2015-10-21 research seminar

1. Dr. Thomas Kisser
Heidelberg University of Education
Department of Geography
Research Group for Earth Observation – rgeo
Selected demands and challenges in the
educational system of Germany:
two case studies

2. The development of educational trails
to a structured net of Geopoints
with help by Geocaching
2
PhD-Thesis

3. 3
Neurobiological & psychological findings

4. Pupils, who absolve a GPS-based educational
trail, learn more successful than pupils in
“normal” class.
21.10.2015 StR Thomas Kisser
4
Main-thesis on the learning process

5. • Structuring
• Spatial orientation
• Amount of time
• Learning with all senses in an authentic situation
• Inquiry-based, pupils should work, thinking from the
pupils` point of view
• Transparency
• Motivation
5
Guidelines for the design

6. 6
• Museum
• Adventure/
experience-trail
• Educational
trails
• Geocaches
1
2
3
4
E E
E
E
Combining outdoor learning possibilities

7. ?
7
48°49.353´N
010°29.624´O
48°49.275´N
010°28.723´O
Geocaching

8. Representational order:
about age 7 - 12
Geopoint 1 Geopoint 2 Geopoint 3 Geopoint 4
 „Lane in space“
8
Spatial orientation

9. Figurale order: starting at about age 12
 Meta-level
 non-linear structure is possible
Geopoint 1
Geopoint 2
Geopoint 3
Geopoint 5
Geopoint 6
Geopoint 4
9
Spatial orientation

10. • Objective target:
– Integration of Geocaching in subject specific field trips
– Strengthening the position of field trips
• Operationalization:
– Construction of two GPS-based learning trails: „Nördlinger Ries“
& „Rhine-meadows near Karlsruhe“ as case-studies
• Measurement:
– Evaluation of the learning success in the area of cognitive skills
– Comparison of the learning success to „normal“ lessons
• Implementation:
– Learning modules should stick to reality in class
– Control groups
10

11. StR Thomas Kisser
11
21.10.2015 Evaluation of the data
Posttest
Treatment
ET "Nördlinger Ries"
Control:
CA "Nördlinger Ries"
ET „Rhine-meadows"
Control:
CA "Rhine-meadows"
PART B: Quantitativ-empirical study (main study)
Adress of the participants Pretest
Testing the Concept
Expert consultation 1 Pilotstudy Expert consultation 2
PART A: Konzeptioneller Rahmen des Projekts
Design of the learning-modules Posttest-design

12. Carousel activity
• Setting the standard value for comparison
 Learning modules should be similar
– Amount of time
– „Learning at stations“
– Structure of the learning modules
– Same worksheets
12
Comparison treatment

13. 1) Which subject-specific content and methodolical
possibilities offers the Geopoint?
2) When within the trail should the Geopoint be
positioned?
3) With which other Geopoints is this Geopoint,
regarding the route, the subject-specific content
and the didactical structure, compatible?
21.10.2015
13
Evaluation of Geopoints

14. Interactive map of the Geopark Ries
Quelle: http://www.geopark-ries.de/index.php/de/geologie/geologische_besonderheiten (Stand: 08.10.2013)
14
Geological features

15. Lernpfad „Nördlinger Ries
15

16. 16
Skills

17. 17
Foto: Halberstadt, J., 17.04.2012
Example: Daniel-Tower in Nördlingen

18. Central question II:
Which participants receive a better learning success?
„Nördlinger Ries“, grade 5
Boys n= 165 Girls n = 121
„Nördlinger Ries“, grade 5
GPS-based educational trail „normal“ class
Boys n = 122 Girls n = 88 Boys n = 43 Girls n = 33
Central question I:
Which treatments evokes a better learning success?
„Nördlinger Ries“, grade 5
GPS-based educational trail n = 210 „normal“ class n = 76
18
Participants in grade 5

