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2.2.1.1)

as

vital

to

improving

scientific

literacy

and

the

takeup

of

science,

technology,

engineering

and

mathematics

(STEM)

careers.

  Following

previous

Calls

and

the

resulting

projects,

the

policies,

practices

and

resources

necessary

to

implement

IBST/E

are

falling

into

place

across

Europe.

There

is,

however,

no

long-term

strategy

to

sustain

teacher

engagement

with

these

diverse

components,

with

the

result

that

effort

may

be

wasted

and

the

desired

results

will

not

be

achieved.

The

proposed

STEP-UP

project

addresses

this

problem.

  It

will

develop

a

pan-European

qualification

framework

(EQUIP

-

European

Qualification

for

Inquiry

in

Practice)

for

science

teachers,

and  provide substantial organisational and academic support for teachers taking this qualification.The

EC

is

particularly

concerned

about

science

teaching

and

has

produced

the

Calls

which

resulted

(amongst

other

things)

in

S-TEAM

as

a

response

to

the

perceived

problems

of

student

disengagement

and

outdated

teaching

methods.

  Other

actions

are

being

promoted

by

the

EC

in

the

fields

of

teacher

competence

(EC,

2008),

qualification

equivalence

(EQF)

and

inter-university

collaboration

(EHEA).

  It

therefore

makes

sense

to

gather

these

strands

together

to

produce

an

integrated

project

with

potential

benefits

both

to

European

science teachers  and also in a wider sense of developing a European space for teacher education based on knowledge sharing, collaborative action and ethical purpose.
We have four relevant areas of knowledge resulting either from S-TEAM or the current literature:
1. Research evidence on Inquiry based science teaching and education (IBST/E),

as

pedagogical

method

2.

National

Policies

and

practices

in

science

education

and

teacher

professional

development

3.

Teacher

attitudes

and

beliefs

concerning

science

education

in

general

and

IBST/E

in

particular

4.

Available

pedagogical

resources

in

science

education

We

know

that,

in

respect

of

item

1,

there

is

a

substantial

body

of

knowledge

regarding

inquiry

and

that

whilst

there

are

areas

of

research

worth

pursuing,

there

is

no

single

pedagogical problem  in this area which will inspire a magic bullet solution to societal problems as perceived at EU level. We also know that in the policy arena, there is considerable diversity of experience and intention regarding IBST/E.  There is no convincing reason to think that direct harmonisation of pedagogy, curriculum or assessment  is either possible or desirable, even if these were to be brought within the EU remit.
Teacher attitudes and beliefs are, meanwhile, the products of local and national pedagogical fields with a wide variety of contributing factors.  Initial teacher education and in-service training or continuing professional  development (INSET/CPD) are significant components of the pedagogical field for teachers, and the discourses of standards and competences make these areas the focus of significant attention. The recent OECD TALIS report (OECD, 2009) provides much useful data on teacher attitudes to CPD. As with policy, teacher attitudes are shown to be diverse. It is almost unthinkable, however, that CPD will as an issue will fade away, especially if surveys such as TALIS become regarded as indicators of national educational quality in the same way as PISA and TIMMS.
Why national CPD systems are not enough
The TALIS report highlights wide variations in the intensity and participation rates of PD in the countries surveyed. Notably, however, qualification programmes were the least common professional development activity. This may reflect a lack of suitable programmes, low perceived need for such programmes amongst teachers and/or administrators, or a lack of time for systematic, structured programmes.  Furthermore, the report indicates that "individual and collaborative research, informal dialogue to improve teaching, and qualification programmes" were reported by teachers as being the most effective forms of PD (OECD, 2009, p.74).  STEP-UP combines all three of these elements into a unified programme.
Science teaching is an area of PD where European action is especially appropriate, for the following reasons.  Firstly, science itself transcends national boundaries and is increasingly   involved in collaborative activity. Future STEM graduates will work in increasingly multi-national environments and will need an awareness of the international scope of science and technology which is best imparted by teachers who have themselves collaborated across borders.
Secondly, teacher professional development at the national level is affected by short-term political concerns and is often linked to legislative structures or guidelines which have no application in other countries. This may inhibit teacher mobility, which is a long-term EU goal and which is desirable in terms of the development of a highly-skilled and qualified teacher workforce within and beyond the EU itself.
Finally, projects such as S-TEAM have shown that expertise in science teaching methods is widely distributed across universities, schools and other institutions across Europe.  Accessing this expertise is vital to the aims of the current Call, but the implementation of its results requires shared, cross-cultural understandings which need to be developed through dialogue, preferably involving teachers as well as researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders.
As yet there is little in the way of precedent for the qualification which  STEP-UP provides. its training packages and related items which act as course modules for a professional development qualification at a European level.  This would fit with the European principles for teacher competence, including the suggestion that teachers should be part of a learning organisation, that they should be lifelong learners and that they should be mobile within Europe.  This is also in line with ideas about key competences in Europe: http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/2010/doc/basicframe.pdf\\\_

EQUIP

also

fits

with

the

ideas

embodied

in

the

European

Qualifications

Framework

(EQF)

and

the

European

Credit

Transfer

and

accumulation

System

(ECTS).

