Professional activities

I work as an assistant professor at the Research Institute of Child Development and Education of the University of Amsterdam.

In my research I focus on the learning and teaching of history. My main interest is how to foster students' historical reasoning in the classroom. I have published on historical reasoning, the learning of historical concepts, computer-supported collaborative learning, and the use of visual representations. Currently I'm focussing on the potential of collaborative learning in small groups and in whole-class discussions, and on writing in history.

Next to these research activities, I work as a teacher trainer in the Graduate School of Child Development and Education and I partcipate in the Dutch Centre for Social Studies Education.

Key Publications

Van Boxtel, C., & Van Drie, J. (2012). "That's in the time of the Romans!" Knowlegde and strategies students use to contextualize historical images and documents. Cognition and Instruction, 30(2), 1 -33.

Van Boxtel, C. & Van Drie, J. (2009). Enhancing historical reasoning: a key topic in Dutch history education. International Journal of Historical learning, teaching and research, 8 (2),140-153.

Van Drie, J. & Van Boxtel, C. (2008). Historical reasoning: towards a framework for analyzing students' reasoning about the past. Educational Psychology Review, 20 (2), 87-110.

Van Drie, J., Van Boxtel, C., Jaspers, J., & Kanselaar, G. (2005). Effects of representational guidance on domain specific  reasoning in CSCL. Computers in Human Behavior, 21 (4), 575-602.

Dissertation

Van Drie, J. (2005). Learning about the pastwith new technologies. Fostering historical reasoning in computer- supported collaborative learning. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Utrecht University, the Netherlands.

More Information

• Research Institute Child Development and Education

• Interfactultaire Lerarenopleidingen (ILO)

• Landelijk Expertisecentrum Mens- en Maatschappijvakken

• Platform Taalgericht Vakonderwijs

• Curriculum Vitae

Improving students’ writing in history

Jannet van Drie, Martine Braaksma & Carla van Boxtel

Developing students’ abilities in historical reasoning is an important goal in history education. Historical reasoning can be displayed in interaction between students and between students and the teacher and in writing. In this project we combine our expertise in historical reasoning and in writing, in order to gain more insight in effective ways to improve students’ historical reasoning in writing. Taking a ‘writing to learn’- approach, writing can be considered an important means to engage students in historical reasoning. Since writing in history puts high demands on students, more insight is needed in how to support students while writing. We investigate the effects of different kinds of instruction to improve students’ writing in history. In a first experimental study we compared the effects of two types of instructions on students’ writing in history: a more general writing instruction and a discipline-based writing instruction.

 

Co-construction of historical knowledge in communities of learners

Jannet van Drie, Carla van Boxtel & Brenda Stam

Whole-class discussions are common practice in history education. In more traditional history classrooms these whole-class discussions are controlled by the teacher, in the sense that (s)he takes initiative, asks questions, lectures and explains, gives directions, and evaluative feedback. Approaches of community of learners stress the active participation of students and collaborative reasoning about and with the key concepts of the subject-matter. However, this is not easy to achieve. The aim of this project is to investigate how collaborative historical reasoning in whole-class discussions can be provoked and supported. Our focus is on the role of teacher strategies and learning tasks.

 

Historical contextualization: underlying knowledge and strategies

Carla van Boxtel & Jannet van Drie

Historical contextualization, creating a spatial and temporal context for an historical phenomenon or action of people in the past to render it more intelligible, is a component of historical reasoning. In many countries the ability to contextualize historically is considered an important aim in history education. We investigate the question which types of historical knowledge and strategies afford historical contextualization.

 

Students’ shared historical knowledge of the Dutch past

Marc Kropman, Carla van Boxtel & Jannet van Drie

In the Netherlands there are time and again massive complaints and discussions about the presumed lack of knowledge students have after finishing formal education in history. Yet, there is no clear idea and understanding of what students do know about history and especially about the history of the Netherlands nor about the narrative structures they use or the connections they draw to their own lives or the community they live in. Shared knowledge of Dutch history is, however, considered important in the context of citizenship education and social cohesion. The main research question we address in this project is: which narratives of the national past do students construct after finishing secondary education and to what extent are these narratives shared? To answer the research question we asked students who just finished secondary education to write an essay on the main lines of Dutch history. In the analyses we focus on events, persons and developments in Dutch history that students include in their narratives and at the kind of narratives and schematic narrative templates in which these are embedded. We will also compare students' narratives with narratives that can be found in  textbooks for secondary education and in publications of Dutch historians.

