DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY COPYRIGHT CASTeL Oct-09 Slide 1 ST. PATRICK’S COLLEGE Dr. Eilish McLoughlin S-TEAM mid-project conference, Glasgow, October 2010 How can existing EU projects be more pro-active in setting the agenda for future work in science education at the European level?

DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY COPYRIGHT CASTeL Oct-09 Slide 2 ST. PATRICK’S COLLEGE FP7 SiS Science Education Projects Currently funded projects – S-TEAM, ESTABLISH, Fibonacci, PRIMAS > 85 Institutions across 32 countries, 1-9 institutions/country New Projects - 3 completing negotiation – Pathway, Profiles, - 3 new ones to be funded from 2011 call Expected Impact of these calls Change the way science is taught in schools in Europe Significant benefits across Europe beyond project participants Long-term impact: increase the number of young people taking up science careers in Europe and increase knowledge in science among younger generations

DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY COPYRIGHT CASTeL Oct-09 Slide 3 ST. PATRICK’S COLLEGE Science Education in FP7 Coordination and Support Actions/ Collaborative networking - learning from other countries' past experience/research and applying it on an EU scale. SiS calls don't fund research per se. If research were allowed in these projects: how would it affect the project? would it be a plus or minus towards its success? should research to done by large collaborations or many small collaborations within one project?

DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY COPYRIGHT CASTeL Oct-09 Slide 4 ST. PATRICK’S COLLEGE FP7 Science in Society Programme 7th meeting 16 July "How to Encourage New Ways of Doing Research“ - How do we encourage new ways of doing research? What should be our objectives? - Which aspects of Science in Society need more research to be performed as a support to new ways of doing research? - What are/could be the methods and approaches that support laboratories in natural sciences in integrating broader societal considerations into their work?

DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY COPYRIGHT CASTeL Oct-09 Slide 5 ST. PATRICK’S COLLEGE Change the Equation, September 2010 CEOs of more than 100 companies launching a new non-profit initiative to turn today’s diverse generation of students into tomorrow’s scientists, engineers, and math-literate citizens. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Recommendations - over the next decade the federal government should : help recruit and train 100,000 STEM teachers, support the creation of 1,000 new STEM-focused schools, and reward the top 5 percent of STEM teachers Educate to Innovate, January 2010 Increase STEM literacy so that all students can learn deeply and think critically in science, math, engineering, and technology. Move American students from the middle of the pack to top in the next decade. Expand STEM education and career opportunities for underrepresented groups, including women and girls.

DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY COPYRIGHT CASTeL Oct-09 Slide 6 ST. PATRICK’S COLLEGE Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards, NRC Understanding science is more than knowing facts. 2.Students build new knowledge and understanding based on what they already know and believe. 3.Students formulate new knowledge by modifying and refining their current concepts and by adding new concepts to what they already know. 4.Learning is mediated by the social environment in which learners interact with others. 5.Effective learning requires that students take control of their own learning. 6.The ability to apply knowledge to novel situations (that is, to transfer learning) is affected by the degree to which students learn with understanding.

DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY COPYRIGHT CASTeL Oct-09 Slide 7 ST. PATRICK’S COLLEGE Misconceptions about Inquiry-Based Instruction 1.Inquiry-based instruction is the application of the “scientific method.” 2.Inquiry-based instruction requires that students generate and pursue their own questions. 3.Inquiry-based instruction can take place without attention to science concepts. 4.All science should be taught through inquiry-based instruction. 5.Inquiry-based instruction can be easily implemented through use of hands-on activities and educational kits. 6.Student interest generated by hands-on activities ensures that inquiry teaching and learning are occurring. 7.Inquiry-based instruction is too difficult to implement in the classroom.

DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY COPYRIGHT CASTeL Oct-09 Slide 8 ST. PATRICK’S COLLEGE Teacher use of evidence to customize inquiry science instruction. Professional development involving evidence-based curriculum customization improved inquiry teaching and significantly increased students’ integrated understanding of science Suggested future research: contrasting and analysing the utility of different forms of curriculum- generated evidence to support pedagogical and curricular customizations. linking evidence from student work with the guidance in educative science curriculum materials (Davis & Krajcik, 2005). exploring the criteria teachers use to design and evaluate inquiry teaching and learning are fruitful areas for future research. Ref: Gerard, L. F., Spitulnik, M. and Linn, M. C., Teacher use of evidence to customize inquiry science instruction. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 2010.

DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY COPYRIGHT CASTeL Oct-09 Slide 9 ST. PATRICK’S COLLEGE Future of Science Education in FP7 Development of appropriate curricula, appropriate pedagogy, appropriate assessment tasks and appropriately-trained teachers are going to be crucial in producing scientifically-literate societies and socially-literate scientists in the 21st Century. 80% of adults think science makes a good contribution to society and that science will make our lives easier. Emphasize Careers from science not just Careers in science. Strong multi-stakeholder consortium with significant impact across all countries. Culture of evidence-based teaching and learning - Support for practitioner research /teacher-researchers NCP Contact Points in each country: