In higher education, design thinking is often taught as a process. Yet design cognition resides in action and design practices. Dewey’s pragmatism offers a solid epistemology for design thinking. This paper describes a design research whereby Dewey’s inquiry served as the foundation for educating students. Three extensive educational case studies are presented whereby a design inquiry was introduced and became part of the curricula. It was found that students and coaches struggled with doubts experienced as a result of the co-evolution of problem and solution, means and ends. Four coping mechanisms were observed: (1) focus on problems, risking analysis paralysis; (2) focus on creative problem-solving, risking unsubstantiated design; (3) focus on means, risking fixation; and (4) focus on future ends, risking hanging on to a dream. By establishing a joint practice and a community of learnersthrough show-andshare sessions, the students establish solid ground.
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Universities have the potential, and the responsibility, to take on more ecological and relational approaches to facilitating learning-based change in times of interconnected socioecological crises. Signs for a transition towards these more regenerative approaches of higher education (RHE) that include more place-based, ecological, and relational, ways of educating can already be found in niches across Europe (see for example the proliferation of education-based living labs, field labs, challenge labs). In this paper, the results of a podcast-based inquiry into the design practises and barriers to enacting such forms of RHE are shown. This study revealed seven educational practises that occurred across the innovation niches. It is important to note that these practises are enacted in different ways, or are locally nested in unique expressions; for example, while the ‘practise’ of cultivating personal transformations was represented across the included cases, the way these transformations were cultivated were unique expressions of each context. These RHE-design practises are derived from twenty-seven narrative-based podcasts as interviews recorded in the April through June 2021 period. The resulting podcast (The Regenerative Education Podcast) was published on all major streaming platforms in October 2021 and included 21 participants active in Dutch universities, 1 in Sweden, 1 in Germany, 1 in France, and 3 primarily online. Each episode engages with a leading practitioner, professor, teacher, and/or activist that is trying to connect their educational practice to making the world a more equitable, sustainable, and regenerative place. The episodes ranged from 30 to 70 min in total length and included both English (14) and Dutch (12) interviews. These episodes were analysed through transition mapping a method based on story analysis and transition design. The results include seven design practises such as cultivating personal transformations, nurturing ecosystems of support, and tackling relevant and urgent transition challenges, as well as a preliminary design tool that educational teams can use together with students and local agents in (re)designing their own RHE to connect their educational praxis with transition challenges. van den Berg B, Poldner K, Sjoer E, Wals A. Practises, Drivers and Barriers of an Emerging Regenerative Higher Education in The Netherlands—A Podcast-Based Inquiry. Sustainability. 2022; 14(15):9138. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159138
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Many students in secondary schools consider the sciences difficult and unattractive. This applies to physics in particular, a subject in which students attempt to learn and understand numerous theoretical concepts, often without much success. A case in point is the understanding of the concepts current, voltage and resistance in simple electric circuits. In response to these problems, reform initiatives in education strive for a change of the classroom culture, putting emphasis on more authentic contexts and student activities containing elements of inquiry. The challenge then becomes choosing and combining these elements in such a manner that they foster an understanding of theoretical concepts. In this article we reflect on data collected and analyzed from a series of 12 grade 9 physics lessons on simple electric circuits. Drawing from a theoretical framework based on individual (conceptual change based) and socio-cultural views on learning, instruction was designed addressing known conceptual problems and attempting to create a physics (research) culture in the classroom. As the success of the lessons was limited, the focus of the study became to understand which inherent characteristics of inquiry based instruction complicate the process of constructing conceptual understanding. From the analysis of the data collected during the enactment of the lessons three tensions emerged: the tension between open inquiry and student guidance, the tension between students developing their own ideas and getting to know accepted scientific theories, and the tension between fostering scientific interest as part of a scientific research culture and the task oriented school culture. An outlook will be given on the implications for science lessons.
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The model of the Best Practice Unit (BPU) is a specific form of practice based research. It is a variation of the Community of Practice (CoP) as developed by Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002) with the specific aim to innovate a professional practice by combining learning, development and research. We have applied the model over the past 10 years in the domain of care and social welfare in the Netherlands. Characteristics of the model are: the interaction between individual and collective learning processes, the development of (new or better) working methods, and the implementation of these methods in daily practice. Multiple knowledge sources are being used: experiential knowledge, professional knowledge and scientific knowledge. Research is serving diverse purposes: articulating tacit knowledge, documenting the learning and innovation process, systematically describing the revealed or developed ways of working, and evaluating the efficacy of new methods. An analysis of 10 different research projects shows that the BPU is an effective model.
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Background: Survivors of lymphoma experience multiple challenges after treatment. However, a lack of knowledge of in-depth experiences of lymphoma survivors in early aftercare persists. Objective: To gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of lymphoma survivors in early aftercare who have received an aftercare consultation based on evidence-based guideline recommendations, with an advanced practice nurse. Methods: This study used a narrative design. We recruited lymphoma survivors after a best-practice aftercare consultationwith an advanced practice nurse. A total of 22 lymphoma survivors and 9 partners participated. Data were collected through narrative interviews and analyzed according to thematic narrative analysis. Results: Six themes emerged: living and dealing with health consequences, coping with work and financial challenges, having a positive outlook and dealing with uncertainty, deriving strength from and experiencing tensions in relationships, getting through tough times in life, and receiving support from healthcare professionals. Conclusions: The stories of lymphoma survivors in early aftercare revealed their experiences of how they coped with a range of challenges in their personal lives. Choosing an aftercare trajectory based on an aftercare consultation that encourages patients to think about their issues, goals, and possible aftercare options may be useful for their transition from treatment to survivorship. Implications for practice: Survivors’ social support and self-management capabilities are important aspects to be addressed in cancer care. An aftercare consultation involving shared goal setting and care planning may help nurses provide personalized aftercare.
