Designing the Science Laboratory for the School of Tomorrow: Advanced Technologies in Education

KEFALONIA (GREECE). 6 July 2004

EVALUATING COMPLEXITY: EUDOXOS EVALUATING COMPLEXITY: EUDOXOS PROJECT. METHODS AND RESULTSPROJECT. METHODS AND RESULTS

Laboratory for the Analysis of the Educational Change (L.A.C.E.)

Faculty of Education University of Cadiz, Spain

THE ROOTS OF COMPLEXITYIN THE EVALUATION OF EUDOXOS

– It is a project, that put an idea in action/practice

– A project for the development of Understanding in Science Learning

– A project that happens in different countries, languages and cultures

To understand the teaching-learning processes that have happened in four different educational contexts

involved in the implementation of the project

THE OBJECTIVE OF THE EVALUATION

- To use ‘qualitative’ strategies, complementary to traditional tools such as questionnaires.

- To reflect (and make public) the life of the project- To involve the users (to give teachers and

students the possibility to participate actively in the evaluation)

- To be useful to immediate and future users.

The EUDOXOS´s Evaluation: no simple criteria

• Information from the Schools• Teacher as a source of information

• ‘Teachers diaries’ to collect the teachers´ thoughts and reflections

• An open questionnaire• Evaluation workshop with teachers (in Cádiz)

• Students´ Portfolio• Information about schools´ activities, related to the

implementation of the project• Open Questionnaire- At the beginning and at the end• Pictures and Videos of the students in the process of

working

The EUDOXOS´s Evaluation: no simple strategies

• Information about serendipity practices, developed under the project umbrella.

• Analysis of materials and documents used during and by the project.

The EUDOXOS´s Evaluation: no simple strategies

Four countries: different cultures, different educational contexts

GREECE Ellinogermaniki Agogi

ITALY Instituto Tecnico Industriale Statale (IT IS) G. B. Pininfarina

AUSTRIA Bundesgymnasium und Budesrealgymnasium Schwechat

SPAIN Colegio Publico Rural Campiña de Tarifa

EDUCATIONAL CONTEXTS

EVALUATION GENERAL CONCLUSIONS

An innovative project, an innovative methodology• Traditional Teaching Methods Innovative teaching Methods• Students’ role relevance• Students’ Autonomy• Students’ Responsibility (asking for images to Eudoxos Observatory)• Students’ Motivation• Being and feeling as a real Scientist • Teaching and learning Science & e-learning initiative

– Real scientific work– No boundaries Sciences laboratory

Key elements to understand how the implementation proccess has happened

An innovative project, an innovative methodology

“Images from Eudoxos are “images of students”, because they required them by themselves (...) It was very motivating

for students to feel themselves as an important part of a EU Project (Teacher from Austria)

Two methodological key elements,

common to all cases:

DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS IN EACH CONTEXT

The use of Technologies of Information and

Communication (ICT)Students’ Teamwork

Social Construction of knowledge

Becoming Naturalized

Daily Life ICT Use

Teaching mediation: teaching guiding

• Teachers’ role in the whole process: the bridge between different parts involved in the project

• Teachers as mediators between students and scientific knowledge

• Teachers offer appropriate conditions to encourage knowledgeacquisition and a good project development

Flexibility to adapt the project to different school realities

“This means adapting the knowledge and activities undertaking to our students, their age and the social-cultural environment they are in. This means that our material and activities respond to real educational needs and allows them to be readapted depending on the development of the process” (Teacher from Spain)

Project Adaptability

Project Adaptability two clear examples

What have they learnt?

• How a real astronomer works

• Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy contents (multidisciplinary)

• To take decisions (measures and coordinates for Eudoxos Observatory) • To accept responsibilities of their own work

• To share knowledge and work in team

• More than academic learning: doing interviews, recording videos, presenting the project to a public

• English as scientist language

Difficulties

• Mathematical calculations (including Italian students)

• Depth and concrete mathematical calculations for lessons plans.

• A lot of time for the development of the lessons

• English

• Bad weather (winter time makes complex a quality picture)

Project Potentiality to generate new, innovative, creative ideas and activities

• Telescope Night Camping (Spain)

• Lego Telescope (Greece)

• Video conference (Italy-Greece / Austria-Greece)

• Tyrol exhibition and Eudoxos project presentation (Austria)

Telescope Night Camping (Spain)

Lego Telescope (Greece)

Video conference (Italy-Greece / Austria-Greece)

Tyrol exhibition and Eudoxos Project presentation

(Austria)

Thank you

http://www3.ellinogermaniki.gr/ep/Eudoxoshttp://www.uca.es

http://www.grupolace.org

EVALUATING COMPLEXITY: EUDOXOS PROJECT. METHODS AND RESULTS

Laboratory for the Analysis of the Educational Change (L.A.C.E.)

Faculty of Education

University of Cadiz, Spain

Designing the Science Laboratory for the School of Tomorrow: Advanced Technologies in Education

KEFALONIA (GREECE<). 6 July 2004