Papers by Carolien Frijns
Although constructivist theories have shown learning is accelerated by involvement and meaningful... more Although constructivist theories have shown learning is accelerated by involvement and meaningful lecturer–student and student–student interaction, these ingredients are mostly absent from large attendance lectures. A number of studies have already focused on more active ways of learning in large lecture classrooms, most often by using student response systems or “clickers”. This field study wishes to extend the current knowledge base by providing an overview of how students and lecturers experience technology in large enrolment courses. An intervention introducing meaningful use of mobile technology in large attendance lectures was therefore set-up and different aspects were evaluated: interaction and involvement, pleasantness and need for future implementation of an intervention. Participants were 185 bachelor students of Applied Psychology and three lecturers. A mixed method design was used, combining an online questionnaire consisting of multiple choice questions using a 5-point Likert response scale and open ended questions, with focus group interviews. Focus groups with both students and lecturers provided additional data. Results showed that students experience increased involvement and interaction, that they found the didactical use pleasant and that they were convinced of the need for future use of mobile technology in daily education practice. Focus group interviews with students confirmed these findings under the condition that the used technology was integrated functionally in the lecture. The involved lecturers reported on positive effects and showed themselves to be favorable toward using handheld, mobile technology in large attendance lectures to boost interaction and involvement, even though they admitted to feeling unease about surrendering a level of control over the pedagogic setting.
What higher education is still primarily concerned with when it comes to teaching communication s... more What higher education is still primarily concerned with when it comes to teaching communication skills, is the teaching of cognitive-academic language and related textual genres. In society and the workplace, however, these genres have limited relevance. Teachers, for example, primarily communicate with people outside of the professional in-crowd: they communicate with pupils and also parents, often with various ethnic backgrounds, and they make use of new media and technologies in order to do so. In a two-year project, funded by the KU Leuven Association, a multidisciplinary team is developing a toolkit to help all teachers and students in higher education with conceptualizing and developing strategic, multimodal communication designs for real-world situations. The project aims at bringing together relevant insights from the fields of ICT, graphical design and communication,
and making these insights available for teachers and students. In this paper, the results of several pilot projects and testing sessions are discussed. In general,
the toolkit seems promising in helping teachers to create an educational environment in which students are offered opportunities to prepare themselves for communicative
life outside the walls of higher education.
Conference Presentations by Carolien Frijns
https://congress.cc.jyu.fi/eurosla26/schedule/session/session15.html
In Flemish schools, a high proportion of children with an ethnic minority background underachieve... more In Flemish schools, a high proportion of children with an ethnic minority background underachieve . Since the 1980s it has been widely recognized that limited proficiency in Dutch is one of the most serious educational challenges minority children are facing. To help them overcome this challenge, the government has introduced extensive support programs. Although these programs seem to have had a significant effect, they have not succeeded in helping minority children close the language gap with the mainstream school population.
In teacher training, the students’ in-school training is complemented by internships at schools, ... more In teacher training, the students’ in-school training is complemented by internships at schools, where students are generally visited once or twice by a teacher trainer to evaluate their classroom practice. Studies on task-based learning, however, have shown learning is accelerated by challenging students to complete meaningful tasks, by creating interaction opportunities with peers and teacher trainers and by providing process-oriented feedback in a safe learning environment (Van den Branden, 2006). Due to practical limitations, process-oriented peer and teacher trainer feedback is in most higher education institutions rather hard to realize when it comes to internships. One school visit can only give a random indication of the students’ competences at a given moment in time and is therefore not enough to provide process-oriented feedback. This presentation focuses on the question how technology can transform the current learning environment in a more interactive one, with special attention for process-oriented peer and teacher trainer feedback. In this way, this study wants to contribute to research into technology-mediated task-based learning (Gonzalez-Lloret & Ortega, 2014).
