Students in their first master year of Educational Studies (specialization Pedagogy and Educational Studies) at Gent University, provide support in self-regulated learning to pupils from the fifth and sixth grade.
In the beginning of October 2014, the TutorBabbel-project started as part of Sabrina Vandevelde’s doctoral degree. Students tutor disadvantaged pupils in self-regulated learning during school hours. The project runs for one semester. There are objectives formulated for the four groups of actors (i.e. pupils, students, teachers and parents). The students are prepared and taught in the course Care, Coaching and Guidance in Education. This project is co-funded by the Flemish Department of Education.
“The TutorBabbel-project is really fun. From the first moment, we started to work hard. The tutor helps us prepare our presentation. We work in a small group together with one tutor. The tutors are students from the university. We learn how to plan our homework, to create mind maps and to work together. We are learning so many things. It is so much fun – yeah!!!” (class blog)
Interactive book reading
Third bachelor and pre-master students Pedagogical Sciences (specialization Educational Sciences) participate in a reading project in which practical and research experience come together.
Students are supported in setting up effective interactive reading sessions in the 1st and 2nd grade of primary schools in Flanders. These reading sessions serve as input to compose a research paper, in which they analyze their own reading activity and the children's input during reading (using transcriptions and codes) and subsequently learn to report in a scientifically correct manner. This way, the assignment combines working with children in educational practice with independently going through a scientific research process.
The rol of assessment, tests and evaluation in education
Second Bachelor's students of Educational Sciences are given the opportunity to come into contact with educational practice.
Students are challenged to examine the importance and role of evaluation, testing and assessment in education from various points of view. By collecting and processing data (qualitative and quantitative) with various stakeholders, they build up their own experience with testing in education. More specifically, the students interviewed both class teachers and the care supporter of Flemish schools. They connect this data with quantitatively collected data (reading comprehension test, reading proficiency test, background questionnaire and questionnaire on reading strategy use) by students in late elementary education. Based on this experience and scientific literature, they are encouraged to engage in a broad reflection within they bring together the different points of view.
"It was a great experience to take a look in practice. We often see the theory about education topics and that's it. In this exercise, on the other hand, we were able to test in practice what we learn in our courses, which was a very nice experience for us." (second Bachelor student of Educational Sciences)
