Zoekresultaten

Digital tasks in the foreign language classroom

Supporting staff development for international teaching

As anyone who has travelled the dissertation road knows the process dominatesuntil the end of that road is reached. After the fireworks, it is time, high time, toshare the outcomes outside of a small circle of experts. This monograph is part of the catalytic goals of a study undertaken between 2006 and 2012 in Groningen at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences (HG) where I am employed. The study was originally inspired by my efforts, not always successful, to help my colleagues as their teacher of English and as academic staff developer. Initially it was meant to be an applied, practitioner research to identify needs, in preparation of a pilot project, not a scientific investigation. I wanted very much to understand why Dutch teachers, who received no extra pay or status became involved in international teaching. What motivated them, what kept them going, and most of all what did they need in terms of support in the transition and changes they were experiencing?

Internationalisation strategies and the development of competent teaching staff

ABSTRACT This article argues that the role of the lecturer in an internationalised higher education institution is not limited to teaching internationally or interculturally diverse groups of students. Teaching staff members will normally be required to undertake a variety of tasks, which require different competences. In addition, they will need specific competences to be able to function well in an international working environment. In order to foster the discussion on the topic of staff competences in relation to internationalisation, this article suggests the use an ‘International Competences Matrix.’ This HRM tool is meant to alert both teaching staff and their heads of department to the fact that working in an international environment requires new and additional competences and that training teaching staff

Practical solution or missed opportunity? The impact of language of instruction on Dutch history teachers’ application of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK)

Teaching history requires clear, detailed and subject specific language. History teachers teaching in a second language are confronted with students' second language limitations, which likely have an aggravating impact on their application of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). We analysed and compared 12 Dutch spoken and 12 English spoken paired history lessons in junior grades 7 and 9. Contrary to our expectation, we found a strong similarity of the teachers’ PCK application in both grades 7 and 9, irrespective of the used language. The PCK application in both grades and languages was of average quality, while the PCK used in grade 9 was more advanced.

Scaffolding primary teachers in designing and enacting language-oriented science lessons

The purpose of the design-based research reported here is to show – as a proof of principle – how the idea of scaffolding can be used to support primary teachers in a professional development programme (PDP) to design and enact language-oriented science lessons. The PDP consisted of six sessions of 2.5 h each in which twelve primary school teachers took part over a period of six months. It centralised the language support that pupils need to reason during science lessons. In line with the idea of scaffolding, the structure of the PDP targeted teachers' gradual independence in designing lessons. The first research question is how scaffolding was enacted during the PDP. The analysis of video recordings, field notes, researcher and teacher logs, and teacher design assignments focused on the enactment of three scaffolding characteristics: diagnosis, responsiveness and handover to independence. The second research question concerns what teachers learned from the participation in the PDP that followed a scaffolding approach. The data analysis illustrates that these teachers had learned much in terms of designing and enacting language-oriented science lessons. In terms of diagnosis and responsiveness, our PDP approach was successful, but we problematise the ideal of scaffolding approaches focused on handover to independence.

Emerging epistemologies : making sense of teaching practice

ISBN 978-90-9022113-7