Within the framework of an education innovation project, funded by the Association KU Leuven, a field study has been executed with 18 students, divided into 2 groups with 2 teacher trainers. Students were challenged to set up a participatory action research in their internship school where they solved a real task based on their own needs or those of the internship school. Students explored how they could, for example, boost reading pleasure of pupils or create a stronger group atmosphere among pupils. While undertaking the participatory action research, students documented their classroom practice by filming themselves. Students reflected upon their practice by editing the fragments into a video with commentary. Videos were shared in a closed Facebook-group where peers were challenged to advice each other on possible next steps in the action research process. The teacher trainers had access to these groups as well and were invited to provide process-oriented feedback.
To measure the perceived effects of the tablet intervention, focus groups with the students and teachers were organized. Students report to have learned more by (1) observing themselves as they watched and commented their video recordings and (2) interacting with peers and teacher trainers on how to improve their classroom actions. Teacher trainers report to have acquired a more complete perspective on their students’ daily practice, which made process-oriented feedback more possible than before. In this way, formulated using the framework of the SAMR-model (Puentedura, 2012), the didactic integration of the tablet in teacher training caused an educational transformation. Although research with larger groups is necessary to draw general conclusions, the tablet seems to be a promising tool to contribute to a (more) interactive learning environment for future teachers.
This paper is published in full in proceedings: full text on request.
References:
[1] Gonzalez-Lloret, M. & Ortega, L. (2014). Technology-mediated TBLT. Researching Technolgy and Tasks. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: Benjamins 2014.
[2] Puentedura, R.R. (2012, August 23). The SAMR Model: Background and Exemplars [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://hippasus.com/rrpweblog
[3] Van den Branden, K. (2006). Task-Based Language Education. From theory to practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Science popularisation by Carolien Frijns
'Warum?', vraagt een Duits meisje aan haar vader. Ze is een jaar of zeven, schat ik. 'Wat gebeurt... more 'Warum?', vraagt een Duits meisje aan haar vader. Ze is een jaar of zeven, schat ik. 'Wat gebeurt daar?'
school voert het Nederlands de boventoon. Op heel wat scholen gebeurt dat in de vorm van een Dutc... more school voert het Nederlands de boventoon. Op heel wat scholen gebeurt dat in de vorm van een Dutch only-beleid waarbij we van kinderen verlangen dat ze, bij het betreden van de school, hun meertalige identiteit aan de poort laten staan en uitsluitend Nederlands praten. Dat doen we met de beste bedoelingen, namelijk om ervoor te zorgen dat ze snel en goed Nederlands leren. Maar werkt dat wel? In een Dutch only-beleid gaan we voorbij aan wie onze kinderen zijn, waardoor het taalverwervingsmechanisme ongewild kan vastlopen. Professor Koen Jaspaert (KU Leuven) zegt daarover: "Door te eisen dat iemand zijn anders zijn opgeeft, verhinderen we net dat hij zich het Nederlands eigen maakt." (Jaspaert, 2013a) De relatie met de leerkracht is in dat opzicht erg belangrijk, zoals we al eerder in Basis lazen: "Als de leerling die relatie met de leraar wel ziet zitten, maar het zich inleven in die relatie ten koste moet gaan van zijn relatie met andere volwassenen die voor hem/haar betekenisvol zijn, dan plaatsen we die leerling voor een onmogelijke keuze en lopen we een serieuze kans dat zijn taalverwervingsmechanisme niet zal aanslaan." (Jaspaert, 2013b) Meertalige kinderen geven zelf ook aan dat zij méér zijn dan absorbeerders van het Nederlands. In het kader van een pilotstudie vroeg ik meertalige kleuters om taalmannetjes te kleuren. De kleuters kregen een eenvoudige kleurplaat van een lichaamssilhouet. In dat silhouet gaven ze de talen die ze spreken een plaats: in het hart, het hoofd, de buik ...? Elke taal kreeg een andere kleur. Op de foto (blz. 23) zie je het taalsilhouet van een vijfjarig meisje uit Antwerpen. In haar silhouet staat geel voor Nederlands, bruin voor Arabisch en groen voor Tamazight (Berbers). Toen ik haar vroeg om uit te leggen waar Tamazight precies zit, antwoordde ze: "Hiere en hiere, hiere, hiere en hiere. Overal, bij de handen. Tamazight is oooooveral bij mij!" Vanuit een Dutch only-perspectief reduceren we het groengeelbruine mannetje tot we twee voeten overhouden, of gummen we het hele lichaam uit (want Tamazight zit overal). Maar er is ook een andere weg. De weg waarbij we ons in eerste instantie niet op taal richten maar op het uitbouwen van sociale relaties. School is dan een plaats waar kinderen (en hun ouders) zich met elkaar verbonden mogen voelen, waar ruimte is voor hun volledige identiteit en waar de nadruk ligt op samen dingen doen. Bij die weg hoort een flexibele houding ten opzichte van alle talen. Of het nu Standaardnederlands, Limburgs of Turks is.
