Invited Speakers
First Day (Monday: August 24, 2009)
The Art of Teaching: Fostering Effective Learning Processes
Prof. Dr. Tina Seufert
Ulm University, Germany.
Monday August 24, 2009 (10:30-11:00)
One of the main goals of teaching is to impart knowledge. Based on cognitive and educational science we can learn a lot about how to foster the knowledge acquisition process and hence about the art of teaching. Generally there are two different strategies for teachers: first, to optimize the learning materials and second, to foster the learners by teaching effective learning strategies. Based on empirical studies several design principles for texts, pictures or media-based learning environments can be deduced. Moreover, some studies on how to foster especially complex learning processes can be reported. However, since teachers usually cannot influence the design of the materials they use, it is even more important to convey effective strategies for dealing with suboptimal learning materials. Several innovative approaches on how to teach learning strategies will be discussed. They all make clear that the training of cognitive strategies is far more effective when it is combined with metacognitive training. Generally, the talk aims at connecting analyses of cognitive learning processes with effective strategies of instruction.
Knowledge Communication - A Challenge for Learning Organisations
Prof. Dr. Heinz Mandl
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany.
Monday August 24, 2009 (10:30-11:00)
There is a lack of culture concerning professional communication and cooperation in educational institutions, organisations and companies. The presentation analyzes symptoms of bad communication like the group-think phenomenon, hidden profile phenomenon, avoiding cognitive dissonance and polar ingroup-outgroup thinking. Further causes of deficient communication and group culture will be demonstrated. People can lose power when they exchange knowledge. Especially secret rules and inadequate incentives in organisations can hinder communication. Prerequisits creating a good communication and cooperation culture are discussed like development of a culture of trust and a professional dispute and conflict culture.
Second Day (Tuesday: August 25, 2009)
Quality of Instruction in Science Education
Prof. Dr. Birgit J. Neuhaus
Munich University, Germany.
Tuesday August 25, 2009 (09:30-10:00)
What makes science lessons more effective? There is a large amount of studies dealing with teaching quality in general, but only few of them focus on criteria that are specific for science lessons (e.g. Fraser, 1987; Wang et al. 1993). In my presentation I will focus on the hypothesis that a general view on instruction quality will lead to contradictory or vague results concerning pupils' interest and learning achievement, if subject-specific criteria are not considered. I will follow the idea that for effective teaching a subject-specific approach is needed that analyzes both, general and subject-specific criteria of teaching quality, as well as the interaction between them (Neuhaus, 2007). I will focus in particular on results of an approach founded by the DFG in which science and biology-specific criteria of instruction quality were identified and tested for their relevance concerning pupils' learning achievement and motivation. Three smaller studies were carried out as part of the overall main approach. Through a review of literature and expert interviews science-specific and biology-specific criteria of instruction quality were identified, e.g. the content-specific structure of the lesson, the number of technical terms a teacher uses in class, the way experiments are integrated into the lesson, the way models are used in the teaching unit or the way a teacher uses anthropomorphisms (Wadouh et al., 2008; Wüsten et al., 2008; Schmelzing et al., 2008). Secondly, lessons of 50 biology teachers were video-taped and analyzed in terms of general and subject-specific criteria of instruction quality. In order to identify those criteria that are related to pupils' learning results and motivation, they were correlated with data obtained from achievement tests and a questionnaire on interest and motivation of more than 1000 pupils. To analyze the interaction effect between general and subject-specific criteria of instruction quality, those criteria showing the highest correlations in the quasi-experimental video study, were experimentally tested in a 2*2 design on approximately 800 students. In this third field study bundles of general and subject-specific criteria of instruction quality were varied within four different teaching units and analyzed in relation to pupils' learning results and motivation after the lessons. Besides presenting results from these and other science-specific and biology-specific studies, I will draw conclusions for science education. I will introduce ways to use results for the education of pre-service teachers at universities as well as for in-service teachers at school.
Recognizing and Nurturing Talent in At-Risk Populations
Ken, Andrea, & Chris McCluskey
University of Winnipeg, Canada.