 

Dissertations (current projects)

Stoel, G. L. (2011- 2015). Teaching towards Expertise in History: developing students’ historical reasoning ability. Supervisors: Prof. dr. C. van Boxtel. Co-supervisor: Dr. J. van Drie. University of Amsterdam.

Kamp, Marie-Thérèse van de (2011 - 2015). Divergent thinking in the domain of visual arts. Supervisors: Prof. dr. G.C.W. Rijlaarsdam & Prof. dr. W.F. Admiraal. Co-supervisor: Dr. J. van Drie. University of Amsterdam.

Calor, Sharon (2013 – 2017). Scaffolding small heterogeneous student-groups while discussing mathematics. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. M. Volman. Co-supervisors: Dr. R. Dekker & Dr. J. van Drie. University of Amsterdam.

 

Research projects of the Dutch Centre for Social Studies Education

The Dutch Centre for Social Studies Education aims to improve education in geography, history and civics in primary and secondary schools. It conducts research andprovides services to teacher trainers, teachers, curriculum developers and policy makers. The centre was established in Amsterdam in 2007 by the Graduate School of Teaching and Learning of the University of Amsterdam , VU University of Amsterdam, Hogeschool van Amsterdam and IPABO. Until 2009 it is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. The centre is organized in three departments: geography, history and civics.

Questions that are addressed in projects of the centre are:

Which content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge do geography, history and civics teachers need to posses and how can this knowledge base be developed and assessed? How can we measure primary and secondary school students' historical knowledge and ability to think and reasonin historically?  How can we improve coherence in the geography education curriculum for primary and secondary schools? How are citizenships goals and competences conceptualized within the literature on history, geography and civics education? How can we support student teachers in doing research?

In a current project we focus on the role of writing  in the social sciences.

 

 

ARTICLES IN REFEREED JOURNALS AND BOOKS

2010

Van Drie, J. & Van Boxtel, C. (2010). Chatting about the sixties. Using on-line chat discussion to improve historical reasoning in essay-writing. Teaching History, 140 , 38-46.

2009

Van Drie, J. P., Logtenberg, A., Van der Meyden, B., & Van Riessen, M. (2009). When was that date? Building and assessing a frame of reference in the Netherlands. Teaching History, 137 , 14-21 .

Van Boxtel, C. & Van Drie, J. (2009). Enhancing historical reasoning: a key topic in Dutch history education. International Journal of Historical learning, teaching and research, 8 (2),140-153.

2008

Van Boxtel, C. & Van Drie, J. (2008). Vermogen tot historisch redeneren. Onderliggende kennis, vaardigheden en inzichten. Hermes, 12 (43), 45-54.

Van Drie, J. & Van Boxtel, C. (2008). Historical reasoning: towards a framework for analyzing students' reasoning about the past. Educational Psychology Review, 20 (2), 87-110.

2006

Van Drie, J., Van Boxtel, C., & Van der Linden, J. L. (2006). Historical reasoning in a computer-supported collaborative learning environment. In A. M. O'Donnell, C. E. Hmelo, & Erkens, G. (Eds.), Collaborative learning, reasoning and technology (pp. 266-297). Mahwah NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

2005

Kanselaar, G., Van Boxtel, C., & Van Drie, J. (2005). Using representational tools to support historical reasoning in CSCL. In E. De Corte, A. de Munter, M. Depaepe, B. Maes, & G. Vandemeulebroecke (Series Eds.), & L. Verschaffel, E. De Corte, G. Kanselaar, & M. Valcke (Vol. Eds.), Studia Paedagogica New Series 41. Powerful environments for promoting deep conceptual and strategic learning (pp. 233-256). Leuven, Belgium: Leuven, University Press.

