SETAC - Science Education As a Tool for Active Citizenship (EU-Projekt)

Förderung:

gefördert im 7. Rahmenporgramm der Europäischen Kommission

Projektleitung:

Prof. Dr. Doris Lewalter

Mitarbeiter:

Maximilian Knogler

Projektbeschreibung:

SETAC emerges out of the need to undertake specific action for the improvement of science education. It regards science education as among the fundamental tools for developing active citizens in the knowledge society. Science and technology are important school curriculum subjects but are also directly linked to our everyday lives, requesting very often engagement and informed decisions by all citizens. Science education is therefore not only a subject to be delivered by teachers and be learned by students inspiring, hopefully, related careers; but should be also seen as a lifelong-relevant tool for developing informed and active citizens.

In this sense, the project addresses students and teachers both as agents engaged in classroom practice and as citizens with right to knowledge and social responsibility. It will develop products for learning in science and technology as the basis for responding to the needs of the knowledge society. The products are:

  1. a new pedagogy for engaging with science and technology, drawing from inquiry-based science education and science & society methodologies;
  2. ICT-based resources for teachers;
  3. a European in-service training course.

These products focus on Health, Energy and Climate Change. They will emerge from experimentation with students in the different consortium countries, direct consultation of teachers and a research study on students’ motivation in science and technology.

SETAC activities will be developed through cooperation between formal and informal education institutions, that is, schools, teacher training institutions, universities and science museums involved in science education from a different point of view and with different but complementary teaching and training methodologies.

The impact of the project actually will be for all professionals in science education, that is, school teachers, trainers, museum educators, university professors engaged in training and education.