Het feit dat ik Marloe heet, en niet Mohammed, maakt dat ik elke dag gemakkelijker tegemoet ga.' ... more Het feit dat ik Marloe heet, en niet Mohammed, maakt dat ik elke dag gemakkelijker tegemoet ga.' Portret van Marloe Mentens, docente NT1 en NT2 Door Carolien Frijns, CTO-medewerker Haar lange benen houden de pas er stevig in. Ze gaan rechtdoor, alsof ze aan de overkant van het plein moeten zijn. Ondertussen draait haar hoofd van links naar rechts, en weer terug. Het lijkt een ontkennende beweging te zijn, alsof haar hoofd niet akkoord gaat met de doelgerichtheid van haar benen. Dan nadert het einde van het plein. De benen vertragen. Het hoofd stopt met ontkennen. Ze draaien zich om. 'Was je me aan het achtervolgen?' vraagt de jonge vrouw me. 'Probeerde je te wandelen alsof je niemand aan het zoeken was?' vraag ik terug.
Books by Carolien Frijns
Within the scope of today’s globalisation, linguistic diversity is a given fact of the world we l... more Within the scope of today’s globalisation, linguistic diversity is a given fact of the world we live in. In several educational contexts in Europe, language awareness (LA) activities have been introduced with the objective to prepare pupils cognitively, socially and/or critically for life as multilingual, open minded and/or empowered citizens in a diverse world. Despite previous research in various contexts, the concept of LA remains problematic: a generally accepted, evidence-based conceptualisation is missing. This confronts both research and education with a challenge: in order to develop LA activities, implement them successfully in educational contexts and achieve the expected outcomes, we should know what the concept stands for, how it works and why we would choose to implement it in classrooms (or not). This volume focuses on three apparent simple questions: what, how and why? The first question – what? – refers to the concept(ual mess) of LA. The second question – how? – refers to the implementation of LA activities in several educational contexts. The third question – why? – is a recurrent theme running through all the chapters and deals with a reflection on the way we deal (un)consciously with LA activities in education.
Elke dag horen, spreken en lezen we verschillende talen en taalvarianten. Die meertalige realitei... more Elke dag horen, spreken en lezen we verschillende talen en taalvarianten. Die meertalige realiteit weerspiegelt zich ook in onze scholen. Hoe leren we onze leerlingen met die taaldiversiteit om te gaan? Hoe kunnen we die diversiteit positief aanwenden op de klasvloer? Via een internationale praktijkgerichte literatuurstudie en een bevraging van internationale en Vlaamse experts hebben de auteurs onderzocht wat het concept talensensibilisering inhoudt en wat de effecten ervan zijn op leerlingen en leerkrachten. Dat onderzoek leverde een wetenschappelijk rapport op en een wegwijzer voor de Vlaamse onderwijspraktijk.
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Papers by Carolien Frijns
and making these insights available for teachers and students. In this paper, the results of several pilot projects and testing sessions are discussed. In general,
the toolkit seems promising in helping teachers to create an educational environment in which students are offered opportunities to prepare themselves for communicative
life outside the walls of higher education.