19. Itemvariance and -difficulty
19
Posttest Case Study „Nördlinger Ries“

20. Item
Correct
answers
carousal
activity
Correct
answers
educational
trail
Standard
deviation Significance Effect-size d
1a Hometown 42% 61% 0,4997 0,02 significant 0,380 medium
1b Nördlinger
Ries 38% 57% 0,5009 0,016 significant 0,379 medium
2 Diameter 68% 75% 0,4424 0,267 0,158 small
3 Ries-impact 97% 98% 0,1463 0,803 0,068 small
4 Blocks`
genesis 17% 32% 0,4478 0,015 significant 0,335 medium
5 Chalk origin 14% 50% 0,4894 0,000
highly
significant 0,735 high
6 Suevit colour 86% 75% 0,4043 0,271 0,272 medium
7 Suevit feature 46% 50% 0,4976 0,528 0,080 small
8 Suevit genesis 52% 57% 0,4952 0,447 0,100 small
Mean 51% 62% 20
Posttest Case Study „Nördlinger Ries“
N = 286

21. Pupils, who absolve a GPS-based educational trail,
learn more successful than pupils in “normal”
class.
21
Results

22. Item
Correct answers
carousal activity
m / f
Richtig: Lernpfad
m / f
Richtig: M / W
gesamt
1a Hometown 44% / 39% 64% / 57% 59% / 52%
1b Nördlinger Ries 44% / 30% 61% / 51% 56% / 45%
2 Diameter 72% / 64% 74% / 76% 74% / 73%
3 Ries-impact 98% / 97% 99% / 97% 98% / 97%
4 Blocks` genesis 16% / 18% 34% / 29% 30 % / 26%
5 Chalk origin 8% / 21% 53% / 45% 45% / 38%
6 Suevit colour 82% / 91% 78% / 72% 79% / 77%
7 Suevit feature 40% / 55% 51% / 50% 48% / 51%
8 Suevit genesis 60% / 41% 61% / 51% 61% / 49%
Mean 51% / 51% 64% / 59% 61% / 56%
Gender effect?

23. Item Independent variable Significance α Variance-
erklärungsanteil
1a Hometown Treatment ,020 ,019
1a Hometown Gender ,647 ,001
1b Nördlinger Ries Treatment ,014 ,021
1b Nördlinger Ries Gender ,152 ,007
2 Diameter Treatment ,255 ,005
2 Diameter Gender ,588 ,001
3 Ries-impact Treatment ,857 ,000
3 Ries-impact Gender ,468 ,002
4 Blocks` genesis Treatment ,020 ,019
4 Blocks` genesis Gender ,821 ,000
5 Chalk origin Treatment ,000 ,097
5 Chalk origin Gender ,709 ,000
6 Suevit colour Treatment ,245 ,005
6 Suevit colour Gender ,499 ,002
7 Suevit feature Treatment ,641 ,001
7 Suevit feature Gender ,297 ,004
8 Suevit genesis Treatment ,405 ,002
8 Suevit genesis Gender ,029 ,017
Gender effect?

24. Men do better in psychological tests than women regarding
- Spatial cognition
- Spatial visualization
- Mental rotation
Men use other strategies than women:
- m: 4 main directions
- f: Landmarks, left & right
Hormones, chromosomes, Corpus Collosum
24
Gender effect?
Arguments from
psychologists
+ Arguments from
biologists
+ Arguments from social
sciences

25. • Development of GPS-based education trails is not
efficient, because there is hardly made use of them
• Loss of lessons in important subjects
• Second teacher is needed  more loss of lessons
• ~ 5 lessons in school vs. day-trip
• Costs
• Organization
• Digital field trips
25
Why don´t we go outside?

26. 26

27. Competence-orientation in German
Geography lessons:
Is the textbook still state-of-the-art?

28. Aims
• What are the characteristics of competence-oriented education?
• Which contributions can and should textbooks make?
28
Questions
 What do teachers think are competences?
 How does comp.-or. education look like from the
teachers point of view?
 How does comp.-or. education look like in school?
 Which role play learning materials?
 What is the role of the textbook in comp.-or. educ.?
- Creation of criteria
- Development of a raster
- Development of prospects
 What are „indicators“ for comp.-or. education
learning materials from the practitioners point of view?
 Analysis of textbooks
From the point
of view from
• theory
• „experts“
• „normal“
teachers
Aims of the AKT:KOM-project

