University of Groningen: The professional learning community: Working together on educational innovations that actually work.

ENPNewswire-April 7, 2021--University of Groningen: The professional learning community: Working together on educational innovations that actually work

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Release date- 06042021 - University of Groningen: The professional learning community: Working together on educational innovations that actually work.

In September 2018 the first cohort of the professional learning community 'Educational leadership for educational improvement' started. Participating school leaders worked together with educational scientists of the Teacher Training Program on the problems that existed in their schools. The first cohort just finished the trajectory, the second cohort is well underway, and the reactions are positive.

No hypes, but science-based

Among Dutch secondary school leaders there is an increasing desire to not blindly follow educational hypes such as personalized learning, but to do what actually works. Preferably innovations that are evidence-based (innovations that have been extensively evaluated) but in any case innovations that are science-based (innovations with a solid scientific basis).

Klaas van Veen and Ester Moraal, educational scientists from the Teacher Training Program at the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences, saw this need and founded the professional learning community 'Educational leadership for educational improvement'. The purpose of this learning community is to narrow the gap between educational practice and science and to learn from each other.

Working together

Within the learning community, school leaders from secondary schools work together with educational scientists. During a two-year trajectory, they meet regularly to discuss the problems that the participating schools encounter and to think about possible - scientifically supported - solutions.

Before the trajectory begins, the school leaders prepare thoroughly. They conduct interviews with teachers and students in order to detect potential issues. They do not do this at their own school, but at the school of someone else from the learning community. As an outsider you will notice different things is the underlying idea.

'Think before you act'

Based on the interviews, the participants make a problem analysis and formulate which goals they would like to achieve. These goals in turn determine the form and...

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