With her background in linguistics, Geertje is helping to build Taallab, a co-creation lab where researchers, schools and education professionals work together to improve language education. Wanting to involve schools not merely as research participants but as genuine partners in the learning process, she joined the Dialogue Incubator.
Why dialogue?
"The competitive nature of academia doesn't really suit my personality. I enjoy working with others, and I also felt something was missing in terms of societal relevance." That motivation led Geertje towards research in which science and educational practice work hand in hand.
When she first heard about the Dialogue Incubator, her immediate thought was: "I think this is already what we're trying to do." At the same time, she was looking for ways to give societal partners a more meaningful role in her research. "I didn't want to see schools simply as research subjects. I wanted them to become co-implementers and co-evaluators of the programme they were participating in."
Dialogue in practice
The opportunity arose during a research project involving forty schools. After all the data had been collected, Geertje wanted to avoid making schools wait months for the research findings. Drawing on what she had learned through the Dialogue Incubator, she organised a World Café during a joint lab day for participating schools and intervention developers.
The central question was: "How can we help schools feel more like genuine partners?"
Participants shared experiences, reflected on what had and had not worked, and jointly explored opportunities for improvement. The impact was immediate. "The intervention developer was able to take that feedback away straight away, and is already incorporating it into the next version."
What did it achieve?
Beyond practical inspiration, the Dialogue Incubator also offered Geertje something more personal. "There was so much room for not knowing. I found that incredibly valuable." Exchanging ideas with researchers from different disciplines not only gave her fresh perspectives, but also reassured her that she was not alone in searching for different ways of doing science.
A year later, dialogue remains central to her work."It helped keep this way of working at the forefront of my mind. Taallab was created precisely to work together with educational practice."
For Geertje, the Dialogue Incubator's greatest value did not lie in introducing a new method or dialogue technique. Instead, it reaffirmed why she conducts research the way she does and created more space to continue doing so. After all, scientific knowledge only gains meaning in relation to society. "Dialogue should always be part of the process."
Author: Anna Aris