29. • Qualitative expert interview as guided interviews (Mey & Mruck, 2007;
Gläser & Laudel 2010; Reinders 2011)
• n = 9
– 2 teachers at school
– 4 teachers at seminaries for teacher training
– 3 teachers working at the ministry
 Maximum contrast of the statements made by the last 2 groups
• Duration: 35-55 Min., expectation was 30-max.45 Min.
• 66% of the interviews have been held in the bureau of the interviewees,
33% due to wishes of the interviewee in the bureau of the interviewer
• Transliteration: literarily transcript, sequential structure, 4-eyes-principle
(Dittmar 2009)
• Consensual qualitative content analysis (Schreier 2012, 2013), using
MAXQDA
Simple random sampling;
Equates to 14% of the population
29
Qualitative study: methodology

30. Research object, question
Definition of categories and degree of abstraction as criteria
for selections in the inductive concurrent categorization
Work with the data: step-by-step creation of categories in
relation to the criteria; subsumption under categories
already in use or creation of new categories
Summative check of
reliability
Formative check of
reliability
(Reiterate) revision of the
categorization after about 10-
50% of the data
Final pass of the data
Evaluation, also quantitative analyses
Collaborator 1 Collaborator 2
Definition of categories and degree of abstraction as criteria
for selections in the inductive concurrent categorization
Work with the data: step-by-step creation of categories in
relation to the criteria; subsumption under categories
already in use or creation of new categories
Summative check of
reliability
Formative check of
reliability
(Reiterate) revision of the
categorization after about 10-
50% of the data
Final pass of the data
Evaluation, also quantitative analyses
ResultsResults
Concurrentprocedure
Inductive concurrent categorization

31. n= 9
31
Determining factors of the interviewees
Institutions they are working at Curricula during their internship
Age of interviewees Age of teachers in Baden-Württemberg 2014

32. 32
Sequential portraits of the documents
Predictions textbook
Research/Theory - Practice
Varies
Predictions competence
Subjective concept of competence-orientation
Curricula
Textbook usage
Examples & characteristics of lessons, design of learning moduls
Materials & media

33. 1. Possibility: as author of the 2004 curricula or announced member of the ZPG
(…) as we worked on the curricula for 2004, i participated, we should write
competence-oriented curricula but had no definition of competence. so we had
to search and informed us in other countries, finland, great britain, usa, how it is
there, then we searched in education science and bounced into weinert, klieme
was not welcomed in the ministry, and so we bounced into weinerts´ definition
but as commission we had to do it for ourselves und had to deal with that, what is
that. (…)
(interview 2, sector 3)
33
First contact with competences
3 Interviewees, at the ministry and at seminaries

34. 2. Possibility: as multiplier at trainings for multipliers
(…) these were the materials given to us at the trainings for
multipliers, i did not buy any specific literature or so (…)
(interview 5, sector 7)
34
First contact with competences
3 Interviewees, at the ministry and at seminaries

35. 3. Possibility: as teacher in teacher training beginning from 2004 on or
within further trainings
(…) in teacher training we compared the curricula of 1994 with 2004, in this
context, we became explained, what competence-oriented education in
geography means (…)
(interview 9, sector 6)
35
First contact with competences
2 Interviewees, at school

36. 36
Subjective concepts of comp.-orientation

37. 37
Subjective concepts of comp.-orientation

38. (…) with the description of these three parts i named (a gain in the skills of
knowledge, a gain in the skills to reflect, a gain in the capacity to act), the
psychology of learning calls competence since the 70´s and that covers in
principal competence, with that i get away from the much to narrow
understanding of competence is the same as methodical skills. hartmut hentig
did not write that too, no, but the skills of knowledge is in the first place, but in
the reception, in the common discussion, weirdly the methodical skills are
important. (…)
(interview 6, sector 11)
38
Results I: Methodology = competence?

