Sammen skaber vi fremtidens skole – et projekt om skole-virksomhedssamarbejde

Projekt Sammen skaber vi fremtidens skoles overordnede formål er at åbne skoler og virksom-heder gensidigt for hinanden. Tre kommuner har medvirket i udvikling og afprøvning af et kompeten-ceudviklingsforløb for naturfagslærere i folkeskolens overbygning. Lærere fra 3 kommuner har deltaget i workshops og en virksomhedssafari som grundlag for dialog med virksomheder om samarbejde om planlægning, gennemførelse og evaluering af naturfagsundervisning. Forløbet er evalueret, internt med løbende dialog og et spørgeskema, eksternt af Naturfagenes udviklings- og evalueringscenter vha. en deltagerudviklet rubric. Potentialet i skole-virksomhedssamarbejde er blevet demonstreret i de gennemførte samarbejder; samtidig er udfordringerne også blevet tydeliggjort

Engineering - svaret på naturfagenes udfordringer?

Analysen ser nærmere på engineerings potentiale som en pædagogisk praksis i skolen. Med udgangspunkt i primært forskning fra USA starter analysen med at udrede hvordan engineering hænger sammen med integration af STEM-fagene (naturfag, teknologi, engineering og matematik). Engineering har potentialet til at binde STEM-fagene sammen i integreret undervisning. Derfor sættes der i analysens anden del fokus på didaktiske pointer vedrørende engineering-undervisning. Flere studier peger på et stort behov for efteruddannelse af lærere til at anvende engineering i undervisningen. Analysens tredje del fokuserer på eksempler på hvordan man kan udvikle læreres kompetencer til at undervise i engineering-aktiviteter

Kvaliteter ved reformer af naturfagsundervisning i Danmark - læreres ressourcer og roller i reformprocesser

Artiklen analyserer kvaliteten af tre reforminitiativer rettet mod folkeskolens naturfag: revisioneraf naturfagenes målsætninger i folkeskolen, tilskud til folkeskolelæreres naturfagsdidaktiskeefteruddannelse og ændringer i grunduddannelsen til folkeskolelærer i naturfag. Reforminitiativerneanalyseres ud fra læreres muligheder for at investere ressourcer i reformerne. Analysen viser at lærernehar haft varierende grad af indflydelse på implementeringen i skolens hverdag. Dette har skabt enubalance mellem lærernes og andre aktørers roller og investering af ressourcer, og dermed forringeskvaliteten af reformernes implementering. The quality of three reform initiatives in science education in Denmark isanalyzed: reform of the central aims, reform of in-service teacher trainingprogrammes and reform of pre-service science teacher training. The analysisfocuses on teachers’ possibilities and constraints to invest resources in implementingreforms. The analysis indicates that teachers have had various degreesof possibilities for implementing the reforms. This situation has created animbalance between teachers’ and other actors’ investments in resources, whichreduces the quality of the reforms

From Sea to Sea: Canada's Three Oceans of Biodiversity

Evaluating and understanding biodiversity in marine ecosystems are both necessary and challenging for conservation. This paper compiles and summarizes current knowledge of the diversity of marine taxa in Canada's three oceans while recognizing that this compilation is incomplete and will change in the future. That Canada has the longest coastline in the world and incorporates distinctly different biogeographic provinces and ecoregions (e.g., temperate through ice-covered areas) constrains this analysis. The taxonomic groups presented here include microbes, phytoplankton, macroalgae, zooplankton, benthic infauna, fishes, and marine mammals. The minimum number of species or taxa compiled here is 15,988 for the three Canadian oceans. However, this number clearly underestimates in several ways the total number of taxa present. First, there are significant gaps in the published literature. Second, the diversity of many habitats has not been compiled for all taxonomic groups (e.g., intertidal rocky shores, deep sea), and data compilations are based on short-term, directed research programs or longer-term monitoring activities with limited spatial resolution. Third, the biodiversity of large organisms is well known, but this is not true of smaller organisms. Finally, the greatest constraint on this summary is the willingness and capacity of those who collected the data to make it available to those interested in biodiversity meta-analyses. Confirmation of identities and intercomparison of studies are also constrained by the disturbing rate of decline in the number of taxonomists and systematists specializing on marine taxa in Canada. This decline is mostly the result of retirements of current specialists and to a lack of training and employment opportunities for new ones. Considering the difficulties encountered in compiling an overview of biogeographic data and the diversity of species or taxa in Canada's three oceans, this synthesis is intended to serve as a biodiversity baseline for a new program on marine biodiversity, the Canadian Healthy Ocean Network. A major effort needs to be undertaken to establish a complete baseline of Canadian marine biodiversity of all taxonomic groups, especially if we are to understand and conserve this part of Canada's natural heritage

