Powerful Learning Environment in Science and Technology

6 ECTS credits
180 h study time

Offer 4 with catalog number 4022720DNW for working students in the 1st semester at a (D) Master - preliminary level.

Semester

1st semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Enrollment Requirements

Alvorens men een inschrijving kan nemen op 'Krachtige leeromgeving', moet men ingeschreven of geslaagd zijn voor 'Leren van individuele leerlingen'.

Taught in

Dutch

Faculty

Multidisciplinary Institute for Teacher Education

Department

Multidisciplinary Institute for Teacher Education

Educational team

Nadine Engels (course titular)
David Maquenne
Anja Decoster
Steven Claes
Ingeborg Plackle
Iris Stiers
Anne Schatteman
Lies Vanerum
Katrien Van Roelen
Liesbeth Noppen
Els Govaerts
Nathalie Michalek
Céline Gillardin
Bart Windels

Activities and contact hours

40 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
140 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

Pedagogy

The pedagogical track in this module provides the general theoretical frameworks for creating powerful learning environments. The topics include: mission and societal aims of education in connection to curriculum goals and objectives; comprehensive observation for mapping initial needs and strengths of students and learning groups; instructional design and constructive alignment; taxonomies of educational learning objectives; theories of learning and related designs for teaching and learning, and differentiation models; motivation for learning; differentiation, ethical compass and growth mindset; philosophies of, approaches to, and tools for assessment with a special focus on assessment for learning; 21st century skills, ICT, Powerful learning environments in an urban context; first steps in class management.

Domain specific applications

In this track, students are introduced to subject specific teaching within their domain:

Subject specific pedagogy as a scientific discipline: essence and unique social relevance of the domain, aligning the subject and the learning of students, subject specific didactical concepts and misconceptions.
Frameworks for subject specific pedagogy: didactic application of 21st century skills and Nature of Science, educational reform and subject specific education, curriculum goals, own science beliefs within pedagogical-didactic paradigms.
Teaching methods: classroom activities including current and authentic contexts, concrete and operational learning objectives.

Reflective and Inquiry-Based Practice

During video-stimulated reflection sessions in small groups, students analyze the full complexity of classroom practice. The interaction between teacher (mentor) and pupil is the focus of this reflection. The students use images from the classroom practice of experienced teachers. The sessions are structured according to the framework of GRROW coaching. Students integrate in their reflection offered frames of reference that encourage the design of a powerful learning environment (pedagogy and domain specific applications). During the sessions, students actively contribute to the reflection of their fellow students by applying coaching skills (e.g. actively listening and exploring, appreciating and confirming ...).

For students with LIO statute: students with LIO statute follow reflection sessions in small groups together with other LIO-students. They analyze their experiences with professional practice in a systematic way. They succeed in integrating the offered frames of reference into their own reflection. The sessions are structured according to the framework of GRROW coaching.

Course material

Handbook (Required) : Wat echt werkt, 27 evidence-based strategieën voor het onderwijs, Mitchell D., Uitgeverij Pica, 9789493209510, 2022
Digital course material (Required) : Beschikbaar via Canvas

Additional info

For students of campuses Anderlecht, Diest and Leuven 24 contact hours will be organised. 156h are completed as self-study (including internship).

In this module students acquire an integrated set of competences necessary to teach a full class. They need to integrate the learning outcomes specified for the different learning pathways in their internships. In order to prepare for practice students are expected to attend the lectures and workshops.

