About me

About me

My focus is language teaching and digital literacy

Language teaching is important, fascinating and constantly changing. I have been working on this my whole life, as a language teacher and as a teacher trainer with students, as a coach/trainer with teachers and as a consultant with schools. And also as a researcher with colleagues at home and abroad. I also give lectures and write articles and blogs and I’m active in several (inter)national professional networks. See here more details of my professional activities.

With the rise of the internet and digital tools and platforms, the use of language to communicate, enjoy and learn has changed a lot in the last two decades. That’s why I’m focussing on Digital Literacies and language education over the last decade.
I’m supporting teachers and teacher teams, schools, teacher training colleges, (educational) companies and professional networks on implementing digital literacy in the curriculum, at home and abroad.
In 2017, I was officially declared as a Pioneer Digital Literacy, in the first edition of Digital Literacy Handbook/ Handboek Digitale geletterdheid,published by Kennisnet, the public organisation for Education & ICT. The Handbook also contains an interview with me, in Dutch, about digital literacy and the role of language teaching.

Innovative education. Looking for traces of deceased family members, with a group of students? That is possible with the teaching module ‘Hidden family history’. This module has been successfully run at a number of schools in the Netherlands. I found it difficult to get pupils motivated for writing education and I also wanted to improve the integration of digital literacy in language education by making it more meaningful. This is why I developed the Hidden Family History module for secondary schools together with Ferdi Schrooten. We have now supported several schools. There is a lot of interest from the media, and a beautiful documentary has been made, in the series Roderick seeks light from the KRO-NCRV, made by Olaf Koelewijn, still to be seen through the NPO. All information on the Hidden Family History program is in Dutch.

I’m very active in several European Associations, as Elinet, European Literacy Policy Network, were I am the (co)chair of the Thematic Working Group Digital Literacy and FELA (Federation of European Literacy Associations) as member and representative of The Netherlands.

Working Experience

  • 2016-2020 Research group Innovation in Education, related to ICT group of Windesheim, University of Applied Sciences
  • 2008-.. Independent consultant/ advisor and researcher Digital Literacy. Speaker at national and international conferences, writer, trainer and coach.
  • 2003-2018 Language Teacher at Secondary school
  • 1993-2003 Institute for Innovation of Education,  as National Coordinator Language Teaching (Mother Tongue), Founder/ Team leader Language group and also working in the team ICT and learning. I was also Trainer/ consultant and Developer.
  • 1990-1993 Founder and Coordinator, Post Graduate program, Remedial Teaching in Secondary schools. VO.
  • 1981-1993  Teacher trainer at the University of Applied Sciences, Utrecht
  • 1978-1981  Language teacher in Secondary and  Higher Education
  • 1972-1976  Teaching Assistant at the Groningen University.

Professional netwerks

Education

  • 1981 Graduated in Dutch Language and Literature at the University Groningen.
    Minors: Educational Sciences and Socio- Pragmalinguistics.
  • 1981 Teaching qualification all levels
  • 1972 Gymnasium Alpha