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UD A P S E R e n a h p ctor e Sté p s n I n o i t a c u Ed l a n o i t Na
Elements of the initial report • Less than 25% of the teachers have a scientific background ; • The lack of exchanges and analyses - between peers- on the professional practices weakens some teachers. • The departure situations, which will allow an inquiry-based science approach, are, according to teachers, difficult to conceive; • The educational progress, on a given scientific theme, often miss coherence. It is generally made of different activities juxtaposed from ideas taken in various resources. • The experiments allowing to bring to light a precise phenomenon are difficult to envisage when we miss "scientific culture”.
Objectives of the «Sciences on-line» system To vary the training’s modalities : several days training sessions, pedagogical workshops (3 or 6 hours) Distance professional development with assistance by trainers. To reach the teachers which do not reach professional development. To break the geographical isolation (rural territory) by creating a distance dynamics between classes.
Objectives of the «Sciences on-line» system With this training, the teachers may : • become aware of certain difficulties inherent to the inquiry-based approach (the approach seems expensive in time, management of the science notebook, final structuralization of the various groups of pupils’ works); • put into words these difficultuies and be able to exchange around these difficulties (with trainers or between peers engaged in the system). • question their professional practices ; • manage (from the beginning to the end) a pedagogical progress on a scientific topic; • develop new professional practices; • feel a feeling of success.
To better know the professional practices to develop them better Thanks to the structure of the website, the training allows each engaged teacher to : - Have resources which relieve the conception work to focus better on the driving of the class (to anticipate better certain management’s parameters of the class); - Be acquainted with practices implemented by the other teachers; - Be acquainted with pitfall noticed by the trainers; - Benefit from advices supplied by the trainers to the other teachers; - Place his own practices with regard to the other practices.
The human and material resources of the « Sciences on-line » system 2 trainers : Claudette Balpe (IUFM de Bordeaux) et Stéphane Respaud (maître-ressource en sciences, département de l’Ariège). 1 website
How it works… The class connects on the website
Problem situation, enigma, challenge, question... are proposed par the trainers
To research for answers which involve to implement the inquiry-based science approach
The distance assistance During the research
Didactic and pédagogical
Pedagogical and IT
Trainer 1
Trainer 2
Didacticien Researcher in Education Sciences
Pedagogical adviser Teacher
The exchanges are essentially realized by e-mail
When the research is done…
Digitalization of the works
Transmission of the documents to the trainers
Corrections can be asked
Scanner, digital camera, images altercation.
Logiciel de messagerie
Second reading and Validation by the trainers
On-line publishing of the class’ works
Interface of “collaborative work”
Website’s structure “Teachers” “Teachers” space space
Pedagogical informations : Methodology, documents to support the implementation of inquiry-based situations (the important stages of the investigation are specified). Scientific informations : Update of the teachers’ knowledge. Technical informations : scanner, electronique mail...
Website’s structure “Classes “Classes works” works” space space
Productions : Texts, pupils’ photos during an inquiry-based science situation, pictures of the science notebooks… Inquiry-based approach : The teacher describes the approach implemented in the class Analyses by the trainers : Correctness of the results, pedagogical approach described by the teacher, quality of the pupils’ productions…
Website’s structure “Inquiry-based “Inquiry-based approach approach situation” situation” space space Title of the situation (question) : Ex.: Are all our shadows identical? How to make float some syrup on the water?
Inquiry-based situation : Suggestion of an experiment to be realized, description of an everyday fact and questioning, challenge …
Questions are directly asked to the pupils : The objective is to help the teacher to find the adapted formulation to introduce the research. The departure situations are drafted as if they addressed directly to the pupils. In other words, a teacher who connects on the website has access to an example of instruction allowing to launch the works.
Indications to implement the inquiry-based approach : The anticipation phases (written, on the science notebook or oral) are generally indicated. The advices for the work’s organization (raise of the temperatures in a board, make a plan, etc.) are specified when it is necessary as well as safety instructions.
Difficulties Technical Technical et et material material difficulties difficulties
- The IT equipment in class (connection, productions’ digitalization…). - The reassurance of the web site: if all the situations are in free access, teachers join but do not get involved in the trainings. They reach the resources and implement(operate) them without interaction with the trainers. - The necessary material for the inquiry-based situations is not available in a equal way in all the classes.
Difficulties Human Human and and Professional Professional difficulties difficulties
The time : The personal investment is important and is added in the common work time. The commitment: in the beginning of the training, teachers lose courage because technical constraints add themselves to the training’s didactic and educational stakes. The teachers always have the feeling to be "alone" (different situation from the “face to face” training).The commitment must be supported for several weeks. The distance assistance: by e-mail, it is a new modality which requires respective adjustments (trainer and trained).
Advantages A reduced cost : no premises of training, no traveling costs nor food expenses, no replacement of the teacher in "distance training". A regulation and a personalized follow-up : advices and produced analyses are based on the reality of every class engaged in the system, on the career of every teacher, on the professional practices. The practices’ evolution is supported in the time: the inquiry-based modules require from 7 to 8 weeks of regular work. During this period, 2 trainers are available to interact with the teacher and guide him. The teachers who drive a module can make a commitment on a new module to consolidate their professional practices. The mutualization of the classes’ productions permits to perceive better " the horizon of the possible ": the committed teachers strongly liked to be able to be acquainted with works of the other classes and with the trainers’ analyses.
