3^rd HSCI conference

4th – 9th September 2006

 
Hands-on Science (H-Sci) Network
Project nº. 110157-CP-1-2003-1-PT-COMENIUS-C3

Proceedings

Edited by  

Manuel Filipe Pereira da Cunha Martins Costa (Universidade do Minho)

José Benito Vazquez Dorrío (Universidade de Vigo)

The papers in this book comprise the proceedings of the meeting mentioned on the cover and title page. They reflect the author's opinion and are published as presented and without change, in the interest of timely dissemination.

Copyright and Reprint Permission: Abstracting is permitted with credit to the source.  Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works must be obtained from HSci.

Additional copies may be obtained from:

Manuel Filipe P. C. M. Costa
e-mail: mfcosta@fisica.uminho.pt

Conference Chairman's Message

FOREWORD

World’ sustainable development both in economical and social terms strengthening the democracy and social cohesion in our societies with high levels of human development in respect to the United Nations chart of human rights should be a goal of all countries and of each one of us.

The importance of Science, both the pursuit of knowledge and the search for practical uses of scientific knowledge, is widely recognised at all levels in modern societies. A strong and enlarged scientific literacy is fundamental to the development of science and technology but also to a democratic citizenship.

In most countries it is being registered a striving lack of scientists technicians and science and technology teachers. Driven by this fact science is gaining an increasing importance in school education. Hopefully also recognising the importance of the study and training in Science in the building up of our youngsters’ personality and abilities, both professional and social, changes in school curricula are being implemented in most countries being giving science a clearly higher importance.

However the improvement in the levels of quality and effectiveness in school science education can hardly be achieved without and effective change in the way science education is traditionally approached in our schools. The method that drives the pursuit of scientific knowledge should be the starting driving and guiding basis of all process of in-school teaching/learning of science. Leading the students to an active volunteer commitment in hands-on experimental activities: observing, analyzing critically, deducing, reasoning, defining, discussing, experimenting…

“making” (learning) science as scientists do…

On the lines of our successful previous conferences, HSCI2004 in Ljubljana and HSCI2005 in Crete, we organised the 3^rd International Conference on “Hands-on Science. Science Education and Sustainable Development” with the aim to promote an open broad exchange of experiences on good practices, syllabus and policy matters, social factors and the learning of science, and other issues related to Science Education and its development… through an enlarged use of hands-on experiments in the classroom. Results from the activities developed during the first three years of the Hands-on Science Network will be reported and discussed and conclusions established

…towards a better Science Education….

The scheduled over three hundred communications in oral and poster format and as science fair presentations will certainly bring new invaluable insights good practice examples and pedagogical tools to be shared and informally discussed in an open and friendly cooperation environment by participants coming from all over the world.

As Chair of the conference and Coordinator of the Hands-on Science network it is my pleasure to welcome you at the University of Minho wishing you a wonderful stay in Portugal!

Braga, July 18, 2006.

Manuel Filipe Pereira da Cunha Martins Costa

Chair

Conference Comitees

Chair:

Manuel Filipe Pereira da Cunha Martins Costa (Portugal)

Conference Vice-Chairs:

José Benito Vazquez Dorrío (Spain)

Maria de Jesus Gomes (Portugal)

Senen Lanceros Mendez (Portugal)

International Advisory Committee:

Program Committee:

Local organizing Commitee:

Supporting Institutions and sponsors

The Organizers of the 3rd International Conference on Hands-on Science acknowledge the sponsorship of:

The Hands-on Science Network [H-Sci]

(110157-CP-1-2003-1-PT-COMENIUS3)

© 2006 H-Sci