the s-team project science-teacher education advanced methods

24/06/09 S-TEAM Jena workshop

The S-TEAM ProjectScience-Teacher Education Advanced Methods

Peter Gray

Workshop for:

Friedrich Schiller University of Jena


Four themes

• An overview of S-TEAM

• Managing the project

• Issues from the FP7 process

• Do it yourselves...


What is S-TEAM?

• 100 people/25 institutions/15 countries

• Involved in science teacher education

• Potential reach: 480,000 science teachers

• Providing a tool kit for science teacher education, using inquiry based methods


SPAIN

SCOTLAND

TURKEY

SWEDEN

FINLAND

CYPRUS

ENGLAND

ISRAEL

FRANCE

CZECH

NORWAY

ESTONIA

LITHUANIA

GERMANYDK


Institutions

•Involved in teacher education•Or science education...•Not a rational selection process


The S-TEAM story

• Original Idea - improve teacher education in Europe (Arquette project)

• 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!


S-TEAM Aims

• Improve scientific literacy and..

• Increase popularity of MST careers

• Through....

• Better student engagement

• Through...

• Better teaching


The Number is three…

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

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

• Three phases: Gathering, production, dissemination

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Work Packages

1. Management

2. Policy overview of the interaction between science and teacher education in Europe

3. Powerful learning environments: disseminating the successful SINUS programme

4. 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 results

10.Media and dissemination: making sure our results are widely known


Delivery

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

• 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 products?

• National Workshops (15 +)

• Conferences (2)

• Reports (14)

• Training packages (43)

• Books (2)

• DVDs(2)...


An example

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

• Product 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.


More products:

• Workbooks for teachers

• Guidelines for teacher educators

• TV documentary on IBST

• Website and digital repository

• Indicators, Instruments and data

• Conference presentations/papers


Why did S-TEAM succeed?

• Comprehensive geographical and technical coverage

• Multiplier effects through teacher education and range of training packages

• Critically listening to the Call


Why might it have failed?

• Too diverse

• Uneven resource distribution

• No previous experience

• Competition


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


The consortium

• Building on Mind the Gap

• Adding SINUS

• Gaining critical mass

• An open door?

• Many ideas, one proposal


Working principles

• Transparency and regular communication - newsletters/wiki

• Strong central team (4-6 persons)

• Competent WP leaders (x 10)

• Listening to partners

• Diversity: more than one way of doing things...


We need Energy!

• Attention and the mental energy to contribute to a project are scarce resources

• Essential to minimise need for additional work


Writing issues

• Preparing an FP7 proposal is about writing and word processing as much as organisation

• Edit, edit, edit

• Does anyone read the whole thing?


Management process

• Delegation to WP leaders

• Use of wiki to handle information flow and to provide transparency

• Separating operational, administrative and financial responsibilities


Relations with DG research...

• DG Research: Please don’t give us more than 30 deliverables over three years!

• Friendly but with own agenda

• Working with, not working for...


The Process

∆ Complex - need for experienced administrative and financial team

∆ Expensive - even if successful∆ Possible formative aspect - contributing to the

emergence of a European educational space/ pedagogical field


Benefits of

∆ Science-in-Society provides challenges and opportunities for Teacher Education Research in Europe

∆ Developing a 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


Thank you for listening!

http://www.ntnu.no/s-team

[email protected]

the s-team project science-teacher education advanced methods

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