Van Drie, J., Van Boxtel, C., Erkens, G., & Kanselaar, G. (2005). Using representational tools to support historical reasoning in computer-supported collaborative learning. Technology, Pedagogy and Education 14 (1), 25-42.

Van Drie, J., Van Boxtel, C., Jaspers, J., & Kanselaar, G. (2005). Effects of representational guidance on domain specific  reasoning in CSCL. Computers in Human Behavior, 21 (4), 575-602.

2004

Van Boxtel, C., & Van Drie, J. (2004). Historical reasoning: A comparison of how experts and novices contextualise historical sources. International Journal of Historical Learning, Teaching and Research, 4 (2), 89- 97.

Van Drie, J., & Van Boxtel, C. (2004). Enhancing collaborative historical reasoning by providing representational guidance. International Journal of Historical Learning, Teaching and Research, 4 (2), 6-14.

2003

Van Drie, J., & Van Boxtel, C. (2003). Developing conceptual understanding through talk and mapping. Teaching History, 110 , 27-32.

Van Drie, J., Van Boxtel, C., Erkens, G., & Kanselaar, G. (2003). Supporting historical reasoning in CSCL. In B. Wasson, S. Ludvigsen & U. Hoppe (Eds.), Designing for change in networked learning environments. Proceedings of the international Conference on Computer Support for Collaborative Learning (pp.93-102). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

2001

Van Boxtel, C., Van Drie, J., & Van der Linden, J.L. (2001). Samen begrippen leren. Het maken van een begrippennetwerk als groepsopdracht. In A. Wald & J.L. van der Linden (Eds.), Leren in perspectief (pp. 85-97). Leuven/Apeldoorn: Garant.

DISSERTATION

Van Drie, J. (2005). Learning about the past with new technologies. Fostering historical reasoning in computer-supported collaborative learning. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Utrecht University , the Netherlands. Available at: http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/dissertations/2005-1220-200137/index.htm

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

2010

Van Drie, J. & Stam, B. (2010). Discussing historical significance: which person or event is most important for the development of Dutch democracy? Euroclio Bulletin, 30 , 70-72. Available at: www.euroclio.eu/site/index.php/resources/bulletins-mainmenu-341

Stam, B. & Van Drie, J. (2010). Discussies vol vuur. Leerlingen enthousiast door lessen over historische significanctie. Kleio, 7, 10-13.

Van Boxtel, C. & Van Drie, J. (2010). Leer de vaktaal gebruiken. Taalgericht geschiedenisonderwijs helpt leerlingen de stof te begrijpen. Kleio, 3, 18 -22.

Van Drie, J. & Van Riessen, M. (2010). Een vak dat zichzelf serieus neemt...Vakdidactisch onderzoek in Nederland (eindelijk) in de lift. Kleio, 6, 17-21.

2009

Punt, L., van Drie, J., & Bakker, A. (2009). Taalgericht vooruit de geschiedenislessen in! In T. Meestringa & R. Valk (Red.). De Onthulling. Verslag van de 10e landelijke werkconferentie. Platform Taalgericht Vakonderwijs , p. 16-17. Enschede: SLO.

Van Drie, J. & Kropman, M. (2009). Redeneren met de klas. Didaktief, 6 , 40.

Van Drie, J. & Kropman, M. (2009). Met de hele klas samen redeneren, tien principes. In T. Meestringa & R. Valk (Red.) De Onthulling. Verslag van de 10e landelijke werkconferentie. Platform Taalgericht Vakonderwijs, p. 35-37. Enschede: SLO.

2007

Van Boxtel, C., & Van Drie, J. (2007). Aan de slag met het nieuwe examenprogramma Tweede Fase. Kleio, 48 (1), 38-43

Van Boxtel, C., & Van Drie, J. (2007). "Nu ken ik het helealfabet". Docenten en leerlingen over de implementatie van een nieuw eindexamen geschiedenis. In A. Wilschut & R. Schut (Eds.). Het nieuwe examen geschiedenis havo/vwo. Studiehuisreeks 75 , 39-46,  Mesoconsult b.v., Tilburg.

