Learning on electrical circuits while playing 'E&E electrical endeavours' : design research on a serious game optimizing for conceptual understanding

In a two year design research project, a serious game was developed in a close collaboration of educational researchers, game-designers and secondary school teachers. In a first round, the game was used in classroom employing an open-inquiry format. It was found that the game had a strong impact on the student’s conceptual development but that it provoked the construction of misconceptions. The game was then adapted and partially redesigned on the basis of the evaluation outcomes and additional expert-review. Also the way of using the game in classroom was redesigned and written down in a teachers’ guide. In a second round this pedagogical approach to using the game in classroom alternating open inquiry type gaming-episodes with guided reflection and internalisation episodes, was used. Again a strong impact on students’ conceptual understanding of electrical circuits was found. Significantly less misconceptions occurred. The results indicate that the close collaboration of school teachers, educational experts and game designers was fruitful for improving the serious game and its use in school practice. Moreover it became clear that serious games have a potential to strongly contribute to students’ conceptual understanding, in particular by the mental model implicitly represented in the game´s layout and structure

Het ontwerpen van context-gericht lesmateriaal

abstract in tex

Smartboard : what is it and what can I do with it?

A short introduction to using Smartboards on the TU/

Digitale lessen natuurkunde : geen docent meer nodig?

Het maken van lesmateriaal is voor docenten een enorme bron van leren over lesgeven, over materialen en hoe ze werken én een bron voor het hervinden van het enthousiasme voor het eigenvak. Het mag dan ook geen verbazing wekken dat in het nascholingsaanbod ‘lesmateriaal ontwerpen’ een vaste plaats aan het krijgen is. Maar niet alleen nascholing biedt de kans om zich eens diep in te graven in de stof

Science teachers designing context-based curriculum materials : developing context-based teaching competence

The intended new context-based curriculum for four science subjects (AS-MaT1, biology, chemistry, and physics) in senior general secondary education and pre-university education has been the subject of numerous research and teacher professionalisation efforts in the Netherlands for the last seven years. Following international forerunners, the context-based approach was chosen to counter falling interest in future education in science among students. The governmentally instituted innovation committees were committed to have input from teachers as well as university experts as to what the various curricula should contain. In the discussions on context-based education the focus has mainly been placed on the details on what a context-based approach should entail for each science subject. The committees were prepared to test the new curriculum in years 10-12 in secondary education, including the national exams, for which they needed new context-based cur- riculum materials. These context-based curriculum modules were made by teams of teachers and academic experts, although the actual line-up of the teams varied, from one teacher working alone and testing the material in the own classroom, to several teachers and experts working together with the final product being edited by a professional editor. The teachers working in these design teams for context-based curriculum material are expected to have learned more about the context-based approach than their peers without this experience. The learning of teachers in design teams for context-based materials was the topic of this thesis. The aim was to construct an optimal professional development programme for science teachers based on the experiences of these designers. First a definition of context-based education that would do justice to the national and international literature needed to be constructed. Then a translation from this definition to the teaching practice was made, by defining five teaching competences important for teaching context-based education. These competences were context handling, regulation, emphasis, design, and school innovation. The general research question in this thesis was: How does the participation of teachers in context-based design teams (ASMaT, biology, chemistry, and physics) contribute to their professional development towards contextbased teaching, and which factors concerning the design experience hinder or facilitate this development? A composite instrument able to measure the five context-based teaching competences was constructed and tested in a pilot study. Quantitative parts of the composite instrument were evaluated further in two national studies. The composite instrument was found to be valid and reliable for measuring the context-based competence of teachers. The validated instrument was used in a larger study amongst teachers who designed curriculum materials for the context-based innovation and teachers who were not involved in designing. Designers were found to have acquired more context-based competence than non-designers. An influence of the material used in class on context-based competence was also dis- covered. Using a combination of context-based curriculum modules and a standard textbook in class resulted in more context-based competence. The designers were interviewed on their design experience. The answers were analysed to find that some kind of structure should be used when de- signing curriculum materials. This structure could be a learning continuity pathway, a project planning and task division, or rules of thumb to ensure the designed curriculum material contained everything it should. The context-based teaching competence of the designers was also correlated with characteristics of their design experience. Influencing factors were participants in the team, time spent on designing materials, and use of context-based materials in the own class. A professional development programme was designed and executed with six teachers using these factors and factors identified from literature on teacher professional development. The programme was successful in changing teachers context-based competences. The general conclusions include the confirmation of the five teaching competences in demand in context-based education as well as suggestions for additions to these competences. As stated above, not only has designing curriculum materials been found to influence context-based teaching competency, but also the use of a combination of standard textbook with context-based curriculum modules has a positive influence. For a professional development programme success factors have been identified, both general and specific to context-based education. These findings can be useful to the teaching practice, textbook publishers, institutions for teacher professional development and teacher training

Het ontwerpen van context-gericht lesmateriaal

abstract in tex