Progress reports

UK

The Cambridge STEM Education Group has recently been awarded funding under the ESRC's (Economic and Social Research Council) targeted initiative on Science and Mathematics Education for a three and a half-year research project, entitled 'Effecting Principled Improvement in STEM Education' (epiSTEMe). This is due to commence in August 2008, and will serve as a demonstration of one approach to research-based development. In line with the aims set out in the ESRC's call for proposals, this project will design, trial, refine and evaluate an intervention at early secondary-school level aimed at promoting student engagement and learning in physical science and mathematics. Special attention will be given to curricular treatment and pedagogical process at the classroom level, and to scaleable innovation and professional development at the organisational level.

This work will draw, in particular, on the now substantial body of (often NSF-funded) US experience in and research on developing curriculum, pedagogy and assessment aligned with the NAS and NCTM 'Standards', as well as on parallel work in the UK and elsewhere. I will be leading an interdisciplinary team (including Christine Howe, Neil Mercer and Keith Taber) who bring expertise in science and mathematics education, social and developmental psychology, language and ICT in education, and curriculum and professional development. We will be working with a group of 20 teacher co-researchers (from both science and mathematics departments in five schools) using design research approaches over two year-long cycles. These will lead to a final 'scaling up' cycle which incorporates an experimental evaluation based on a randomised field trial involving 120 further teachers in 30 schools, with particular attention to the impact of the intervention according - at the classroom level - to implementation fidelity, and - at the student level - to gender, ethnicity and social class.

Professor Kenneth Ruthven, University of Cambridge, UK

Japan

We have just completed the 'Integrated Report of Scientific Literacy for all Japanese' as well as summary reports of seven panels: mathematical science; life science; material science; human and social science; informatics; earth; space and environmental science; and technology. We will start translating these reports into English.

Also we had a UK-Japan Symposium on Science Education on 8-9 March 2008 in Tokyo.

Professor Kazuo Kitahara, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan

Portugal

I am involved in a programme that goes in line with the main points of the document. I am co-chair of the Galileo Teacher Training Programme, a cornerstone of International Year of Astronomy 2009 . This is a teacher training programme where we intend to train teachers on the usage of new technologies in the classroom using astronomy as a topic.

I am also the contact for one of the organisational nodes, the Global Hands-on Universe. We will promote a programme called 'Today I am Galileo…Tomorrow I am Darwin', a programme devoted to enrolling schools in a collaborative project.

Rosa Doran, Nuclio, Portugal

Finland

The Centre for School Clubs (CfSC) participated in the conference in York in September with an open mind. CfSC operates in Finland on a national level to promote the welfare of children and youths. An important task of the CfSC is the promotion and popularisation of scientific hobbies. Formal and informal education go hand in hand, and the participants in the informal field provide valuable aid to teachers and students.

Participation in the conference gave the Centre's science education activity an international dimension. International interaction provides an opportunity to learn new models of action and to see materials, and also provides knowledge of what its own activity is like compared to the international level.

Many interesting contacts and collaboration links were formed at the conference:

The CfSC participated in a science education symposium in Japan together with other persons from the conference.
Plans were made for a junior science café project in Finland. The project can be started as soon as funding has been confirmed. If the project begins, collaboration with CaféSci in England will hopefully continue. There is a particularly strong interest in doing joint research on the influence of science cafés.
In October, the CfSC will organise the International Millennium Youth Forum, which will call for the participation of youths from different countries. The parties present at the conference will be contacted regarding this project.

Challenges and thoughts for the future:

There is a lot of interesting science education activity in many countries. Many participants have information available on the internet, but it is easily lost in the electronic flood. The best way to learn new things from other participants is to observe it live. We wish to promote this kind of collaboration. For example, teachers from different countries could act as assistant teachers in science clubs or science camps, or get acquainted with other activities in the target country.
We wish to compile a comprehensive English language website on science education and the participants in the field of science education in Finland.

Merike Kesler, Centre for School Clubs, Finland