Redeneerling²
In Redeneerling², we are developing a cross-curricular methodology that provides teachers in the second stage of general secondary education (ASO) with tools to stimulate students’ reasoning skills. This essential competence – especially in an era of fake news – is also reflected in the new attainment targets for various subjects in the second stage, making a cross-curricular approach all the more relevant. Throughout the different development cycles of Redeneerling², teachers work together in teacher design teams (TDTs) to co-create lessons, with a specific focus on instructional formats that promote structured dialogue and the systematic articulation of reasoning forms used.
In the ongoing PWO project "Redeneerling" we are designing a methodology that allows first stage secondary school teachers to stimulate reasoning in students. In Redeneerling² we develop this methodology further, adapted to the second stage of secondary education.
The second stage of secondary education requires greater complexity and a more refined program to align with the updated curriculum. In this phase, we focus on four reasoning skills:
- analysing sources,
- identifying and formulating researchable questions,
- recognising fallacies, and
- constructing arguments.
Redeneerling² will tailor this methodology to three domains: language, STEM, and society. We are developing the Redeneerling² methodology using an educational design research (EDR) approach, in which educational materials are designed, tested, and implemented through multiple development cycles. During these cycles, we focus on three key aspects:
- We create teacher design teams (TDTs) where teachers collaboratively design and analyze lessons. This supports the cross-curricular nature of the methodology.
- We emphasise instructional formats that enable structured dialogue, and
- the systematic articulation of the forms of reasoning used.
According to the literature, these three aspects are essential for fostering complex cognitive skills such as reasoning. The impact of the Redeneerling² methodology on students’ reasoning skills – as well as their subject knowledge – will be examined through pre- and post-tests conducted in both experimental and control schools.
Moreover, a methodology is only as effective as its implementation in practice allows. Therefore, we also investigate the contextual factors that either hinder or facilitate successful implementation. This analysis is conducted through group interviews with teachers and students, as well as through observations of Redeneerling² lessons and TDT meetings. We explore how these contextual factors can be adjusted to better support implementation.
