A complexity approach to investigating the effectiveness of an intervention for lower grade teachers on teaching science

This article describes the effectiveness and sustainability of teacher professional development interventions from a complexity view point as well as a more ‘standard’ viewpoint. The first aim of this study is to give a theoretical overview of effective aspects of interventions regarding teachers’ professionalizing using recent literature. The second aim is to re-interpret effectiveness and effectiveness studies using a complexity approach. The third aim is to empirically illustrate a complexity approach to the effectiveness of interventions using a multiple case studyWe have described intervention specific aspects, teacher specific aspects, context specific aspects and implementation specific aspects and have shown in the cases that during an intervention these aspects intertwine and act as a complex dynamic system.The complexity approach to interventions has implications for future empirical research as well as for the design of interventions. In future research, results of small scale and large scale research should be combined, in order to obtain a better insight in all relevant aspects and their effect on teachers’ behavior. Research ought to concentrate on the effects that all contextual aspects have intertwiningly in order to design more effective interventions and with better implementation processes. <br/

Wetenschap- en techniektalent:het creëren van een positieve talentspiraal van leerkracht en leerling samen

Omdat er een tekort dreigde aan technisch goed geschoold personeel, heeft de Nederlandse overheid in 2007 TalentenKracht gestart, een landelijk programma ter stimulering van Wetenschap- en Technologie (W&T-) talenten van kinderen en jongeren (www.talentenkracht.nl; Van Benthem, Dijkgraaf & De Lange, 2005). Dit artikel gaat in op het werken met TalentenKracht-principes in het voortgezet onderwijs. Het gaat met name om het stellen van leerlinggerichte vragen en het werken met de empirische cyclus. Het artikel geeft een paar voorbeelden daarvan

A complexity approach to investigating the effectiveness of an intervention for lower grade teachers on teaching science

This article describes the effectiveness and sustainability of teacher professional development interventions from a complexity view point as well as a more ‘standard’ viewpoint. The first aim of this study is to give a theoretical overview of effective aspects of interventions regarding teachers’ professionalizing using recent literature. The second aim is to re-interpret effectiveness and effectiveness studies using a complexity approach. The third aim is to empirically illustrate a complexity approach to the effectiveness of interventions using a multiple case studyWe have described intervention specific aspects, teacher specific aspects, context specific aspects and implementation specific aspects and have shown in the cases that during an intervention these aspects intertwine and act as a complex dynamic system.The complexity approach to interventions has implications for future empirical research as well as for the design of interventions. In future research, results of small scale and large scale research should be combined, in order to obtain a better insight in all relevant aspects and their effect on teachers’ behavior. Research ought to concentrate on the effects that all contextual aspects have intertwiningly in order to design more effective interventions and with better implementation processes. <br/

Language use in kindergarten science lessons:Language production and academic language during a video feedback coaching intervention in kindergarten science lessons

This paper aims to gain insight into language production and academic language of 4- and 5-year-old students and their teachers in the course of a teacher intervention during kindergarten science education. The study is based on videotaped classroom observations, and specifically focuses on the academic language use of students (Nintervention = 18, Ncontrols = 26) and teachers (Nintervention = 5, Ncontrols = 5). The results suggest that this general teacher intervention yields interesting changes in language use and production. Patterns of change over time confirm the idiosyncratic and non-linear nature of these changes. Science lessons represent an appropriate context in which to acquaint students with academic language, which can be used as a basis to build upon more sophisticated language skills