Learning Outcomes

General competences

Programme specific learning outcomes

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 14, 16, 19, 20, 22

Pedagogy

The student shows an open, inquisitive and professional attitude.
The student is able to draw connections between societal aims of education, curriculum goals and objectives for specific learning situations.
The student is able to handle a set of observation tools in order to retrieve the characteristics, needs and strengths of students and learning groups.
Based on observation and conversations with students and members of the school team, the student is able to draw up a balanced and multidimensional description of the diversity and social dynamic functioning of a learning group and to describe how the diversity can be utilized in a constructive way.
Based on the models of instructional design and constructive alignment he student is able to align students’ readiness, learning objectives, learning contents, learning tasks and assessment.
Based on research evidence the student is able to estimate the opportunities and limitations of designs for teaching and learning related to respective theories of learning and to evaluate their contribution to powerful learning environments.
The student is able to make well-founded choices in approaches to teaches and legitimate his/her choices based on the objectives/type of knowledge aimed for.
The student’s guiding principles are growth and learning progress for every student and a positive interaction respecting the students’ identity.
The student understands the basic models for differentiation (related to different theories of learning) according to students’ readiness, interests and learning profile.
The student is able to respond to different components of the motivation structure.
The student is able to draw connections between philosophies of, approaches to and tools for assessment.
The student develops a growth-oriented view of assessment.
The student is able to make well-founded choices of assessment tools and to develop tools for ‘evaluation for learning’.
The student is able to integrate ICT effectively when designing powerful learning environments.
The student is able to take measures proactively in order to create a structured and positive learning environment for students.
The student is able to consider the specific characteristics of an urban context when creating powerful learning environments, including its variety of cultures, living conditions and perspectives in the diverse population of learners. S/he takes account of the required responsiveness of the curriculum to the diversity of backgrounds including languages.

Domain specific applications

The student shows an open, inquisitive and professional attitude.
The student is able to express the essence and the unique social relevance of science education.
The student is able to express the 21st century skills, scientific literacy and the nature of science.
The student is able to frame his/her own science beliefs within pedagogical paradigms and can express the didactic implications thereof.
The student is able to situate the role of the curriculum goals in science education.
The student is able to situate the curriculum goals and learning contents for sciences within a horizontal and vertical coherence and within a STEM context.
The student is able to choose concrete and operational learning objectives based on curriculum goals.
The student is able to describe models for teaching and instruction and classroom activities in science and STEM education.
The student is able to identify and argue cognitive processes that play a role in learning scientific concepts.
The student is able to let students actively (re)discover and process the learning contents by means of a meaningful choice of classroom activities, learning resources and group settings.
The student is able to identify and argue the role of current and authentic contexts in order to create a powerful learning environment.
The student is able to give examples of misconceptions within the sciences.
The student is able to describe strategies to minimize the negative impact of misconceptions on science learning.
The student is able to identify elements of subject specific pedagogical research in order to frame own didactic choices.

Reflective and Inquiry-Based Practice

The student shows an open, inquisitive and professional attitude.
The student can discuss, adjust and report on his own performance in a (self-)critical manner.
The student can formulate and argue concrete strengths and working points with regard to the student's own reflection and coaching skills.
The student can identify learning questions in an authentic educational environment and share them with colleagues.
The student can systematically analyze a situation in an authentic educational environment from different perspectives.
The student can apply the results of relevant (educational) research and subject didactic expertise and content and use them in function of formulated learning questions.
The student can actively search for solutions to strengthen his or her mini-lessons on the basis of the reference frameworks he or she has provided.
The student can formulate concrete follow-up steps to strengthen his/her mini-lessons.
The student makes a constructive contribution to the learning process of others by applying basic coaching skills (active listening and exploration, appreciation and validation).

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 20% of the final mark.
Written Exam determines 60% of the final mark.
Practical Exam determines 20% of the final mark.

Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Oral justification with a relative weight of 20 which comprises 20% of the final mark.

Note: Students justify the choices made in lesson designs based on the theoretical frameworks.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Lesson design + justification with a relative weight of 60 which comprises 60% of the final mark.

Note: An extensive written theoretical explanation accompanying a lesson design, based on the frameworks studied in pedagogy and instruction and its domain specific applications.

Within the Practical Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Skills assessment with a relative weight of 20 which comprises 20% of the final mark.

Note: The students' reflection and coaching skills are assessed on the basis of contributions during the sessions and a reflection assignment.

Additional info regarding evaluation

In order to pass for this course students need to take each of the assessment components. A final grade can only be calculated if a score was obtained for each exam category. Not participating in one or more evaluation categories results in the scores “absent" (Afw).

A student can pass the course unit only if at least 7/20 is obtained for each exam category. If that is not the case the final score will be equal to the lowest exam category score.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context