Research Centre The Language Constructors

Language is an important theme in recent educational news. Just think of the reports on the decline of reading comprehension, or the diverse proposals to support multilingual children.  Averse to all the controversy, we are building educational practice with the research centre the Language Builders.

The centre was established in 2017 to strengthen the organically grown cooperation between language researchers from the various teacher training institutes. Since then, the number of language projects has greatly expanded. We also increasingly collaborate with academic partners, other colleges of higher education, or educational support staff.

De Taalbouwers (the language constructors) conduct practice-based research in cooperation with nursery, primary and secondary schools. Our research projects focus on both oral and written language skills. We analyze current practice, design instruments and methodologies and strive for an in-depth insight into the conditions that lead to successful professionalization. We do not pin ourselves down to a particular theoretical movement within language didactics, but are guided and inspired by what works elsewhere. In doing so, we listen to the good practices and concerns of teachers and schools. We communicate extensively through all possible channels to reduce the gap between research and practice.