education Magazine of December 2018. More Education Magazine? Become member of the AOb!
