S-TEAM (Science-Teacher Education Advanced Methods)
The S-TEAM project aim was to address and combine state-of-the-art knowledge about science education with practical experience in teacher education. The problem was framed at a European level to provide an opportunity for national expertise in science education curricula, pedagogy and practice to be shared.
The Department of Science Education (DSE) had the leadership of Work Package 8 under the S-TEAM project.
Project organisation from DSE: Jens Dolin (PM), Robert Evans, Carl Winsløw and Bjarke Skipper Pedersen (all from DSE).
Project duration: May 2009 - May 2012
- To improve motivation, learning and pupil attitudes in European science education, resulting in increased scientific literacy and recruitment to science-based careers;
- To enable large numbers of teachers to adopt inquiry-based and other proven methods for more effective science teaching;
- To support teachers by providing training in, and access to, innovative methods and research-based knowledge.
The project was financed under the EU FP7 (Science in Society), SiS 2008, Action 2.2.1.1 Innovative Methods in Science Education and involved 25 institutions in 15 countries to provide the widest possible geographical coverage consistent with the available funding.
- To integrate scientific literacy into teacher education in order to provide teachers at primary and secondary levels with the specific competencies required to teach all its aspects of scientific literacy.
DSE incorporated research and practice-based methodologies for achieving scientific literacy teaching competencies into a training package for teacher educators. This package included annotated videos of teaching for scientific literacy. It was designed to be useable in several ways, including workshops, short courses and on-line.
8.1 Overview report on scientific literacy policy (12)
8.2 Training package on competence development through scientific literacy (18)
8.3 Training package for new science teachers on maximizing student interest in biology (18)
8.4 Training package for new science teachers on the use of drama in scientific literacy (18)
8.5 Training package on combining arts and science - the Water project (30)
8.6 Training package for new science teachers on media and the nature of science (24)
8.7 Report on dimensions of scientific literacy (24)
(The months when each of the above deliverables was due, starting from May 1, 2009, are quoted after each deliverable.)
- Training packages, course units, teacher education modules
- Video-based resources, as Web-based content
- Workshops, seminars and conferences
- Books, articles and reports
All of these have the purpose of helping teachers, teacher educators and other stakeholders to use different and more effective methods, based on previous research or other activities carried out by the partners. In some cases the deliverable functioned by providing both information and opportunities for increased self-understanding. In all cases the emphasis with training packages was on achieving the maximum impact by tailoring the package to the needs of teachers.