It

would

carry

points

according

to

the

EQF

level

6

-

advanced

knowledge

of

a

field

of

work

or

study,

involving

a

critical

understanding

of

theories

and

principles.

The

importance

of

the

EQUIP

qualification

is

that

it

will

be

the

first

to

be

designed

as

a

European

qualification

from

the

beginning,

and

thus

fulfils

an

important

role

in

one

of

the

EU

"Common

principles

for

Quality

assurance

in

higher

education..."

(EQF

brochure

p.15):

Quality

assurance

orientations

at

Community

level

may

provide

reference

points

for

evaluations

and

peer

learning

There

are

as

yet

no

European

structures

or

organisations

for

accrediting

or

administering

this

type

of

programme,

since

the

intention

of

EQF

is

to

bring

coherence

and

transferability

to

national

programmes

in

a

variety

of

fields,

rather

than

to

develop

substantive

qualifications.

  Therefore

the

national

partners

will

have

an

essential

role

in

arranging

provision

and

accreditation.

  In

S-TEAM

we

are

currently

accumulating

data

about

professional

development

programmes

across

the

15

partner

countries.

  It

would

not

be

difficult

to

extend

this

process

to

the

other

EU

states

as

well

as

to

international

partners.

Indeed,

we

see

the

outcomes

of

the

STEP-UP

project

as

being

applicable

to

science

teacher

education

and

professional

development

programmes

worldwide.

B1.2

Beyond

the

state

of

the

art

in

science

teaching

The

proposed

project

has

to

provide

value

for

teachers,

whose

voluntary

participation

is

vital

to

its

success,

for

schools

and

school

systems,

and

for

students/pupils.

  Teacher

value

can

be

created

along

four

dimensions:

1.

Enhancing

student

engagement

and

achievement

through

the

promotion

of

more

effective

practices

and

resources.

2.

Enhancing

the

careers

of

science

teachers

by

providing

evidence

of

commitment

to

personal

and

professional

development

3.

Enhancing

the

quality

of

the

teacher

workforce

in

Europe

and

beyond

by

increasing

science

teacher

mobility

4.

Enhancing

the

overall

knowledge

base

of

science

teaching

through

collaboration

and

sharing

of

research

and

practice.

The

recent

TALIS

report

(OECD,

2009)

draws

attention

to

the

diverse

motivations

and

constraints

experienced

by

teachers

in

23

countries

when

considering

professional

development.

  In

order

to

take

account

of

this

diversity,

STEP-UP

will

operate

through

national

partners

who

will

tailor

the

basic

offerings

to

local

conditions

and

requirements.

Where

necessary,

translations

or

locally-originated

materials

will

be

developed

using

the

overall

principles

developed

by

project

work

packages.

B1.2.1

Format

of

the

EQUIP

qualification

and

courses

It

would

be

unrealistic

at

this

stage

to

offer

a

European

masters-level

course

as

a

professional

development

(PD)

activity,

although

it

will

be

possible

to

develop

such

a

course

in

the

future,

e.g.

by

adding

dissertation

or

research

project

modules.

  The intention  of STEP-UP

is

to

provide

an

easily-accessible

form

of

PD

which

addresses

the

need

to

alter

practices

and

to

share

available

information

within

a

two-year

timescale,

within

the

time

available

to

individual

teachers

and

within

the

cost

limitations

of

national

PD

programmes.

Like

the

European/International

Computer

Driving

Licence

(ECDL/ICDL),

EQUIP

should

guarantee

a

basic

level

of

knowledge

and

competence

in

relevant

fields.

Unlike

the

ECDL,

however,

EQUIP

will

indicate

that

the

holder

has

engaged

in

dialogue

which

potentially

changes

the

nature

of

the

field

itself,

since

this

is

in

the

spirit

of

inquiry-based

learning.

We

know

from

the

experience

of

(e.g.)

the

SINUS

project

in

Germany

and

from

the

literature

(e.g.

Grangeat

&

Gray,

2008)

that

teacher

collaboration

is

essential

to

the

creation

of

powerful

learning

environments.

Although

much

of

the

course

material

could

be

provided

online,

with

a

wiki

as

the

basis

of

a

Europe-wide

network

for

participating

teachers

and

the

core

of

a

learning

organisation

for

science

education,

face-to-face

meetings

with

other

teachers

and

with

tutors

are

an

essential

element

of

STEP-UP.

We

have

a

four

level

structure

of

reciprocity

within

EQUIP:

1.

  Reciprocity

between

schools

and

teachers

2.

Reciprocity

between

schools

and

universities

3.

Reciprocity

between

universities,

local

authorities

and

national

systems

4.

Reciprocity

between

national

systems

and

the

European

level

B1.2.2

Learning

outcomes/learning

objectives

The

course

leading

to

EQUIP

will

be

intended

for

in-service

teachers

with

at

least

two

years

teaching

experience.

  Different

versions

will

be

available

for

primary

and

secondary

teachers,

with

further

subdivisions

at

a

local

level

if

necessary

(e.g.

subject

specialist,

lower/upper

secondary

etc.).

  The

high

level

learning

outcomes

will

be

as

follows:

Participating

teachers

will:

1.

demonstrate

an

in-depth

understanding

of

the

principles of  inquiry-based

or

investigative

methods.

2.