the s-team project science-teacher education advanced methods

26/03/09 S-TEAM Brussels MST cluster meeting

The S-TEAM ProjectScience-Teacher Education Advanced Methods

Geir Karlsen & Peter GrayPresentation for:

DG EAC & MST Cluster


Four themes

• An overview of S-TEAM• The S-TEAM deliverables• Issues from the FP7 process • A long view of science and teacher

education research in Europe


What is S-TEAM?

• 100 people/25 institutions/15 countries• Involved in science teacher education• Potentially 480,000 science teachers• Providing a tool kit for science teacher

education


SPAIN

SCOTLAND

TURKEY

SWEDEN

FINLAND

CYPRUS

ENGLAND

ISRAEL

FRANCE

CZECH

NORWAY

ESTONIA

LITHUANIA

GERMANYDK


Institutions

•IPN•Strathclyde•NTNU•UPMF


The S-TEAM story

• Original Idea - improve teacher education in Europe

• SiS 2008, action 2.2.1.1 : widest possible dissemination of inquiry based methods in science teaching (IBST)

• AHA!: improve teacher education and science education at the same time!


The Number is three…

• Three vital key-words: Partnership, Life-Long-Learning, Repertoire of Actions

• Three levels: Policy-level, action level, teacher education and professional development level

• Three phases: Gathering, production, dissemination

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Why S-TEAM?

• Comprehensive geographical and technical coverage relative to Call

• Multiplier effects through teacher education and range of training packages

• Critically listening to the Call


The consortium

• Building on Mind the Gap• Adding SINUS• Gaining critical mass• An open door?• Many ideas, one proposal


S-TEAM Aims

• Improve scientific literacy and..• Increase popularity of MST careers• Through....• Better student engagement• Through...• Better teaching


S-TEAM ObjectivesAll science teacher educators in the participating institutions, and

all science teacher education departments in participating countries, will be informed about S-TEAM (achieved by M18)

All new science teachers graduating from participating institutions in the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 academic years will have been told about S-TEAM and will be able to access information on IBST from either the project itself or the European Central Information Provider (ECIP) (achieved by M30)

At least 50% of science teachers in the participating countries will have heard about S-TEAM and will be avble to access relevant material (achieved by M30)


Success criteria for S-TEAM

• Crossing boundaries between science education and teacher education

• Moving from information to learning• Taking account of national contexts and

agendas through National Liaison Partners• Creating a European pedagogical field in

(science) education


Working principles

• Regular communication• Strong central team (4-6 persons)• Competent WP leaders (x 10)• Listening to partners• Diversity: more than one way...


Work Packages

1. Management2. Policy overview of the interaction between science and

teacher education in Europe3. Powerful learning environments: disseminating the successful

SINUS programme4. Teacher collaboration in changing science education.5. Innovative methods in initial teacher education for science

teaching.6. Professional development for science teaching


Work Packages, ctd.

7. Argumentation in science teaching; structures underpinning talk about science in the classroom

8. Scientific Literacies: engaging with the discourses of science

9. Indicators - measuring our results10.Media and dissemination: making sure

our results are widely known


Delivery

• Multiplicity: Wide range of support materials for teacher education in science

• Diversity: Comprehensive overview of policy regarding IBST and other science teaching innovations in national contexts

• Amplification: enabling teachers’ voices to reach European policy arenas


What are the Deliverables?

• National Workshops (15 +)• Conferences (2)• Reports (14)• Training packages (43)• Books (2)• DVDs(2)...


More deliverables:

• Workbooks for teachers• Guidelines for teacher educators• TV documentary on IBST• Website and digital repository• Indicators, Instruments and data• Conference presentations/papers


Science education in S-TEAM (1)

• Scientific literacy:– Argumentation– Nature of Science– Sustainable development– Use of art, drama, design & technology in

science education


science education in S-TEAM (2)

• Teaching & pedagogy:– Teacher collaboration– Cross-curricular work– Subject differences– Dialogic teaching– Multi-lingual contexts


science education in S-TEAM (3)

• School-University collaboration• Parents and IBST• Student motivation in science• Use of computer-based animations• Teachers and Social networking


An example

• Work (sub)package 6g: the use of open investigations and Vee-heuristics within science education (Abo Akademi University, Finland)

• Deliverable 6.10 - a training package with supporting book chapter in 6.15


Contents of training package 6.10: (1)

1.What is a V diagram?/What are Vee-heuristics?

a.Theoretical background: PowerPoint presentation.

b.How can Vee-heuristics be used in the classroom? Description of practical teaching examples.

2.What is an open investigation?. Text. Examples.

3.How can open investigations and Vee-heuristics be used in the classroom?


Contents of training package (2)

Approx. 20-minute DVD and/or protected web material showing classroom work

(in Swedish, with English subtitles). 4.How can open investigations and Vee-

heuristics be used in the classroom? Text. 5.Guidelines on how the learning of both

content and language of students from non-mainstream backgrounds can be supported. Text on-line, including comments on recorded material, + book chapter.


The Process

∆ Complex - need for experienced administrative and financial team

∆ Expensive - even if successful∆ Need for better integration of documents ∆ More scope for collaboration with

unsuccessful applicants?


Benefits of

∆ SiS provides challenges and opportunities for Teacher Education Research in Europe

∆ Developing the European Pedagogical Field

∆ Projects can provide strategic leadership across national contexts

∆ Legitimacy - internal and external


The Pedagogical field and European Science Education

• The pedagogy of science education in any national context is determined by– Curriculum design– Assessment frameworks– Teacher knowledge base – Teacher education – Research influence and dissemination – Resources – Prevailing social policies and attitudes


S-TEAM and the European Pedagogical Field

• In order for there to be change at a European level, S-TEAM has to become part of the pedagogical field in a large group of countries. Teacher education is the best way into the field, as a catalyst for sustainable change.


The European field

• Joining up the isolated players• Supporting FP7 and the DGs• Jumping into the unknown - expected

results, unexpected reactions


The future

• Building research and support capacity• Synergy as a result of coordination• Moving towards common teacher

education frameworks?• Democratic research & support -

moving development upstream


Start up meeting

• 7/9 May 2009, Trondheim


Thank you for listening!

[email protected]@gmail.com

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the s-team project science-teacher education advanced methods

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