Lifelong Learning Programme

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PUBLICATION INFORMATION

TITLE OF PUBLICATION
IL PROGETTO LAUREE SCIENTIFICHE
(THE SCIENTIFIC DEGREES PROJECT)
NAME OF AUTHOR(S)
Various Authors
NAME OF PUBLISHER
Le Monnier
YEAR OF PUBLICATION
2007
LANGUAGE OF PUBLICATION
Italian
PUBLICATION TYPOLOGY
Report
TARGET GROUP OF PUBLICATION
School Directors, Researchers, Teachers, Policy Makers
SIZE OF THE PUBLICATION
Over 10 pages
DESCRIPTION OF CONTENTS
The paper is a detailed report of the first edition of the national ‘Scientific Degrees Project’ that is now at its third edition with the new name of ‘Scientific Degrees Plan’. The project, financed from the Ministry of Education, started in 2005, and has the aim of facing the crisis of scientific motivation among the students of upper secondary schools. Universities, Schools and people from Enterprises (Confindustria) work together in order to realize the objectives of the project.
The motivations of the project reside in the low scientific literacy of Italian students, assessed by national and international surveys, but also in the crisis of technical and professional schools as well as of scientific courses of degree (chemistry is an example).
For these reasons the project, in synergy with another important national project, ISS (Teaching Experimental Sciences) addressed to compulsory school, aims to increase scientific motivation both by involving students in practical activities and by improving teacher skills. Experimental activities are not limited to laboratory experience only, indeed students have also the possibility of know job opportunities by meeting working reality.
The activities carried out for the project show some noteworthy strength points:
- the synergy between schools and university, between teachers and university professors, during the work of planning and realization;
- the production of laboratories, meaning practical activities that involve students in facing and solving problems related to concrete aspects of chemistry;
- the choice of practical activities privileging usual situations, easy to find in everyday life;
- a teacher training, carried out as a work of research of teachers together university professors;
- the continuous monitoring both of the work carried out and of the level of appreciation of students and teachers;
- the productions of new tools for a more efficacious teaching of chemistry, easy to be used by other schools and teachers and useful for the planning of further activities.
REVIEWER’S COMMENTS ON THE PUBLICATION
The document has been chosen because it describes a national project started seven years ago that has realized a great success in improving the teaching-learning methodology in upper secondary school.
This success convinced the Ministry of Education to renovate its financial support year by year, so that, in 2010, the project was promoted to ‘Scientific Degrees Plan’, in order to underline its important role as tool to improve scientific literacy and its continuity also in the next years.
One of the key elements of the project is the synergic action of University, School and Enterprises, that, through an intensive activity of planning and realization of concrete experiences involving students as protagonists, provided useful tools to a new teaching methodology of scientific disciplines.
In order to assess the appreciation and the effectiveness of the activities carried out, students and teachers attending the project have been asked to fill in questionnaires. The results of the questionnaires revealed an high level of appreciation, expressed by both categories, teachers and students. Therefore, it is possible to state that the strategy and the methodological-didactic model adopted by the project are suitable to improve the scientific literacy of our students as well as their motivation and, at the same time, are useful to modify the teaching approach of teachers. It is important to underline that the most suitable teaching approach is based on the active role of students, protagonist, together with their teachers, of the teaching-learning process.
PDF OF THE PUBLICATION
NAME OF THE REVIEWING ORGANISATION
Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry – University of Genoa - ITALY

Comments about this Publication

Your comments are welcome


Date: 2013.08.05

Posted by Eva Krchová (Czech Republic)

Message: This article remind us the basic problem of lack of motivation in chemistry. It speaks about basement of the lack. According the paper, it resides in the low scientific literacy, assessed by national and international surveys, but also in the crisis of technical and professional schools as well as of scientific courses of degree (chemistry is an example). We fully agree with this opinion. The problem is really in the crisis of technical and professional schools. This problem occurs due to the developement of human. We move from technical industry to service and clean ways. To maintain the chemistry in large-scale is not possible. We can give more incetives to chemistry which is focused on pharmacy, service department. This can bet he right way to go.

National Reports on successful experiences to promote lifelong learning for chemistry The national reports on chemistry successful experiences to promote lifelong learning for chemistry are now available on the related section of the project portal. The reports presents examples of successful experiences in the partner countries and the results of testing of ICT resources with science teachers.

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