39. „(…) da ist natürlich die kompetenzorientierung ne möglichkeit
heraus zu finden ob der unterricht gut war, ob die schüler dann im
nach hinein dann wirklich was mitgenommen haben und was
können. also ich würd die jetzt nicht vergleichen, sondern
kompetenzorientierten unterricht als eine maßstabsebene von
gutem unterricht nehmen. Was aber nicht alles abdeckt. (…)“
(Interview 9, Abschnitt 20)
39
Competence-oriented & “good” lessons

40. „(…) so rein lehrerzentrierter unterricht kann im prinzip auch gut
sein, einfach gut, eh zu bestimmten sachverhalten, aber da wärn die
schüler natürlich weniger gefragt und ja viel eher so, vom lehrer so
sachen aufgetrichtert aber die schüler ham halt in der
übungsphase, in dem wissen auf, reines wissen und nicht
unbedingt verschiedene kompetenzen erlangt dadurch (…)“
(Interview 7, Abschnitt 13)
40
Competence-oriented & “good” lessons

41. 41
Used textbook in school & codings
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Klett-Terra
Criticsregardingcomp.-…
Tasks
Text
1
2
3
Schroedel-Seydlitz
Criticsregardingcomp.-…
54.1
54.2
GEOPraxis54.4
55.1
Westermann-Diercke
Criticsregardingcomp.-…
Text
M1
M2
M3
M4

42. 42
Experts´ textbook usage
• No or just seldom textbook usage
• From the conception of the textbook different usage
• Critic „reproduction of content“ (interview 6, sector 52)
• Critic regarding the amount of text
• Varying usage with other materials

43. 43
Textbook usage: Klett – Terra 3

44. 44
Textbook usage: Klett- Terra 3
Critic
• Example for all textbooks:
- Too much text
- Text is too difficult
Positive
• Oasis in flux (interview 2, section 35)
 Human geographical system
Potential, regarding competence-oriented education
• Learning at stations (interview 5, section 37)
 Social skills
• Pupils create a logical framework (interview 5, section 37)
 Methodical skills
• Satellite image analyses (on the page afterwards, topic is the river Nil) (interview 9,
section 48)
 Methodical skills

45. 45
Textbook usage: Klett – Terra 3
Critic
• Cannot work with picture 1
Potential, regarding competence-
oriented education
• Something like picture 1 could be
used to develop a problem or a
conflict (interview 3, section 39)
Inform yourself about the changes in
oasis and enjoy the taste of a sweet
date.
Draw a sketch with pictograms, arrows
and lettering to present the changes in
oasis. For this complete schema 3 on
page 87.

46. 46
Textbook usage: Klett – Terra 3
Critic
• Cannot work with picture 2, message is unclear
Inform yourself about the changes in
oasis and enjoy the taste of a sweet
date.
Draw a sketch with pictograms, arrows
and lettering to present the changes in
oasis. For this complete schema 3 on
page 87.

47. 47
Textbook usage: Klett – Terra 3
Critic
• -
Positive
• Picture 3, pupils continue this
sketch
Potential, regarding competence-
oriented education
• -
Inform yourself about the changes in
oasis and enjoy the taste of a sweet
date.
Draw a sketch with pictograms, arrows
and lettering to present the changes in
oasis. For this complete schema 3 on
page 87.

48. 48
Textbook usage: Schroedel – Seydlitz 3

49. 49
Textbook usage: Schroedel – Seydlitz 3
1 Describe the picture of an oasis (54.1)
Critic
• Just a picture description
(interview 4, section 35)
Potential, regarding competence-oriented
education
• Picture analysis, picture interpretation
 Pupils should work
structures out (interview 4,
section 35)
 Methodical skills

50. 50
Textbook usage: Schroedel – Seydlitz 3
2 Assign the terms „artesian oasis“, „source
oasis“ and „groundwater oasis“ to the
drawings A, B and C. (54.2)
Critic
• -
Potential, regarding competence-oriented education
• Hide the text (interview 8, section 30)
• Assistance for weaker pupils, focus on processes & systems
(interview 4, section 35)
 Pupils should work structures for themselves out, not
just reproduce
 Pupils shall construct an explanation

51. 51
Textbook usage: Schroedel – Seydlitz 3
Critic
• (In principle) good
Potential, regarding competence-oriented education
• Pupils get materials without the explanation and shall discover the artesian
well for themselves (interview 5, section 25)
 Pupils should work structures for themselves out, not just
reproduce
 Extend this task with additional material: experimental set-up
observation, interpretation (interview 4, section 35)
 Methodical skills
We execute a “water-experiment”
What happens, if the toothpick gets pulled
out?

