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By:

Gudrun (Den Top) and Stephane (Leidstar)

Based on answers from:

Coordination: Pol and Jacqueline -KU Leuven

Karaton: Hannes and Mie -Happs

COPS the Belgian experience

GBS DEN TOP

GBS LEIDSTARSCHOOL

GBS ‘t POPULIERTJE

DON BOSCO SCHOOL

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3 Questions International COP

1 Professional development

The interaction with other teachers helped us to develop our skills in using Karaton. We exchanged on logging-in, adjusting reading levels, how to deal with bugs, class management: how to integrate Karaton in a classroom setting.Ideas that came up were: “Corner-work” having 4 work-stations with activities, Karaton being one of them, setting a timer (15 mins) and changing stations, getting assistant teachers (possibly volunteers) involved to make the coordination easier.

Some of us felt that the app should have been tested and piloted before the project, so that the COPs could have been less about testing the app and more about our professional development. It was felt by some that it was more about the university’s goals than our own goals for this project.

2 Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

Some of us found the learning too restrictive and would have liked to broaden our knowledge base more on dealing with reading difficulties in general. How do we motivate struggling readers, what do other teachers do to get children to increase their levels? This we would like to hear from teachers from other countries, who operate in different education systems.

Some of us would like to work with more than one reading app and hear from others what works.

3 Questions International COP

1 Professional development

The interaction with other teachers helped us to develop our skills in using Karaton. We exchanged on logging-in, adjusting reading levels, how to deal with bugs, class management: how to integrate Karaton in a classroom setting.Ideas that came up were: “Corner-work” having 4 work-stations with activities, Karaton being one of them, setting a timer (15 mins) and changing stations, getting assistant teachers (possibly volunteers) involved to make the coordination easier.

Some of us felt that the app should have been tested and piloted before the project, so that the COPs could have been less about testing the app and more about our professional development. It was felt by some that it was more about the university’s goals than our own goals for this project.

2 Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

Some of us found the learning too restrictive and would have liked to broaden our knowledge base more on dealing with reading difficulties in general. How do we motivate struggling readers, what do other teachers do to get children to increase their levels? This we would like to hear from teachers from other countries, who operate in different education systems.

Some of us would like to work with more than one reading app and hear from others what works.

3 Questions

International COP

3A Pupils’ engagement with reading apps

The pupils were highly motivated to play with the app. As schools we felt we had to implement the use of it on a twice-weekly basis, the regularity of which benefited the pupils. We might otherwise have exposed them less frequently to the app.

Some got bored with the repetition in Karaton 1 but Karaton 2 fixed that problem.

Their IT skills in general were also enhanced, they all know how to work with a laptop now.

3B Pupils’ general reading competencies, attitudes (including motivation) and engagement

Some of us found the learning too restrictive and would have liked to broaden our knowledge base more on dealing with reading difficulties in general: How do we motivate struggling readers, what do other teachers do to get children to increase their levels? This we would like to hear from teachers from other countries, who operate in different education systems.

Some of us would like to work with more than one reading app and hear from others what works.