Teaching Traditions and Learning

Teachers in different teaching traditions, subjects and contexts use varying teaching techniques and methods. Research carried out to date into the relationship between teaching and learning has primarily focused on individual or small groups of teachers during short periods of time whereupon the knowledge generated from such research has sometimes been anecdotal and impossible to generalize. This project aims to study the relationship between teaching traditions, i.e. universal methods used by teachers in Sweden teaching the subjects of Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Physical Education and Health, and student learning experiences. Comparisons will also be made with similar studies in France and Switzerland. Furthermore, the results will then be used in this project to test and produce materials for teachers to use in their planning and implementation of lessons. Therefore the purpose of the project is to identify teaching traditions - manners of teaching that many teachers use - within subjects and to analyze the pros and cons of each of the traditions regarding learning. The results of this research will then be tested in use together with practicing teachers in order to evaluate their potential for helping teachers cope with important didactic choices in planning, realizing and evaluating their teaching. In order to maximize the research a comparative didactical approach is used, thus we will make i) investigations in four subjects - physics, chemistry, biology and physical education and health - in Sweden and ii) comparative investigations within these four subjects between Sweden, France and Switzerland iii) comparative investigation between these four subjects and between countries. Surveys and interviews of teacher as well as extensive video recordings of teaching and learning will be conducted. 

Researchers
Jonas Almqvist, Uppsala University
Chantal Amade Escot, University of Toulouse
Adrian Cordoba, University of Geneva
Dominique Forest, University of Western Brittany
Karim Hamza, University of Stockholm
Benoît Lenzen, University of Geneva
Francia Leutenegger, University of Geneva
Florence Ligozat, University of Geneva
Eva Lundqvist, Uppsala University
Gérard Sensevy, University of Western Brittany
Patrice Venturini, University of Toulouse
Per Olof Wickman, University of Stockholm
Marie Öhman, Örebro University
Leif Östman, Uppsala universitet

PhD Students
Emmanuelle Forest, University of Toulouse
Nils Kirsten, Uppsala University
Laurence Marty, University of Geneva

Contact
Jonas Almqvist, project leader

Networks
EERA, Network 27, Didactics - Learning and Teaching
WERA, Network Didactics – Learning and Teaching

Collaboration
Stockholms University
University of Geneva
University of Toulouse
University of Western Brittany
Örebro University

Funding
The project is funded by the Swedish Research Council