52. 52
Textbook usage: Schroedel – Seydlitz 3
4 Draw a sketch of the structural levels with the
economic plants (55.1).
5 Explain, how the date palm fits in its habitat
and explain the Arabian saying „the roots in the
floods of the water, the head in the fire of the
sun“.
6 Make a table. In the left column are the
different parts of the date palm, in the right
column the traditional usage.
7 Describe today`s use of the date palm.
• Texts (reading comprehension) and knowledge
are necessary and important
• Example for all textbooks:
- Too much text
- Text is too difficult

53. (…) these drawings are great but they purport everything and so we do
not take the pupils´ point of view and pick them on their level up, but say
so it is, look at it and get the hang of it. (…) and it would be much more
interesting, if there would not be written aquiferous bed for example, if
there would be no writing, the pupils would maybe get the drawings
without it, they had to think, what happens there, but here everything is
purported (…)
(interview 8, sector 24)
53
Textbook usage: Schroedel – Seydlitz 3

54. (…) i am missing tasks, that bring the pupils into action, so the
pupil must be active (…) he himself draws a sketch, he himself
creates a map or a logical framework. One could let them do this,
with these materials, but there are different tasks (…)
(interview 8, sector 34)
54
Textbook usage: Schroedel – Seydlitz 3

55. 55
Textbook usage: Westermann – Diercke 3

56. 56
Textbook usage: Westermann – Diercke 3
Critic
• -
Positiv
• (Very) good picture
Potential, regarding competence-oriented education
 Pupils should work structures for themselves
out, not just reproduce (interview 3, sector 41;
interview 6, sector 56; interview 8, sector 30)

57. 57
Textbook usage: Westermann – Diercke 3
1 Describe the locations of the
oases (M5, atlas)
Critic
• No need for a map besides the one in the atlas
Potential, regarding competence-oriented education
• A plan-sketch of one settlement with building
projects
 Pupils shall evaluate, judge
(interview 6, sector 56)
• Create a map with given settlements
 Pupils should work structures for
themselves out, not just reproduce
(interview 8, sector 24)

58. 58
Textbook usage: Westermann – Diercke 3
2 Explicate the different supply of
water of oases (M4).
Critic
• Solutions are already in the picture
Potential, regarding competence-oriented education
• Self-creation of these drawings, based on text
 Pupils should work structures for
themselves out, not just reproduce
(interview 4, sector 43)
• The pupils` view as starting point, no lettering
 Pupils shall construct an explanation
(interview 8, sector 24)

59. 59
Textbook usage: Westermann – Diercke 3
3 Explain the structural level of
crop growing in oases (M1).
4 The date palm is to be said the
most important crop in oases. Give
the reasons for this (M2).
Critic
• Missing the human-environment relations (interview 4, sector 43)
• Only re-construction of given facts (interview 6, sector 56)
Potential, regarding competence-oriented education
• In combination: evaluate & judge, whether date palms or another crop
shall be cultivated (interview 6, sector 56)

60. 60
Textbook usage: Westermann – Diercke 3
5 The farmer Ibrahim Mohammed
from a oasis in the kufra-basin
wants to sell tomatoes, zucchini,
onions and poultry in Tripoli. Which
problems does he have to solve
(M5, atlas)?
(…), but actual, if it would be a competence-oriented textbook-page, then it had to start
with something like this: the farmer Ibrahim has, in his oasis in the kufra-basin tomatoes,
zucchini, vegetables and poultry and stuff to sell, which problems does he has to solve. or
somehow, this would be a problem that possibly motivates the pupils to learn something
about oasis, but this must not be the last task (Diercke Geographie, S. 53, Aufgabe 5) but
the first task or something similar (…) (interview 5, sector 31)
(…) pupils who want wo work structured, want a scheduling and
then are happy if they can work one small task after another, want
to be guided, i give them an accurate briefing, but there are also
others, i give them just a problem and they work out an idea for
themselves (…)
(interview 3, sector 47)

