To collect and sum up continuously knowledge, information, materials, ideas, curricula and experiences from past and ongoing Socrates (Comenius and others) projects in related fields;
To collect and monitor results and expertise achieved in former and on going pedagogic research projects in Europe and abroad in hands-on learning at schools in the various fields of Science.
To develop an instrument/strategy of data collection on students’ (6 to 18 years old) opinions, experiences, interests, priorities and perceptions, in particular of the relevance of Science.
To discuss and develop theoretical perspectives and practical approaches sensitive to the diversity of backgrounds
To induce the presentation of a variety of COMENIUS 1 and 2, and MINERVA projects, and others (at national and multinational level) including in the contest of the 6th framework, involving members of the network and others. Those projects will allow the achievement of several of our most important goals.
To assess discuss develop and test ways or better ways of using hands-on learning at the school.
To describe good practices and transform these into better practices in Teaching and Learning Science.
To induce an interdisciplinary integrated approach to Science learning through experimentation.
To induce the discussion and exchange of ideas and experiences among the different participants on the network.
To discuss and promote the issue of Science literacy for citizenship and Life-long learning.
To create an open web based network, a privileged forum for sharing ideas and diffusing our works’ results
To create internet pages (including the study of the development of virtual laboratories and tools) and Internet-based teleconferences and courses in the different national official languages,
To create an web-based “Hands-on Learning of Sciences Forum” to be used by and open to all the school teachers educators parents and responsibles for the local, National and EU Science and Education policies.
To promote exchange visits of schoolteachers and project co-ordinators between institutions in different countries.
To organise international conferences and thematic workshops on this subject.
To invite the community to be involved in our discussions
To promote and delivering training courses for school teachers and educators in different languages and countries
To establish guides and guidelines, translated to national languages on new specific hands-on experiments.
To promote hands-on experimentation in-school activities
To promote Hands-on-Science contests and fair at school regional national and EU level.
To induce the establishment of Discovering Science Students’ Clubs within the schools.
To contribute to the development and dissemination of new ICT and multimedia tools of free open equitable access to persons with disabilities and minorities.
To contribute to induce and facilitate the access of women to Science.
To proactively contribute for a faster positive inclusion of the future new EC members.
To develop policy recommendations for the curricula’ improvement
To create a network of teachers interested on this subject to serve as possible future co-ordinators of educational projects and pattern makers.

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

Objectives