Independent knowledge center Leerpunt launched a website on Tuesday containing a toolkit for teachers in primary and secondary education. “The aim is to provide teachers and management with guidance when experimenting with educational approaches,” Flemish Education Minister Ben Wiets (N-VA) said at the presentation of the toolkit at the UNESCO School in Kokelberg.
Leerpunt was founded at the end of 2022 and had to bridge the gap between scientific research and the classroom. Its creation was a recommendation of the Brinkman Commission to combat the deterioration in the quality of education. The Knowledge Center now has a website with a ready-made toolkit, which provides teachers with scientific insights into thirty classroom practices in primary and secondary education.
When the toolkit is launched Minister Wittes spoke about the discussions taking place in schools about educational methodology. Schools are experimenting, for example, by eliminating homework, but those well-intentioned experiments aren’t always effective, he said. “Schools are looking. We want to give teachers more guidance. So they know what instructional methods have proven effective.
Pedagogist Pedro de Bruycker, who heads the knowledge centre, says the toolkit was developed in consultation with similar institutions in the UK (EEF) and the Netherlands (NRO). His team adapted the EEF toolkit, based on in-depth analyzes and reviews, “not translated but re-translated” to Flemish education. The toolkit was then reviewed by external experts and by the EEF itself. On the website, teachers can now see at a glance the costs of a method, the strength of the evidence, and the learning gains that can be achieved through it.
The intention is to launch a similar toolkit for nursery education early next year. There will also be ‘guidelines’ to help teachers put certain techniques into practice.
According to De Bruyckere, Leerpunt, with its small team, is not meant to realize now that schools will use the toolkit effectively. However, it seems that they could invest in extension projects. In this context, De Broyckere also points out the importance of feedback from the educational field. Based on surveys, the intention is to have a three-year knowledge agenda by the end of next spring. The topics around which Leerpunt will work are determined.
UNESCO School GO! In Koekelberg work has already begun with the EEF toolkit. During the presentation of the Flemish Toolkit, teachers Jill Bornau and Sophie van Lerberg explained how, for example, they created tailored examination schedules with students, taking into account issues such as when students study best. “This is how we arrive at an individual plan for each student, and none of them should be the same,” said Van Lerbergh, who also emphasized the importance of assessment.
The toolkit is a step towards “evidence-informed” work, says De Broyckery. Research and practice go hand in hand to improve education. De Broyckery counters that initiatives such as the toolkits conflict with freedom of education. “What we do is show what you can do and what impact it has,” he says. A scientific and user committee within Leerpunt monitors scientific quality and usability in the educational field respectively.
Levin Boff, Director General of Catholic Education in Flanders, said in his response that he wanted to give the initiative a “fair chance” and that the umbrella organization for education was cooperating. “But just knowing what is successful on a website does not mean that practice will automatically follow: knowing good and doing good are two different things. Building on this challenge, Leerpunt is focusing on integration with other actors closer to practice, such as pedagogical guidance services and training courses.” Teachers: “It is unfortunate that the minister has reduced educational guidance services,” Bove says.
