Innovation in science education : La main la pte case study

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Innovation in science education La main à la
pâte case study

• David Jasmin, david.jasmin_at_inrp.fr, La main à la
  pâte, France
• OECD-Germany Workshop, Bad Honnef, , 17-18
  November 2008

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French Context

• Primary education
• 61 000 primary schools
• 350 000 classes
• Kindergarten 99.5 of the 3 6 years old
• Elementary 100 of the 6 11 years old
• Primary school teachers
• Polyvalent teachers (same teacher for all
  subjects)
• Recruited at levels high school 0 (1960s) to
  high school 5 (1993)
• 80 literary
• Primary educational system
• Top-down and pyramidal system
• National curriculum but local diversity
• Focus on reading/ writing/ counting
• In 1995 biology, Frontal pedagogy..)

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A brief history of La main à la pâte (2)

• 1995 1996
• Georges Charpak Inquiry based science education
  (IBSE) small scale experimentation in 344 classes
• 1998
• Launch of the La main à la pâte Website
• 2000
• The experimentation has expanded to over 5 000
  classes
• The Ministry launch an official Plan for science
  teaching
• Creation of La main à la pâte pilot centers
• development of international partnerships
• 2002
• New official Curriculum inspired by La main à la
  pâte
• 2003-2008
• National resources for teachers and trainers (
  guides/ DVD..)
• 2006 launch of an experimental program
  (Integrated science and technology teaching for
  grade 6 7 ?and the European project POLLEN
• 2007
• 30 teachers teach science with an active
  pedagogy
• National K 5 pupils assessment in Science (
  results in 2008)

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From innovation to generalization

• Main problem quality and substainability
• Scale-up strategy
• ? Tools ( science note book, high quality
  resources )
• ? Teacher training ? Use of Internet and
  other media
• ?Involving teachers in innovative projects
• ? Implication of the scientific community
• ? Creation of pilot centers with a systemic
  approach
• ? Partnership with institutions and
  no-conventional actors
• ? International cooperation

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Teacher training put teachers in childrens
role

• 2 aspects
• teaching practice
• scientific concepts
• Involve trainers scientists
• To train teachers as children will be taught
• Embody theorical approach in a active practice of
  science for a sustainable and internal change of
  teaching
• Involve in resource productions (class sequences,
  books, Websites...)

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Internet a powerful tool

• 200 000 visitors / month
• 10.000 registered people
• 200 teachers free activities
• Scientists and trainers network..
• www.lamap.fr

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Innovative projects

• Beginning with shadows, angles parallels
• Connect schools at different latitudes ( 10
  countries)
• Determine Earths radius, dispersion of data
• Integrate Math, Astronomy, Measure, Geography,
  History, Writing
• Publication of a book CDROM (2002) for
  teachers parents

Other projects Living with the Sun, European
discoveries, Marco Polo
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Involvement of scientists in primary education
(ASTEP) www.astep.fr
Supporting in class
Supporting collaborative projects
Supporting through sponsorship
ASTEP
Supporting resources production
Supporting teacher training
Supporting from a distance
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Creation of pilot centers a systemic approach

• Website and forum

Thematic projects
Evaluation
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International networking

• Collaboration with 30 countries and 3 regional
  areas through the network of Academy of sciences
• Example La main à la pâte in Europe
• POLLEN European project (2006-2009 ), coordinated
  by La main à la pâte 12 countries, 1500
  teachers and 30000 pupils at the present time.
• Recent report from a group of European experts
  Science education now a renewed pedagogy for
  the future of Europe (May 2007) Pollen and
  Sinus Transfer as reference projects.
• French Presidency of the European Union
  international conference on science education
  Paris, October 8-9, 2008.
• Next Project ? Fibonnacci science City
  twinning

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Partenership and scale-up strategy
Académie des sciences INRP Ecole normale
supérieure
Ministry of education
Global strategy
Scientific community

• Internet Site
• Resources Centers
• Pilot Centers/seed city
• Resources publication

Curricula
Teachers training (IUFM/university)
350 000 classes (61 000 schools)
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Key elements for successful scaling-up

• Content inquiry based pedagogy/
  interdisciplinary/ new tools..
• Organization local model / teacher oriented /
  systemic approach/ local partners..
• Politic role of the Academy of science /
  partnership with ministry of education/ and
  prestigious scientific institutions /
  international cooperation
• Communication focused on teachers/ media
  coverage through well-know scientists/ activities
  opened to parents..

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Conclusion

• In 10 years science in 3 ? 30 classes in
  primary school a new experimentation in junior
  high schools
• Teacher training and coaching is the main issue
  for generalization
• Positive feedback from teachers, society and
  higher education
• For an effective impulsion and coordination,
  Academy of sciences, Ministry of Education and
  local authorities have to work hand in hand

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Appendix
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General philosophy of La main à la pâte

• Science as an inquiry, as an investigation
• Something pupils do, not something that is done
  for them
• Teacher helps pupils to built their own knowledge
• Emphasis is put on
• Interrogation
• Action
• Experimentation
• collective reconstruction
• not on learning statements to be memorized!
• Pupils get a deeper understanding when they try
  to present in an oral or written (science
  notebook) way their conclusion and to confront
  the with experimental results

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The 10 principles of La main à la pâte

