Hands-on Science
(H-Sci)
Brief presentation
The recent challenges
In the frames of the action Comenius
3 of EC’ program Socrates, twenty-eight institutions from ten European
countries (BE, CY, DE, ES,
The main goal of the Hands-on Science (H-Sci) network is to promote experimental teaching of Science
as a way of improving in-school scientific education and Science literacy in
our society.
The H-Sci network has a
broad remit, aiming to promote and diffuse among schoolteachers, schools, and
national and transnational educational boards, well established and newly
investigated practices of hands-on experimental teaching of Science in all its
disciplines. We will do this by fostering the development and use of hands-on
experiments in the classroom so that students “do” science rather than merely
being “exposed” to it.
A task force is being established under the umbrella
of the H-Sci network to co-ordinate a public
relations campaign about Science education. This will be aimed at students,
teachers and educators, schools and the community, Ministries of Education and
Education bodies, in a systematic attempt to demonstrate the benefits of an
extended use of hands-on learning of Science. Interactive web sites and virtual
simulation tools and labs with open access to all will be established.
Educational kits of hands-on experiments and support material at different
levels of complexity will be designed created and discussed. Textbooks and
reports, including electronic interactive versions, will be produced in
different languages and disseminated.
Changes to the National syllabus in
Science that, we believe, will enhance the effectiveness of science teaching,
will be discussed and proposed to the proper authorities. Annual international
conferences and workshops will be held, in addition to a significant number of
training courses for schoolteachers. Meetings and transnational exchange visits
will be organized. New members from all EU countries will be associated to the
network. The network will promote and induce new cooperation projects at EU
level in the field of Science and Technology education. The establishment of
student’ Science Clubs will be induced. Science fairs, contests and activities
that bring together students, teachers and education specialists, research
institutions, the industry and the community in general, will be a notable
feature of the network.
We would like to cordially invite you to join us in
this effort towards the development of Science, and are looking forward to hear
from you (www.hsci.info).
Manuel Filipe Pereira da Cunha
Martins Costa
(Network Coordinator)
Forthcoming activities:
European Contest “Ideas
for Science Fairs” (http://hsci.no.sapo.pt/ScienceFair.html)
International Workshop
"The Access of Women to Science" in
1st
International Conference on “Hands-on Science. Teaching and Learning Science in the XXI Century” in
International workshop: “The challenges of EU
enlargement on Science literacy and development” in
International Training
Course on “School’ Robotics”,
2nd International
Conference on “Hands-on Science” in
International workshop: “Science literacy and
life-long learning” in
3rd
International Conference on “Hands-on Science” in