Project Description

The aim of the project is to engage elementary and secondary pre-service teachers in critical discussions of everyday science through socioscientific issues (SSI), and prepare them to teach SSI. The project is in line with the Development of Approaches to Teaching and Learning Comenius Priority. More specifically, the partner institutions, bringing together experts and new researchers in the area, after exploring existing literature, and how everyday science and SSI are approached in their countries will collaboratively develop a framework for teaching SSI (WP2). Based on the outcomes, three different modules will be designed collaboratively between the partners based on social constructivist theories of learning (WP3). The modules will be implemented with preservice teachers (WP4) in all partner countries and the main output will be a book and a website with the modules and theoretical approaches that can be used for pre and in service training for SSI, and a research report from the implementation of the curriculum (WP5, WP6 & WP7). The curriculum will be available in English as well as in all the languages of the partners.

We envisage that the curriculum and proposed pedagogical approach will (a) support teachers in their effort to engage students with everyday science (b) will be an exemplar for institutions that are engaged in teacher professional development and (c) provide insight into how teachers understand and engage in SSI. During and after the lifetime of the project a website will run to support an interactive on-line community in which teachers and professional development institutions will be able to find reports, information and also interact online with members of our group, and teachers that will participate in the project (WP7 & WP8).