2006

Van Drie, J.(2006). Onderzoeksopdrachten, samenwerken, computers en historisch redeneren. Kleio, 47 (4), 6- 11.

Wilschut, A.H.J., Boom, S., Van Boxtel, C.A.M., & Van Drie, J.P. (2006). Geschiedenis examineren. Rapport pilotproject CHMV-examen geschiedenis havo 2006. Amsterdam, oktober 2006.

2004

Van Boxtel, C., & Van Drie, J. (2004). Historisch redeneren. Verschillen tussen beginners en experts. Kleio, 45 (1), 8-14.

Van Drie, & Van Zon, T. (red.) (2004). Leerplan en voorbeeldlesmateriaal bij het rapport De Rooy . Enschede: SLO.

2002

Van Drie, J., Oattes, H. & Van Zon, T. (2002). Het rapport-De Rooy in de les 1. Kleio, 43 (2), 9-17.

Van Drie, J., Oattes, H. & Van Zon, T. (2002). Het rapport-De Rooy in de les 1. Kleio, 43 (3), 16-24.

Van Drie, J., Oattes, H. & Van Zon, T. (2002). Het rapport-De Rooy in de les 1. Kleio, 43 (4), 10-16.

2001

Van Drie, J., & Munneke, L., Van der Puil, C., & Erkens, G. (2001). Boekbespreking. [Bespreking van de proefschriften Collaborative concept learning: Collaborative learning tasks, student interaction and the learning of physics concepts en Computer-supported collaborative learning through argumentation] Pedagogische Studiën. Tijdschrift voor onderwijskunde en opvoedkunde, 78 (3), 212-216.

2000

Van Drie, J., & Greep, J. (2000) Staatsinrichting in de basisvorming van het vmbo: een haalbare zaak? Kleio 41 (1), 10-12.

1999

Van Drie, J. (1999). Twee weten meer dan één. Een groepsopdracht gericht op begripsontwikkeling. Kleio, 39 (6), 24-28.

Van Drie, J., Halbesma, D., Wester, P., & Sniekers, J. (1999). Praktische opdrachten voor geschiedenis in de Tweede Fase . Enschede: SLO.

1998

Wester, P., Van Drie, J., & Sniekers, J. (1998). Schoolonderzoek Geschiedenis. Grondrechten: rechten voor iedereen? De verhouding burger-overheid in Nederland vanaf 1814 to nu. Baarn: Nijgh Versluys.

AWARDS & NOMINATIONS

EARLI Outstanding publication award for the article:

Van Drie, J. & Van Boxtel, C. (2008) Historical reasoning: Towards a framework for analyzing students' reasoning about the past. Educational Psychology Review, 20 (2), 87-110.

Nomination Best Student Paper at the CSCL-Conference Bergen , 2003:

Van Drie, J., Van Boxtel, C., Erkens, G., & Kanselaar, G. (2003, June). Supporting historical reasoning in CSCL . Paper presented at the International Conference on Computer Support for Collaborative Learning, Bergen, Norway .

Lessenserie over historische significantie: Nederland als democratie

De lessenserie 'Nederland als democratie' handelt over de ontwikkeling van de Nederlandse democratie van 1795 tot heden. Centraal staat het begrip historische significantie: welke persoon of gebeurtenis was het meest belangrijk voor de ontwikkeling van de democratie en waarom? De lessenserie is ontwikkeld voor 4 vwo, in het kader van een onderzoeksproject. Alle materialen van de lessenserie, inclusief de docentenhandleiding en bronnen zijn hieronder te vinden. 

• Docentenhandleiding

• Leerlingmateriaal

• Werkbladen

• Bronnenmateriaal

• Bronnenmateriaal-achtergrondtekst

• Docentenhandleiding schrijfinstructie

• Schrijfinstructie PowerPoint

• Leerlingen opdracht schrijfinstructie

• Geen nevenwerkzaamheden