Teacher Design Teams are viewed as an efficient tool in the professional development of secondary school teachers. Working together as a team and developing learning resources does not happen automatically. Floor Binkhorst has developed a special method for coaching these teacher teams. On 20 October, Ms Binkhorst will defend her dissertation at Twente’s Institute for Teacher Education, Science Communication & School Practices, which is part of the University of Twente’s faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences.
Teacher Design Teams (DOTs or Docent Ontwikkel Teams in Dutch) are programmes that allow teachers to work together to design or redesign teaching aids and learning resources. This material is innovative, specific, and designed by the teachers themselves. As a result, they can claim 'ownership' of the material, which increases the chances that they will actually use it in class. Other reasons why teachers participate in DOTs include: the opportunity to develop their expertise as well as new skills in designing teaching materials, apply what they have learned in practice and build a network of colleagues and academics.
PhD thesis and textbook
PhD student Floor Binkhorst studied Teacher Development Teams set up by Twente’s Institute for Teacher Education, Science Communication & School Practices. Science professionals with a first-level teaching qualification in secondary education from a number of secondary schools in the area meet once a month to work on renewing or improving education and to develop or discover current scientific and technological developments that they could use in their schools. However, Ms Binkhorst discovered that working together in a DOT is not automatically a resounding success. Some teachers indicated that the results had not met their expectations, whereas others were very positive about the experience. She studied the reasons why some teams were more successful than others and discusses the results of her investigation in her PhD thesis: Connecting the dots – Supporting the implementation of Teacher Design Teams. In continuation of her PhD research, Ms Binkhorst wrote a short guide for teachers or head teachers who take part in or set up Teacher Design Teams. Connecting the DOTs - A Practical Method for Coaching Teacher Design Teams.
Paradox of leadership
Binkhorst has developed a method that supports staff in coaching DOTs. As it turns out, in these groups, leadership method was especially important. In order to truly learn, participants need to be able to take the lead themselves and present their own ideas, subjects and teaching methods to the group and contribute by sharing experiences. But if teams are left to their own devices, they tend to lose focus and meetings become less efficient with fewer completed activities. In addition to horizontal, shared leadership, teams also require hierarchical leadership – from a subject teaching specialist. Ms Binkhorst explains: “This feels like a paradox to teachers. After all, if self-management and coaching are both necessary parts of the process, striking the right balance can be quite a challenge. Every participant needs to have a sense of ownership over their DOT – but they must continue to make progress. Happily, the simplest things can make a difference, including starting every meeting by reminding the team of their objectives, or by developing one teaching module per session, for example. My method provides a structure for these activities, including a list of steps such as: define your goals more clearly, write down a list of tasks, carry them out meticulously and reflect on them.”
Review the programme of study
Ms Binkhorst’s PhD research was carried out with the support of the TechYourFuture centre of expertise for engineering and technology education. Exact science subjects in secondary school are struggling as a result of the widespread misconception that technology is boring, for nerds, and too hard. Programmes in exact sciences are still not filling up with students as they should be. Since 2013, new examination programmes for exact sciences have been introduced, and in addition to the fact that there is a heightened interest in relevant contexts, schools are increasingly trying to establish links to current scientific research. By taking part in and contributing to teacher development teams organized by Twente’s Institute for Teacher Education, Science Communication & School Practices, teachers of exact sciences receive guidance in the above. Meanwhile, a new country-wide curriculum review is expected to be introduced. DOTs will have a part to play in this, but it remains to be seen how they will be coached. Ms Brinkhorst believes the working practice that has been developed at the University of Twente could be a step in the right direction.
