Bert van Oers VU University Amsterdam Dutch – German ISCAR meeting

THE THEORY-PRACTICE DIALECTIC FOR INNOVATING EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES: THE CASE OF DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION Bert van Oers VU University Amsterdam Dutch – German ISCAR meeting Amsterdam, February 21st, 2013.

Topics of my talk • Short sketch of historical background • Mission andsomestarting points • A few examples: contributionstotheoryandpractice • Conclusionsandfuture issues

Short sketch of historical background • Precursors • Politicalclimate

Mission andsomestarting points • Children’s well-being • Needforstimulatinginteractions • Zone of proximaldevelopment • Appropriation of academically relevant cultural tools • Morallyinformedautonomy • Respect forsubjectivity • Holism

Methodicalstarting points • Finalevaluation of theory is itsvalueforpractice • General theorythat guides thinking about concrete problems • Teacher is a creativepedagogue • Two-sidedlearningprocess • Dialecticalrelationbetweentheoryandpractice

Summary of starting points • Emphasis on well-being • Focus on socioculturalemancipation • Broaddevelopment • Non-linearimplementations: two-sideddiscursivelearning

Someexamples • Learning toteach in DevelopmentalEducation • Young children’slearningtoproduceanduseschematic tools • Reconceptualisation of play • Inquiry-basedlearning

Learning toteach in DE • Teaching is a cultural-historically developedpractice • Learning toteach is learning toparticipate in aneducative culturalpractice • In terms of habitus: ‘the habitus could be considered as a subjective but not individual system of internalised structures, schemes of perception, conception, and action common to all members of the same group or class, and constituting the precondition for all objectification and apperception’ (Bourdieu, 1977, p. 86).

Meaningful schematisation in young children • Collaborative solution of theoretical problems with practically acceptable outcomes • Tools forstructuring actions • Addressingresistance

Reconceptualisation of the notion of play • Practical needforreconceptualisation • (lookingfortheoretical solution of practical problem) • Play is a mode of activity: • Play format: • Rules • High Involvement • Degrees of freedom • Gains of the reconceptualised notion of play: • Role of adults • Understanding of playful learning • Development of playing

Inquiry-basedlearning:GENERAL STARTING POINTS • Learning in a community of inquiry; • Playing the role of researcher • Doing research on relevant science, mathematical, literacy, historical …… questions; • Reflections on questioning, hypothesising, method • Reporting

Inquiry-basedlearning:DIDACTICAL STRATEGIES • Inquiry as play • Start out frompersonally relevant questions (fosteringinvolvement); • Increasing accent on conceptual, strategicandsocial (morality) rules; • Some levels of freedom in the regulation of actions: choice of tools, arguments, interpretation of goals, waysto report;

In conclusion • Developmental Education is a theory-driven concept, based on the interaction of practical and academic theories. • Implementing DE is based on a concerted collaboration of different stakeholders, that contributes to the understandings of all partners.

…….. andbeyond…… • CORRECTION: • Theory – practicedistinction is basicallyfalse • Interactingtheories • Practice – practicedialectic • Somequestionsforfurtherdiscussion: • where we can get by construing innovation projects in this way? What are the problems? Limitations? • What is counted as evidence to show the value of DE? (rule from academic practice?) • How to integrate family practices?

THE PRACTICE-PRACTICE DIALECTIC FOR INNOVATING EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES: THE CASE OF DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION Thanksforyour attention: Bert van Oers bert.van.oers@vu.nl

Bert van Oers VU University Amsterdam Dutch – German ISCAR meeting