Astrid Koelman is committed to self regulated learning and social & academic integration in higher education students, but is also an expert on preschool education.
Astrid graduated as a primary school teacher in 1998 (Hogeschool Inholland, the Netherlands). Subsequently, she started studying pedagogical sciences at the VU Amsterdam, where she graduated in 2002 as a master in educational pedagogy. For her master's thesis, she studied the influence of the street scenes in Sesame Street on (role) play of 4 and 5 yo children.
After a period of working as a primary school teacher and teacher supervisor, she made the move to Belgium in 2005, where she started working as a lecturer within the teacher training programme of the AP university of applied sciences and as an education support worker at the Erasmushogeschool in Jette.
In 2018, she joined AP at the research project ‘Stimu-Leren’ and not only got a taste of research, but was also bitten by the topics covered within Stimu-Leren (i.c. self-regulated learning, motivation, self-determination and learning communities). Meanwhile, she works as a researcher at the educational research cell OLLI and as a policy supporter within AP, especially in the didactic field. Together with Eva Dierickx, she wrote the book ‘kleuterleerkracht’ (Academia Press, 2021) and gives after-school conferences and lectures on evidence-informed developments within kindergarten education.
Within AP University of applied sciences and Arts, she is currently providing didactic support for teachers, with a focus on how they can support their students in their self-directed learning. She is also working on support materials that will give teachers input on how to engage in social and academic integration and a positive pedagogical climate. In addition, she is collaborating on a digital version of a college-wide study guide that can be implemented in the moodle environment.