Tuesday August 25, 2009 (14:15-14:45)
This presentation explores the expansion of enrichment programming to include hitherto marginalized populations: nonconformists, dropouts, the "tough bright", children and youth from minority groups, and young people whose talents surface in domains other than reading, writing, and arithmetic. Reference is made to several made-in-Manitoba initiatives which have successfully employed Creative Problem Solving - in combination with mentoring, career awareness, and other interventions - to reclaim talented but troubled high-school dropouts (Lost Prizes), to turn around the lives of marginalized Aboriginal youth (Northern Lights), to reduce the recidivism rate of Native Canadian inmates (the Second Chance program), and to support inner-city students at risk for alienation, school failure, and gang involvement (the Inclusive Prototype Enrichment Project).
Third Day (Wednesday: August 26, 2009)
Fun, Interesting and Relevant
Prof. Dr. Christer Johannesson
Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden
Wednesday August 26, 2009 (10:45-11:15)
Teaching is extremely rewarding and effective when students find a subject or an activity fun, interesting and relevant. When students actively participate in the activity or lesson and he/she is acknowledged by the teacher/assistant the ultimate learning process occurs. Nothing strange or new about that! How come we don't use this knowledge? The importance of basic human needs, recognition and wishes are well known to instructors, supervisors and teachers. Then what hold us back from using our knowledge to make education more pleasant, interesting and understandable? At KTH courses and activities for children and youths have been much successful as well as continuing education for teacher where the goal has been to introduce these ideas in ordinary education has given good results. This concept for improved learning methods, in this case concerning science and technology, can be achieved with rather simple means. However, the major culprits are myths about teaching and learning methods.
Discovery Learning - An Instructional Approach for Gifted Students and Beyond
Prof. Dr. Heinz Neber
Universität München, Germany.
Wednesday August 26, 2009 (12:30-13:00)
Students should be more active in the pursuit of knowledge. Discovery learning approaches may help in attaining this objective. They contribute in establishing learning environments that support the development of personal skills, self-regulatory competencies, and they support the acquisition of more meaningful and transferable knowledge. Such environments contribute in meeting specific needs and strengths of highly gifted students. By varying the degree of structure of learning tasks and by employing different kinds and amounts of support, discovery learning may be adapted to individual differences among students. Thus, the versions of discovery approaches which will be presented in the speech may help in challenging all students on adequate levels.
Innovative Programs for Excellent Students. Perspective of an Austrian Ministry Official
MMag. Birgit Hartel
Federal Ministry of Science and Research, Austria
Wednesday August 26, 2009 (15:00-15:30)
In order to support excellent students it is essential to offer innovative and creative programs. The Austrian Ministries of Education and Science consequently make an effort to put this guiding principle into effect. Thus, an interdepartmental task force for the gifted and talented was founded to set the agenda for future trends in gifted education and talent research. Oriented towards the goals of this task force, a broad range of initiatives allows for a continuous development of talent from kindergarten via primary and secondary school to university. This includes curricular and extra-curricular as well as scientific activities such as: Studies about early gifts and talents; research programs based on the participation of primary and secondary school students like "Sparkling Science", or "Pupils Attending University" - a program to individualize the transition from school to university.
Research on Cognitive Processes Underlying Creative Achievement: Consequences for Training and Education
Prof. Dr. Alessandro Antonietti
Catholic University of Milano, Italy
Thursday August 27, 2009 (12:30-13:00)
A model of creative thinking will be presented. According to such a model, creative outcomes can result by perturbing the mental framework that we are used to apply in a given situation. A set of strategies which can yield this kind of perturbations will be described, together with some examples of creative performance resulting from the implementation of such strategies. Finally, a training programme based on the aforementioned model will be illustrated and some research data supporting the validity of the programme will be reported.
Stimulating Children's Inquiry - An Approach of the Deutsches Museum
Dr. Ralf Spicker (Curator of the Children's Museum at the Deutsches Museum)
Germany
Thursday August 27, 2009 (15:00-15:30)
University of Winnipeg's "ACCESS" Education Program
Prof. Philip Baker
The University of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Thursday August 27, 2009 (15:00-15:30)
The intent here is to describe an "in-the-trenches" model for preparing teachers for service in a rather specialized field. It is presently operating successfully at the University of Winnipeg, in the Province of Manitoba, Canada and is offered to stimulate and guide enrichment and talent development efforts for pre-conference teachers in ACCESS, Alternative Education Programs or their equivalents elsewhere in the world. While recognizing some of the information presented is especially pertinent to one particular situation, the hope is that the shared philosophical perspectives and observations might pique the interest of educators in other post-secondary settings. Perhaps by adapting and building upon the principles and concepts salient to this approach, others may be able to develop ways to inject more enrichment and innovation into their own programs.