Young people are the future, so you won't find many people who say that education isn't important. But opinions differ greatly on how children learn best. That's why, in this edition of “What scientists say about...”, three scientists share insights from their research on what helps education move in the right direction.
What do scientists say about educational innovations?
“Bullying is extremely difficult to wipe out, but if we continue to learn from each other, we will be heading in the right direction”
Bullying is extremely difficult to eradicate, even for teachers who do their utmost to tackle it. “In practice, teachers are not always aware of everything that goes on in the classroom. One in three pupils who are bullied do not tell anyone about it,” explains Yvonne van den Berg. "Our Stoeltjesdans platform helps teachers to get a better grip of what is going on in the classroom.”
Now that social safety is playing an increasingly important role in the social debate, it is understandable that the classroom is also getting more attention, according to Van den Berg. “A classroom is a miniature society, where children gain their first experiences of cooperation and learn that you can be critical of each other while still being kind. They learn that you do not necessarily have to like someone to treat them with respect. If Stoeltjesdans can play even a small part in teaching children these lessons, that will already make it worthwhile.”
“Teachers share all kinds of strategies with us that work for them. It would be great if we could pass such strategies on to thousands of other teachers and then evaluate whether they actually achieve the desired results. I see myself as an intermediary; I bring researchers and teachers together so that both can gain new insights from Stoeltjesdans . Unfortunately, bullying is extremely difficult to wipe out, but if we continue to learn from each other, we will be heading in the right direction.”
Yvonne van den Berg is assistant professor developmental psychology ontwikkelingspsychologie at Radboud University.
“The only way to address fear of public speaking is to practice as often as possible”
For many primary school children, it is a cause for enormous stress and sleepless nights time and again: class presentations. A new, free app helps children with fear of public speaking to prevent and overcome this fear. The SpeakAPP!-Kids app, developed by Radboud University researchers, allows them to practise as much as they want in a virtual reality environment.
Fear of public speaking is a problem that usually starts early and can haunt a person their entire life. After all, public speaking is not only an important element in school, but often at work as well. “The only way to address it is to practice as often as possible,” Wolf-Gero Lange explains. Lange is assistant professor in clinical psychology at the Radboud University Behavioural Science Institute and one of the researchers involved in creating SpeakAPP!-Kids. “But that is difficult in practice. You cannot put a child in front of a class every week, and practising at home with stuffed animals or family members is not quite the same. Besides, after five times, grandpa and grandma often also get a bit tired of the practising.”
Lange: “The VR technology makes it look like they are really in front of a class. They can also look around them. We have videos of different primary school classes, so children of any age can practice with the class that suits their age. Children from years 2 and 3 see a circle arrangement, children from the upper years see children sitting at tables. There is also a teacher present. For children who want to build it up more slowly, there are also videos of empty classrooms. The recordings were all made in a real primary school to make the practice situation as familiar as possible.” Research shows that the app is effective in both preventing and reducing fear of public speaking.
Wolf-Gero Lange is assistant professor in clinical psychology at Radboud University.
“It is remarkable that you learn how to handwrite in primary school, but not how to touch type”
‘It is remarkable’, says educational scientist Henny van der Meijden, ‘that you learn how to handwrite in primary school, but not how to touch type.’ And yet at school children use nowadays the keyboard more often than a pen or pencil, also for tests. She advocates implementing touch typing at school.
Research shows that primary school children who can touch type get better scores on language and mathematics assignments. In primary school you do learn how to handwrite properly, but learning how to touch type and other keyboarding skills are neglected, while at school children use the keyboard more often than the pen. Consider consulting websites, creating a paper or a PowerPoint presentation.
“When I consulted a specialist in the hospital, I noticed that he was typing during the consultation and still could look at me. When I made a comment about that, he said: 'Yes, a typing course, that is the best investment my parents have ever made in me’.”
Henny van der Meijden was an educational scientist at Radboud University for many years. She is now retired.
Contact information
- Organizational unit
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Behavioural Science Institute, Learning, Education and Development, Social Development
- Theme
- Innovation, Education