SCIENCE EDUCATION IN EUROPEAN SCHOOLS Selected Practices from the STELLA Catalogue
from Primary School up to and including the first two years of Lower Secondary school and as a consequence the unity of science and technology is gradually becoming apparent though the diversity of disciplines and approaches used during the students’ investigations. Students regularly write and document information in their notebooks during their investigations (or experiments), always using their own words. They use traditional and modern techniques of communication, for example computers and the Internet. The objective is the gradual appropriation or consolidation by the students of science concepts and operative techniques and at the same time, the improvement of literacy and language skills (both written and oral). Adapted assessments allow both students and adults (teachers, parents, family members) to measure the “distance travelled”, i.e. the learning progress and results obtained. Scientific partners, like technicians and engineers, make their skills available to both the teachers and the students.
périmentation de Ce projet por te sur l’ex sciences au des l’enseignement intégré tagent les par se nts collège. Trois enseigna r faire un pou e 6èm élèves de deux classes de sciences des ire ina ipl enseignement transdisc f est de développer (sciences intégrées). L’objecti leur donner le la curiosité des élèves, de érimentales et la goût pour les sciences exp e un curriculum technologie , de construir roupant les trois en sciences intégrées reg ie, biologie et disciplines (physique -chim la découverte de technologie) et de renforcer ves tigation . l’apprentissage basé sur l’in
DIMENSION The Lower Secondary School “Jean XXIII” of Metz which is involved in this initiative is part of a group of 13 different academies or institutions that test an experimental approach to science teaching called Integrated Science and Technology Teaching (EIST). In total, 38 schools have been participating in this initiative during the current academic year 2008-2009. The number of teams involved in this testing has doubled since the first year of experimentation (the academic year 2006-2007). The Academy of Sciences is coordinating this project and is supported by the French Ministry of National Education (MNE) and in particular by its associated pedagogical institutions. The additional resources are provided either by the MNE or its regional institutions.
MULTIMEDIA TOOLS The website is mainly dedicated to educational professionals (teachers, managers, trainers, etc.). It includes a lot of information on the initiative and presents many relevant documents including: • A General Presentation of the Initiative together with the list of coaching persons by region, frequently asked questions, a picture gallery, the implemented pedagogical principles, documentation for school heads wishing to participate in the experimentation, a listing of the partners involved (public and private) and initial assessments of the initiative. • Guides for the Classroom with proposals for pedagogical sequences that cover the whole curriculum. • General Documentation including reviews of both papers, seminars, together with official texts etc. • A Suggestion Box that offers opportunities for links with other disciplines (French, English, Mathematics etc.), pedagogical sequences, student assessments, etc. • A Discussion Forum for teachers to discuss and debate on-going issues and developments. • Work Spaces for teachers, coordinators, contributors etc. • Projects focusing on job and professional development opportunities.
INVOLVEMENT OF PUPILS This website is not intended for students. For this initiative, given the youth of the project, documents are primarily designed for teachers to help them build learning sequences within the framework of integrated science and technology teaching. However, students participate in their school projects and communicate internally. The experience or investigative notebook in which they document their activities and results can be used to keep track of their work. It is possible to include students’ work on the school website or that of the MNE. In order to better understand how the experiment has worked during the past year, the teachers of Jean XXIII school have written a report, illustrated with a lot of comments, opinions, interviews, pupil feedback, etc. The report is also accompanied by a film - an audiovisual product produced by the teachers themselves available on the MNE’s Regional website.
TIPS FOR TRANSFERABILITY The degree of transferability is not easy to assess. While the availability of resources on the national website (see above) facilitates transferability, it is however, necessary to set up a support process with the contribution of peers already participating in the programme and this needs to be put in place principally during the first months of initiative implementation. The notion of integrated science teaching is not easy for a discipline orientated teacher, trained in a particular scientific discipline and teaching approach. The concept of teamwork is a prerequisite for the success of these projects. The biggest problem to date seems to be at this latter level.
17