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Background: Survivors of lymphoma experience multiple challenges after treatment. However, a lack of knowledge of in-depth experiences of lymphoma survivors in early aftercare persists. Objective: To gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of lymphoma survivors in early aftercare who have received an aftercare consultation based on evidence-based guideline recommendations, with an advanced practice nurse. Methods: This study used a narrative design. We recruited lymphoma survivors after a best-practice aftercare consultation with an advanced practice nurse. A total of 22 lymphoma survivors and 9 partners participated. Data were collected through narrative interviews and analyzed according to thematic narrative analysis. Results: Six themes emerged: living and dealing with health consequences, coping with work and financial challenges, having a positive outlook and dealing with uncertainty, deriving strength from and experiencing tensions in relationships, getting through tough times in life, and receiving support from healthcare professionals. Conclusions: The stories of lymphoma survivors in early aftercare revealed their experiences of how they coped with a range of challenges in their personal lives. Choosing an aftercare trajectory based on an aftercare consultation that encourages patients to think about their issues, goals, and possible aftercare options may be useful for their transition from treatment to survivorship. Implications for practice: Survivors’ social support and self-management capabilities are important aspects to be addressed in cancer care. An aftercare consultation involving shared goal setting and care planning may help nurses provide personalized aftercare.
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Dit artikel beschrijft een onderzoek naar werkzame elementen in de samenwerking binnen innovatieve leeromgevingen, professionele werkplaatsen (PW) genoemd. In PW werken onderwijs en beroepspraktijk samen aan complexe vraagstukken waarbij de ontwikkeling van betrokkenen en de innovatie van de beroepspraktijk centraal staan. Op basis van literatuuronderzoek, verkennende interviews met 11 sleutelfiguren en een meervoudige casestudie waarin vanuit 4 cases 75 betrokkenen participeerden, is het model Lerend en Onderzoekend Samenwerken in PW ontwikkeld. Het model omvat zes elementen en laat zien dat het lerend en onderzoekend samenwerken centraal staat in een PW en zich ontwikkelt binnen een grensoverstijgende en ontwikkelingsgerichte cultuur. Betrokkenen in een PW leren gezamenlijk doordat ze samenwerken in de dienstverlening en hierbij waarde hechten aan het delen van verschillende perspectieven. Door facilitering van mensen en middelen en door de samenwerking vorm te geven vanuit een gezamenlijke visie, kunnen betrokkenen elkaar leren kennen en afstemmen op welke manier zij samen kunnen bijdragen aan de innovatie van de beroepspraktijk. Hiervoor zijn zowel het opbouwen van relaties als het expliciteren en verdelen van taken en verantwoordelijkheden essentieel. Het model, dat een systemisch perspectief kent, biedt uitgangspunten en handvatten om de samenwerking binnen een PW te evalueren en te versterken.
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In het ZonMW-project ‘Samenwerken aan preventie en normalisatie rond het jonge kind’ zijn ouders, professionals en onderzoekers in leergemeenschappen samen aan de slag gegaan in drie Zwolse wijken. Dit onderzoeksrapport presenteert de resultaten van het samen onderzoeken wat voor ouders bijdraagt aan het versterken van het gewone leven. In elke wijk hebben ouders, professionals en onderzoekers samengewerkt in een leergemeenschap aan het ontwikkelen van een laagdrempelig ontmoetingsnetwerk. De professionals waren afkomstig uit het Sociaal wijkteam, Travers Welzijn en GGD. De onderzoekers waren afkomstig uit verschillende lectoraten van Viaa. De ouders werden gevraagd aan te sluiten door bemiddeling van de Participatieraad Zwolle. De hoofdvraag van het onderzoek is: Hoe kan voor ouders met jonge kinderen het gewone leven versterkt worden zodat kinderen zich positief ontwikkelen? Deelvragen: 1. Hoe kan hiervoor de samenwerking tussen ouders onderling en met alle relevante professionele partijen verbeteren? 2. Welke gedeelde (pedagogische) visie is daarvoor nodig en welke rol van professionals past daarbij? 3. Welke veelbelovende activiteiten kunnen uitgebouwd worden die voor ouders met jonge kinderen het gewone leven inderdaad versterken? De uitkomsten zijn gebaseerd op procesgericht onderzoek met behulp van Appreciative Inquiry en leergemeenschappen. Daarnaast is een theoretische verkenning gedaan ten ondersteuning van de gezamenlijk geformuleerde pedagogische visie. Ook is evaluatief onderzoek uitgevoerd met behulp van participerende observaties, vragenlijsten (internetenquêtes) en diepte-interviews. Het onderzoek is afgerond met een focusgroep.
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Learning by Design (LBD) is a project-based inquiry approach for interdisciplinary teaching that uses design contexts to learn skills and conceptual knowledge. Research around the year 2000 showed that LBD students achieved high skill performances but disappointing conceptual learning gains. A series of exploratory studies, previous to the study in this paper, indicated how to enhance concept learning. Small-scale tested modifications, based on explicit teaching and scaffolding, were promising and revealed improved conceptual learning gains. The pretest-posttest design study discussed in this paper confirms this improvement quantitatively by comparing the conceptual learning gains for students exposed to the modified approach (n = 110) and traditional approach (n = 77). Further modifications, which resulted in a remodified approach tested with 127 students, show a further improvement through reduced fragmentation of the task and addressed science. Overall, the remodified approach (FITS model: Focus - Investigation - Technological design - Synergy) enriches technology education by stimulating an empirical and conceptual way of creating design solutions.
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