61. (…), as i started to read I thought, oh, this could become something in this direction, because it starts,
the farmer ibrahimi normet in his oasis in the kufra-basin wants to sell tomatoes and so on, that
means i put him in a situation, and if I would attach something in order to get a decision or an
evaluation, which they (the pupils) can only fulfill if they understood it, then I would be able to get
into the sphere of competence-oriented tasks and teaching (…), but if there would be written, let me
think, (…) where should he do what best, eh how can he do this best, a plain solution-orientation, we
could come one step further. (…)
(interview 6, sector 54)
61
Textbook usage: Westermann – Diercke 3

62. (…) however, the conception of the double-pages with their
materials and tasks sometimes are to narrow, so you only have one
way, to use the textbook and that is hard (…)
(interview 1, sector 30)
62
Results II: Textbook usage

63. (…) they are working with newer textbooks in the upper classes,
there are a lot of pages in which they have to use methods and they
have to produce things, that is pretty good i think (…)
(interview 4, sector 31)
63
Time-shifted implementation

64. (…) the curricula 2004, i think was an approach, they (the ministry)
wanted to have competences, but they were not yet established,
neither in the textbooks, nor in the final exams (…)
(interview 9, sector 26)
64
Time-shifted implementation

65. (…) the new way used in den latest textbooks just has to be
transferred into the lower grades, the new terra 5, i think, is pretty
good (…)
(interview 4, sector 59)
65
Time-shifted implementation

66. (…) the fact that there are competence-volumes additional to the regular textbooks (Klett-Terra) on
the market shows, that in the current textbooks (Klett-Terra) there is one or the other idea, but not
fully developed, regarding the discussions of the last years, that´s not surprising, an ordinary case, we
have a new fundamental access path, we recognize, that regular textbooks fulfill this path only
limited and we produce an additional volume which is competence-oriented by using worksheets for
reflection, competence-checks, worksheets, tests, and so on, the textbook as a stand-alone product
can do this only in a limited way, as far as the teacher does not think competence-oriented and
remembers, that the kids should develop something (…)
(interview 6, sector 27)
66
Time-shifted implementation

67. (…) the fact that there are competence-volumes additional to the regular textbooks (Klett-Terra) on
the market shows, that in the current textbooks (Klett-Terra) there is one or the other idea, but not
fully developed, regarding the discussions of the last years, that´s not surprising, an ordinary case, we
have a new fundamental access path, we recognize, that regular textbooks fulfill this path only limited
and we produce an additional volume which is competence-oriented by using worksheets for
reflection, competence-checks, worksheets, tests, and so on, the textbook as a stand-alone product
can do this only in a limited way, as far as the teacher does not think competence-oriented and
remembers, that the kids should develop something (…)
(interview 6, sector 27)
67
A key to competence-oriented lessons?

68. (…) actually i can give competence-oriented lessons with every textbook, I won´t
use every material, i won´t use every task, but i can do it, insofar for me it is a
subordinate question, the other way round that means to me (…) a strict
competence-oriented concepted and sold textbook does not guarantee that a
competence-oriented lesson is being held, insofar the teacher has the key role
and the material is, I would say, subordinate, it is so much more better if there is
a clear, symbiosis, that´s plain, but it can give stimulations and much proposals,
(…)
(interview 6, sector 27)
68
A key to competence-oriented lessons?

69. 69

70. • New curricula 2016
• Shift to competence-orientiation
• Partially shift from three-stream school-system to two stream
• Partially (back)shift from K13 to K12 and back to K13
• Shift to inclusion of disabled pupils
• Shift to „new“ technologies
• Call for individual learn-settings with all senses
• Language problems (asylum-seekers, lower class)
• Socialization & education of teachers
• About 28 pupils and 1 teacher with 25-29 lessons per week
70
Demands of the 21st century

71. 71