Conference Presentations by Carolien Frijns
Within the framework of an education innovation project, funded by the Association KU Leuven, a field study has been executed with 18 students, divided into 2 groups with 2 teacher trainers. Students were challenged to set up a participatory action research in their internship school where they solved a real task based on their own needs or those of the internship school. Students explored how they could, for example, boost reading pleasure of pupils or create a stronger group atmosphere among pupils. While undertaking the participatory action research, students documented their classroom practice by filming themselves. Students reflected upon their practice by editing the fragments into a video with commentary. Videos were shared in a closed Facebook-group where peers were challenged to advice each other on possible next steps in the action research process. The teacher trainers had access to these groups as well and were invited to provide process-oriented feedback.
To measure the perceived effects of the tablet intervention, focus groups with the students and teachers were organized. Students report to have learned more by (1) observing themselves as they watched and commented their video recordings and (2) interacting with peers and teacher trainers on how to improve their classroom actions. Teacher trainers report to have acquired a more complete perspective on their students’ daily practice, which made process-oriented feedback more possible than before. In this way, formulated using the framework of the SAMR-model (Puentedura, 2012), the didactic integration of the tablet in teacher training caused an educational transformation. Although research with larger groups is necessary to draw general conclusions, the tablet seems to be a promising tool to contribute to a (more) interactive learning environment for future teachers.
This paper is published in full in proceedings: full text on request.
References:
[1] Gonzalez-Lloret, M. & Ortega, L. (2014). Technology-mediated TBLT. Researching Technolgy and Tasks. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: Benjamins 2014.
[2] Puentedura, R.R. (2012, August 23). The SAMR Model: Background and Exemplars [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://hippasus.com/rrpweblog
[3] Van den Branden, K. (2006). Task-Based Language Education. From theory to practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Science popularisation by Carolien Frijns
Books by Carolien Frijns
and making these insights available for teachers and students. In this paper, the results of several pilot projects and testing sessions are discussed. In general,
the toolkit seems promising in helping teachers to create an educational environment in which students are offered opportunities to prepare themselves for communicative
life outside the walls of higher education.
Within the framework of an education innovation project, funded by the Association KU Leuven, a field study has been executed with 18 students, divided into 2 groups with 2 teacher trainers. Students were challenged to set up a participatory action research in their internship school where they solved a real task based on their own needs or those of the internship school. Students explored how they could, for example, boost reading pleasure of pupils or create a stronger group atmosphere among pupils. While undertaking the participatory action research, students documented their classroom practice by filming themselves. Students reflected upon their practice by editing the fragments into a video with commentary. Videos were shared in a closed Facebook-group where peers were challenged to advice each other on possible next steps in the action research process. The teacher trainers had access to these groups as well and were invited to provide process-oriented feedback.
To measure the perceived effects of the tablet intervention, focus groups with the students and teachers were organized. Students report to have learned more by (1) observing themselves as they watched and commented their video recordings and (2) interacting with peers and teacher trainers on how to improve their classroom actions. Teacher trainers report to have acquired a more complete perspective on their students’ daily practice, which made process-oriented feedback more possible than before. In this way, formulated using the framework of the SAMR-model (Puentedura, 2012), the didactic integration of the tablet in teacher training caused an educational transformation. Although research with larger groups is necessary to draw general conclusions, the tablet seems to be a promising tool to contribute to a (more) interactive learning environment for future teachers.
This paper is published in full in proceedings: full text on request.
References:
[1] Gonzalez-Lloret, M. & Ortega, L. (2014). Technology-mediated TBLT. Researching Technolgy and Tasks. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: Benjamins 2014.
[2] Puentedura, R.R. (2012, August 23). The SAMR Model: Background and Exemplars [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://hippasus.com/rrpweblog
[3] Van den Branden, K. (2006). Task-Based Language Education. From theory to practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.