Work package 8

Table with Conceptual Structure for WP8

Here's the table with a conceptual structure for WP8 which Jens explained in Trondheim.

Objectives: To integrate scientific literacy into teacher education in order to provide teachers with specific competencies required to teach for sc.lit. in all its aspects.

WP8 Deliverables

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Country Definitions of Scientific Literacy

Denmark

Danish Scientific Literacy

Purpose
Students should, through the teaching of the basic course realize the importance of knowing and understanding scientific thinking, and they must be able to relate to the strengths and limitations of scientific knowledge. Students should achieve knowledge of some key scientific issues and their social, ethical or historical perspectives, so they can express a knowledge-based view on issues and problems from a scientific perspective. Finally, students' curiosity towards and engagement in the scientific field should be supported and promoted.
Students should be able to:

- Carry out practical investigations and observations, both in the laboratory and in nature, including creating and assessing simple hypotheses.

- Use models that qualitatively and quantitatively describe simple relationships in nature and see the possibilities and limitations of such models.
- Communicate a scientific topic with a correct use of professional concepts.
- Put into perspective the contributions of scientific subjects to technological and societal development through examples.

Lessons must be organized so that:

- Students are stimulated to work actively with scientific issues, including taking part in dialogues using correct professional concepts.
- Students will work with various forms of written work which is designed with a clear progression in the requirements toward a final written product.
- In relation to written assignments and processing measured data, students should use Information Communications Technology (ICT) tools.

- Data processing should be included in the context of practical inquiry, and students should be presented with examples of computer modeling.

France

Hungary

Israel

Scientific Literacy - a combination of basic science knowledge, skills required for the future citizen, and attitudes towards science and technology.

Acquisition of scientific literacy may contribute to the future citizen's ability to evaluate scientific initiatives, understand the principles by which the natural world operates, think critically and independently, make informed decisions when choosing between alternatives, and cope with problems which include facts and interpretation, numbers and patterns, logical arguments and uncertainty.

Norway

United Kingdom

How science works

Data, evidence, theories and explanations

Pupils should be taught:

a how scientific data can be collected and analysed

b how interpretation of data, using creative thought, provides evidence to

test ideas and develop theories

c how explanations of many phenomena can be developed using scientific

theories, models and ideas

d that there are some questions that science cannot currently answer, and

some that science cannot address.

www.qca.org.221 g.uk/curriculumcience key stage 4

Practical and enquiry skills

Pupils should be taught to:

a plan to test a scientific idea, answer a scientific question, or solve a

scientific problem

b collect data from primary or secondary sources, including using ICT

sources and tools

c work accurately and safely, individually and with others, when collecting

first-hand data

d evaluate methods of collection of data and consider their validity and

reliability as evidence.

Communication skills

Pupils should be taught to:

a recall, analyse, interpret, apply and question scientific information or ideas

b use both qualitative and quantitative approaches

c present information, develop an argument and draw a conclusion, using

scientific, technical and mathematical language, conventions and symbols

and ICT tools.

Scotland

Turkey

WP3 Mind The Gap Scientific Literacy Site

Here is a link to the new WP3 Mind The Gap scientific literacy site which uses concept maps and videos to create a learning environment about scientific literacy taught with Inquiry Based Science Methods. The site will be posted here after during the Lyon conference so you everyone can look it over. It is obviously under construction and comments about what might be useful in teacher education and what could be made more useful will be appreciated.

http://www1.ind.ku.dk/mtg/wp3/scientificliteracy/maps

WP8 group with e-mail Addresses

Here is our WP8 group with e-mail addresses to communicate with one another. When you add or change something of significance to us, let all or some of know via an e-mail reminder (so we don't all have to check this Wiki each day).