Revolutionising open schooling for science education
Continued interest in science will benefit European citizens and future developments in research and technology. In order to create meaningful science education, the EU-funded COSMOS(opens in new window) project aimed to create more links with local communities to move teaching and learning beyond the classroom. COSMOS made use of socio-scientific inquiry-based learning (SSIBL). “SSIBL serves as the pedagogy that fosters open schooling in science education, with stakeholders involved collaboratively supporting students in conducting personally relevant inquiries,” explains Christine Knippels(opens in new window), a science education researcher & teacher at Utrecht University and COSMOS project coordinator. Specifically, the project aimed to support the creation of Communities of Practice (CoP), which incorporate formal and informal education providers, local businesses, families and other key stakeholders. By addressing local socio-scientific issues (SSIs) (such as biodiversity loss in a school pond or local nature reservation, or a new sustainable school building) and engaging community members in the process, students learned about science through varied lenses. This includes scientific inquiry, the different perspectives of stakeholders involved (societal inquiry), their own position (personal inquiry) and what they want to do about the issue (action-taking). Together these initiatives form the SSIBL-CoP pedagogy at the core of the COSMOS project. “Our pedagogy relates science with daily life and real issues and people beyond the science classroom. It can make schools move towards more openness,” says Knippels.
Close collaboration with schools and local communities
During the two school years of the project period, the COSMOS team worked closely with 24 primary and secondary schools from six European countries. The team fostered an open schooling process by introducing members to the SSIBL-CoP pedagogy. COSMOS organised teacher professional development sessions and workshops as well as a 2-day workshop bringing all involved teachers to meet up in Prague. Partners adapted this training to their national context and specific needs of the teachers, while holding multiple in-person co-design sessions with the teachers. “We developed a framework for a new approach to science education, by putting action-taking on SSIs central in the learning process of the students,” adds Knippels. Insights from the project were published(opens in new window) in a peer-reviewed journal, presenting an ‘Openness wheel’ that also served as the basis for focus group discussions of COSMOS members to improve openness of science education.
Driving motivation for scientific study
The team’s analysis showed their work had a positive consistent impact across educational levels and countries. Students showed more interest in science, perceived it as more relevant, and felt more empowered to contribute to a more sustainable future. Teachers also reported substantial professional development, feeling confident and motivated to make SSIBL central in their science education. These results demonstrate this approach can support schools in moving towards more open modes of science education. “COSMOS positively influenced student attitudes toward science, sparking interest in science careers and boosting science literacy and responsible citizenship,” notes Knippels.
Feeding into the future of European science education
The team hopes that the SSIBL-CoP pedagogy becomes an integral part of (science) teacher training programmes and school policies across Europe. Several partners have already incorporated the ideas into their teacher training programmes and/or provided workshops for educators. In all six participating countries, schools reported that they will continue these efforts in the coming years. “COSMOS showed that educational innovation can scale while remaining responsive to local contexts,” remarks Knippels. “This has had a ripple effect: schools involved in the COSMOS project are not only continuing these practices independently but are also embedding them into institutional policies and curricula.”