Archive for the ‘News’ Category
February 21st, 2012
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Author: The manuscript “Inquiry-based science education competencies of primary school teachers: A literature study and critical review of the American National Science Education Standards” of PhD-student Ester Alake-Tuenter is accepted for publication in the International Journal of Science Education.
The abstract of the manuscript reads as follows: ‘Inquiry-based science education is an important innovation. Researchers and teachers consider it to be stimulating for pupils’ application of research skills, construction of meaning and acquiring scientific knowledge. However, there is ambiguity as to what competencies are required to teach inquiry-based science. Our purpose is to develop a profile of professional competence, required for effective inquiry-based science teaching in primary schools in the Netherlands. This article reviews literature and compares the outcomes to the American National Science Education Standards (NSES). In so doing it seeks to answer the following research questions: What elements of competencies required by primary school teachers who teach inquiry-based science are mentioned, discussed and researched in recent literature?; To what extent are the American NSES (introduced 15 years ago) consistent with elements of competencies found in recent literature? A comprehensive literature review was conducted using ERIC and Google Scholar databases. Fifty-seven peer-reviewed scientific journal articles from 2004-2011 were found using key word combinations. Analysis of these articles resulted in the identification and classification of 22 elements of competencies. This outcome was compared to the American NSES, revealing gaps in the standards with respect to a lack of focus on how teachers view science teaching and themselves as teachers. We also found that elements of competencies are connected and poor mastery of one may affect a teacher’s mastery of another. Therefore, we propose that standards for the Netherlands should be presented in a non-linear, holistic, competence-based model.’
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The AERA 2012 SIG Workplace Learning newsletter and program is out (thanks Judith Brown). Welcome to the program, and hoping to seeing many of you. Read the rest of this entry »
As a result of the PhD project of Omid Noroozi, a new publication appeared in an edited volume on collaborative and distributed research in the field of e-learning. The full reference is: Noroozi, O., Biemans, H.J.A., Busstra, M.C., Mulder, M., Popov, V., & Chizari, M. (2012). Effects of the Drewlite CSCL platform on students’ learning outcomes. In: Juan, A., Daradoumis, T., Roca, M., Grasman, S. E., & Faulin, J. (Eds.), Collaborative and Distributed E-Research: Innovations in Technologies, Strategies and Applications. Hershey: Information Science Reference (pp. 276-289). For more information check: http://www.igi-global.com/chapter/effects-drewlite-cscl-platform-students/63513
Met with Chris Garforth to speak about the meeting of the Tempus WBREN consortium in Ohrid next week. Hansje Eppink will represent ECS there
A Research Meeting will be organised by ECS on January 10, from 10:00-11:00hrs in the Leeuwenborch (Hollandseweg 1, Wageningen) in room C83. Invited speaker at this Meeting is Dr. Nicolet C.M. Theunissen. Nicolet is psychologist and Senior Research Scientist of the expertise group `Training & Performance Innovations’ at TNO. The question “How to help people to become the director of their own life” is a recurring subject in her research work. For more information: www.ntheunissen.nl. The theme of her talk is Enduring Learning. Under the flag of `Enduring Learning’, TNO contributes to enduring and evidence-based improvements in learning. This ‘learning’ includes both formal and informal learning and as such takes place within the field of education and training as well as within companies and organizations. It is ‘enduring’, because people become self-directed, flexible and innovative learners who can and will keep on learning throughout their entire lifespan. Moreover, it is ‘enduring’ because the technology for on- and off-line learning is designed in such a way that reuse is promoted and new technological possibilities can be incorporated without starting from scratch. And it becomes ‘enduring’ by the transformation of organizations into learning organizations. These are organizations that facilitate the learning of all its members and continuously transform themselves. The approach of Nicolet is ‘evidence based’ because she believes that a scientific foundation helps to decide which improvements make a valuable contribution for a learner, an education organization, a company or institution or society as a whole. During the meeting a picture will be given of the TNO research line ‘Enduring Learning’. This meeting is open to all who are interested in this theme.
Dear visitor. A warm welcome! I am very glad that you are visiting my new Home Page. In September my University moved to Windows 7, and therefore I could not update my old website anymore. My printers even stopped working with me – gggrrrr – I had to buy new ones 
So I needed to change the platform of the website. But that is done, and from now on I will post new items regularly 
I am happy that the social media on which I am active are linked to this Home Page as well. Very (nearly) 2012!
Impression from the INSEE conference September 2011, New Delhi, India Read the rest of this entry »