Potentials in Udeskole: Inquiry-Based Teaching Outside the Classroom

Most research on outdoor education, including the Scandinavian concept udeskole (regular curriculum-based teaching outside the classroom), has focused on pupils' outcomes, whereas less has focused on teachers' practices. In this article, we described the occurrence of inquiry-based teaching in udeskole. To analyze practice, we extended the notion of inquiry-based education. Within science and mathematics education, a strong stepwise teaching approach formerly was established, called Inquiry Based Science and Mathematics Education (IBSME), emphasizing pupils' hypothesis testing, data validation and systematic experimentation. In this study, we broadened the IBSME-concept of inquiry in order to include a more holistic, non-linear teaching approach, but excluding teacher-instructed inquiry. Using this idea, we observed and documented by field notes how five experienced teachers practiced mathematics and science teaching in udeskole at primary level in Denmark. Twenty-eight outdoor days were observed. Each day was divided into separate teaching incidents with a distinct start and end. The level of teacher interference and possible choices in each teaching incidents formed the analytic background. We analyzed each of the 71 teaching incidents, and categorized each of them into one of five categories numbered 4–0. The categories designated numbers 4–2 contained the inquiry-based teaching incidents, and the categories designated 1 and 0 were categorized as “non-inquiry-based.” They contained teaching incidents where the teacher was instructing the pupils (category 1), and outdoor teaching activities with no sign of inquiry, called training activities (category 0). Our results showed that about half of the analyzed outdoor teaching practice seemed to be inquiry-based, emphasizing pupils' choice and presenting cognitive challenge. This indicates that the analyzed udeskole had the potential to support an explorative and multifaceted inquiry-based teaching in mathematics and science, paving the way for a child-activating education. These results, albeit limited by the small number of observed teachers, supports the theoretical notion that udeskole is a potential way to strengthen pupils' approach to inquiry

Teachers´ challenges with new interdisciplinary science in Denmark

In Denmark, a new interdisciplinary agenda has been invented across the science subjects in lower secondary school. Interdisciplinary integration around six major problem-based teaching sequences in grades 7-9 has been made mandatory, and a new interdisciplinary oral end examination has been devised. The new examination format was piloted with volunteering teachers/classes during spring 2016 end examination. The present study captures teacher challenges facing and implementing the new interdisciplinary agenda in its pilot-year, including the end examination. Empirically, we have surveyed interdisciplinary beliefs, attitudes, and related practices amongst a diverse sample of teachers across the sciences (N=94). Further, we have made observations and teacher interviews with nine teachers participating in the 2016-pilotting. Against a generally positive background, we have identified substantial challenges related to teacher beliefs, subject matter knowledge and interdisciplinary self-efficacy, traditional teaching practices, as well as a range of organizational barriers to the implementation of reform intentions

Praksisnærhed i erhvervsskolens naturfagsundervisning gennem betydende overgange

Relation to practice in vocational science education through consequential transitions: Relation to practice is often used as a teaching principle in vocational science education. The principle is based on the assumption that it improves students' possibilities to do a more effective transfer of knowledge between a school context and a context of professional practice. In the paper we deploy a sociocultural perspective to present a nuanced concept of practice that leads us to conceive transfer in terms of consequential transitions among practices. Relation to practice as a pedagogical principle should build on the clarity of which practices students are invited to participate in, and how teaching facilitates different consequential transitions among them

Utvikling av naturvitenskapelig talent og kreativitet - et nordisk perspektiv

De nordiske utdannings- og forskningsministre ønsker å fremme kreativitet, innovasjon og entreprenørskap i utdannelsene. Dette var bakgrunnen for at ministrene i april 2009 besluttet at Nordisk ministerråd skulle gjennomføre en nordisk komparativ studie av hvordan kreativitet, innovasjon og entreprenørskap er integrert i de nordiske utdanningssystemene. Som tilleggsoppdrag til denne studien, ble det i 2010 under det danske formannskapet i Nordisk ministerråd, tatt initiativ til ytterligere to studier om henholdsvis de praktisk musiske fag og de nordiske lands arbeid med talentutvikling og kreativitet i relasjon til naturvitenskap. Studiene er en del av Nordisk ministerråds globaliseringsprosjekt "En god opplæring til ungdom og voksne" som har som ett av fire delmål å fremme kreativitet, innovasjon og entreprenørskap i utdanningen. Studiene er gjennomført under ledelse av Universitet i Nordland, Norge, på oppdrag fra Nordisk ministerråd