Project
Our mission in the Inspiring Science Education team is to provide digital resources and opportunities for teachers to help them make science education more attractive and relevant to students' lives. Through the Inspiring Science Education website and the activities organised by the partners, teachers can help students make their own scientific discoveries, witness and understand natural and scientific phenomena and access the latest, interactive tools and digital resources from within their classrooms.
Inspirational science teachers are at the heart of successful science teaching ' ask any scientific Nobel prize-winner who had the greatest influence on their decision to become a scientist and invariably the answer will be ' my Science Teacher! So what is it that makes a science teacher truly inspirational? That's one of the conundrums we aim to unravel in the Inspiring Science Education project. That's why we will be setting up workshops and exchanges, communities of practice and learning opportunities for science teachers and teacher trainers aimed at helping them find ways to make their teaching of science more inspirational.
As a project team we are aiming for large-scale take-up of these opportunities amongst European science teachers. Pilot activities will take place in 5000 primary and secondary schools in 15 European countries. During these pilots, teachers will be accessing interactive simulations, educational games and eScience applications and integrating them with extra-curricular activities, such as field trips to science centres and discovery parks, and virtual visits to research centres. Teachers will also have the possibility to access remote and online labs, and relevant scenarios for their use in the school classroom. Students will be inspired to use eTools and digital resources to learn Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEMrelated subjects) in a practical, competitive and exciting way.
