science education in iceland

Science education in Iceland: Status, challenges and projects

Birgir U. Ásgeirsson, Ester Ýr Jónsdóttir & Svava Pétursdóttir

Scientix meeting in Reykjavík, September 26 2015

#scientix #scientix_rvk

Structure

• Icelandic educational system

• Teachers education

• STEM education/curriculum

• Challenges in STEM

• What are we doing?

329.100 people

167 schools

30th August 2015

Educational system

Age Type Financial

Responsibility Compulsory

1-6 Pre-primaryschool Municipality NO

6-16 Primary school Municipality YES

16-19/20 Secondary school Government NO

≥ 19 Higher education Government NO

≥ 18 Adult/continous Varies NO

Teachers‘ education

Age of students Type Education requirements by law

1-6 Pre-primaryschool M.Ed.

6-16 Primary school M.Ed.

16-19/20 Secondary school

(General academic and vocational education)

Bachelor in subject + M.Ed. or Master in subject + diplom in education

≥ 19 Higher education Ph.D. / None

≥ 18 Adult/continous None

Context for teaching science in Iceland

• Standardized testing • From 2002 - 2008

• Long tradition of using textbooks • Only one publisher of science textbooks

• Textbooks and 1999 curriculum were well-aligned

• New materials for middle school after 1999

• Digital materials now provide teachers with more choice, even if material is in English

STEM education

• National curriculum

• Competnece based

• Six fundamental concerns

Challenges in STEM Lack of science teachers

• Science teachers About half are trained as science teachers Generally weak PCK

Challenges in STEM Teachers‘ isolation

• Small schools, 157/167 fewer than 600 pupils Often only once science teacher

Challenges - facilities

Image: http://www.ruv.is/frett/stytting-nams-hluti-af-tillogum

Challenges in STEM Out-dated resources

Learning materials

0

1

2

3

4

5

Textbooks Videos(online or

DVD)

Onlineeducationalresources

Pupliclearning

resources

Resourcesfor

practicalwork

Teachingguides

Handbooks Educationalsoftware(including

apps insmart

devices)

Very often Very seldom

Physical resources

29% say there

is no science

room

24% say there

is no outdoor

classroom/area

1

2

3

4

5

Often Seldom

Challenges in STEM Lack of students

NaNO-project

• The NaNO-project focuses on upper and

lower secondary level science education in

Iceland.

– It is funded by the 2011 Birthday Fund, University

of Iceland and other funds.

• Project managers NaNO work with other

specialists on

– developing courses, a resource bank, Science

Plaza (Náttúrutorg) and EduCamps.

Science Plaza and EduCamps

Perceived needs

• I am the only science teacher in this

school and have nobody to talk to

• I learn most from talking to other teachers

• It is ridiculous that we are each working in

our own corner

• This subject is difficult to teach, my

knowledge is not strong enough

Aims of the Plaza – to strengthen

science education

• To increase cooperation between science

teachers.

• To establish a collection of teaching resources.

• To facilitate increased professional development

opportunities.

• To support the use of ICT in science education.

Ester Ýr Jónsdóttir

Birgir Ásgeirsson

Svava Pétursdóttir

Hafdís Ragnarsdóttir

Margrét Júlía Rafnsdóttir

Support for STEM from School of Ecucation

Sjálfbærni

Online community Facebook

21

Website

Events f2f

Teachers : • Ask questions • Give advice • Share resources • Discuss issues 400+ members Science teachers Trainee teachers University Institutions

Community on

Facebook

What demonstrations do you

use when teaching chemical

reactions and where do you get

the materials?

Many ideas and discussions

about pupil reactions

13 comments, 15 ,,likes”

The word density has always disturbed me..... Discussion about the use and meaning of scientific concepts

+ guidance in using Facebook;)

Just saw a fun experiment on youtube, here is a link to instuctions to a lot of experiments , a handy website.

Cool, to put a stopwatch on the projector if you are measuring heartrates with pupils

Menntakvika 2011

Any ideas for teaching nuclear energy to year 10? 13 replies. Material for a whole teaching sequence.

F2f activities • Meetings, Edu-Camps and workshops

• Peer learning

• Give access to expertise

• Support community building

Educamps

Peer to peer

• Narrow themes/topics

• Different target groups by school level

• Participants contribute

• Ideas and advice flow freely during events

• Events held in schools = no cost

• Contributions recorded and presented on the

SciencePlaza

Educamps

Impact from Edu-Camps

• Courage and knowledge to

do practical work.

• Opportunities for peer

learning and professional

development.

EduCamps have been great in all regards. It was good to meet other teachers and get good ideas. My participation has had a positive influence on me as a teacher, better teacher, better teaching. I have used these ideas with good results.

The webpage http://natturutorg

• A necessary front

• Growing content

• User created

“I have visited the webpage

and used materials from

it.”

Good to be able to go

to the resource bank,

that you do not have

to look everywhere

for resources and

ideas and try to

remember where this

and that webpage is

and so on….

I think it should be

linked to all the ideas

from the Edu-Camps

and where teacher

could share more

ideas and pupil

tasks. A resource

bank with teaching

ideas, worksheets

and such

No longer paddling alone!

Still lone canoers out there, active community too small

Collaboration, cooperation,

community of practice

Visits to companies and institutions

NaNO resource bank

07.11.2014

Courses

• Teacher-students and in-service teachers

Conferences, events, ect.

Other Icelandic activities

Takk! birgira@hi.is esteryj@hi.is svavap@hi.is

@svavap @birgirua @Ester_Yr

#scientix

#scientix_rvk http://slideshare.net/svavap/ @svavap