• Children observe experiment on real, close
  objects/phenomena.
• Children argue and reason, share ideas, build
  knowledge.
• Teacher proposes activities organized in
  sequences, leaving ample space for children
  autonomy.
• Spend a minimum of 2 hours/week on same theme,
  for several weeks. Ensure continuity over the 5-6
  years of elementary school.
• Have children keep their Experiment Notebook with
  their own words.
• Aim to an appropriation of scientific
  concepts/procedures along with a language (oral
  written) acquisition.
• Associate family neighborhood.
• Scientific partners to accompany the action.
• Involve the trainers learning by doing.
• Create Internet resources exchanges
  www.inrp.fr/lamap

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La main à la pâte partners
INRP
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Discussion list exchanges

• Message 1 Hello,I am a teacher in grade 5 and
  we just started to study objects animated by the
  wind. Here are some of them a windmill, the
  kind of mills you can find in funfairs,
  weathercocks, preferably " solid " kites that
  would be attached to big sticks in order to
  float, non-stuffed scarecrows You can also use
  your imagination.Pupils also found for me plans
  in revision books, like Hatier, HachetteGood
  luck for your " planting "Agnès
• Message 2 Hello,I would advise you to go have
  a quick look on the website from the Paul Bert
  school in SENS.A complete work on " air, wind "
  has been carried out by these colleagues (NB an
  article in the excellent magazine Moniteur92
  (consulting address below) about the
  website)CordiallyMichel Le journal des
  nouvelles technologies à l'écolehttp//www.crdp.a
  c-versailles.fr/cddp92/monit92/default.htm

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Questions to scientists

• QuestionWithin the framework of manipulations
  about water, we made steam by heating water with
  6-year olds. During the elaboration of the
  account, the children were willing to write "the
  steam escapes and disappears in the air". The
  last remark bothers me in the way that after
  holding a glass over the steam, the children saw
  that there was condensation What else can we say
  but " the steam disappears in the air " ?
• Jean Basdevant, researcher at the Ecole
  Polytechnique answers the question by e-mail
  within 48 hours...Hello, The children are
  always right. The steam disappears effectively
  that is to say we don't see it any longer, it no
  longer "appears". The steam is a gaz composed
  with water that mixes to the air and that we
  don't see (like we don't see perfume we can smell
  in the air, though it has a color in the bottle).
  Water, thus mixed with air, can reappear as tiny
  drops, like in clouds or condensing over a glass,
  if the conditions help, for example if it is
  cold. Have a look at your kettle. The "steam"
  that comes out of it is visible. It condenses in
  droplets of water at its contact with the air
  around that is colder when it is dense, but then
  it gets diluted and it disappears.It can also
  reappear by condensation on the windows or on the
  ceiling. Carry out the experiment to leave your
  glass near the steam for a long time. After some
  time, the steam will not condense on it any
  longer, because it will have heated up. I think
  there is confusion between " steam " that come
  out from steam-machines that you can see because
  it is condensed water, and real water steam that
  is water in a gaseous state like butane.

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Questions to trainers

• QuestionWhat experiments can I carry out about
  salt marshes with 3 to 5 year olds ?
• Answer from Elisabeth Plé , trainer at the IUFM
  from Reims, center of Troyes, by e-mail within 48
  hours...You can make yourself a small salt marsh
  by putting sea water (since you live in La
  Rochelle) to evaporate. You will then look for
  ideal conditions for the evaporation to work. Of
  course, in kindergarten, it is not possible to
  consider a separation of factors, but you can try
  to find a solution to " spread out " water under
  the sun, like in a salt marsh. For example, you
  can put the water under the sun in plates or iron
  biscuit box tops. The operation takes a long
  time.You can also try to find with the children
  other ways to heat water. For them, the sun takes
  the water away , " drinks it " the
  representation of the sun as a source of heat is
  not immediate. It is an obstacle to know about
  when you want to carry out this type of work.
  When you get over it, you can heat the sea water
  in a sauce pan and get the white powder that
  appears, miraculously for the children. It is
  also interesting to " make " sea water and to get
  back the salt you put in it. You work on the
  (visible) disappearance of the salt by adding
  water, and then the reappearance by evaporation
  (in the saucepan).The progression. If the
  children from your class in La Rochelle are not
  very familiar with salt marshes, it might as well
  be interesting to carry out researches in class,
  to become a salt producer, and then to go visit
  the salt marsh. The children will then ask
  questions to a specialist with " producer
  questions ". They have a better view of the
  small-scale and industrial making process.

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Scientific patronage

• Example Integrated science and technology
  teaching (grade 6 - 7)?
• 30 junior high schools officially engaged in 5
  French counties regions
• For each region a science academician
  patronage
• In each secondary school, a single teacher
  (biology-geology, physics-chemistry or
  technology) for each group of pupils
• 3.5 to 4.5 hours of  Science and technology 
  per week
• TEACHING RESSOURCES http//science-techno-college
  .net/
• Progressive guidelines and teaching materials
  proposed by the Académie des sciences (available
  online)
• - What is the world made of ? Mater and
  materials (grade 6)?
• - How does the world work? Energy and energies
  (grade 5)?
• Resource book written by professional scientists

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Inquiry based science in the World
China Vietnam S. Korea Malaysia
Afghanistan
Quebec
Belgium
Serbia Romania Slovaquia
Mexico
Haiti
Sri Lanka
Morocco Algeria
Associated countries
Hands-on
La main à la pâte
Colombia Brazil Chile
Direct collaborations
Senegal Gabon
Lebanon Egypt
Madagascar Mauritius