“Tinkering EU: Building Science Capital for ALL” uses the innovative pedagogy of ‘Tinkering’ in activities and resources aiming to develop the 21st century skills and the Science Capital of disadvantaged youth and to contribute to the improvement of science education in schools of disadvantaged communities. Tinkering is an innovative pedagogy pioneered by the Exploratorium of San Francisco. It supports the construction of knowledge within the context of building personally meaningful artifacts. It designs opportunities for people to “think with their hands” in order to construct meaning and understanding and develop skills useful for a lifetime. Research shows that Tinkering holds key benefits for learning, especially for those who say “they are not good at science”, or young people with educational or integration difficulties. Science Capital draws from the work of Pierre Bourdieu and encapsulates the various influences that a young person’s life experiences can have on their science identity and participation in science-related activities, that is, the repertoire of knowledge, attitudes, actions, relations with science. Science Capital offers a different way to look at science education and engagement and is a powerful tool to develop active citizenship, employability and social inclusion. The project emerges from: -The demands of contemporary societal challenges for citizens equiped with the 21st century skills and competences, therefore the urging need for approaches and resources capable of building the knowledge and skills necessary to stand up to these demands. - The increasing need to pay special attention to learners from vulnerable groups, and from a disadvantaged socio-economic background, therefore the need for action towards social inclusion and equity that fights xenophobia and economic disparity. -The increasing importance of science as a tool for active citizenship. -The difficulty of schools, despite the efforts, to build a positive relationship between young people and science, especially those from disadvantaged communities. Science museums in cooperation with schools play a key role in the development of 21st C. skills, Science Capital and social justice fostering science literacy amongst all individuals. In the project museums will integrate Tinkering in the science education at disadvantaged schools in each partner country aiming to: - develop young people's 21st C. skills - creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, critical thinking - and Science Capital - improve school practice through an innovative pedagogy (Tinkering) and a new science education approach (Science Capital) - encourage exchange of expertise and practice between formal and informal learning institutions - create a Europe-wide community of practice. Tinkering EU addresses students of 8 to 14 years old (primary and junior high schools) and their teachers as well as museum staff. It will reach about 5.000 individuals in each country for a total of 30.000 through: -development of Tinkering activities that will be tested and integrated in the school curriculum. -definition of a methodological framework on the role of Tinkering for Science Capital. -organisation of small-scale and transnational training workshops for teachers and museum staff building their knowledge and skills in Tinkering and Science Capital. -multiplier events for schools with disadvantaged students carried out in the museums and in class. -a self-reflection tool for teachers to use to examine the impact on their practice. -dissemination actions at local, national and European level. Results a) A series of Tinkering activities for schools. b) A methodological framework for the use of Tinkering to develop the Science Capital of young people. c) Small-scale training and transnational training events for teachers and museum staff. d) Multiplier events for the wide implementation of the activities, carried out with disadvantaged schools. e) A self-reflection tool for teachers to examine the impact on their practice. f) A website containing all resources and activities the project available to everybody. g) a Europe-wide community of practice working on Tinkering and Science Capital. Qualitative impact Students: Science Capital, development of 21st century skills, reinforcement of skills relating to the job market. Educators: enriched educational practice and expertise. Disadvantaged communities: empowerment of youth through engagement in science. Education community at large: new knowledge and expertise in science education and social inclusion, a community of practice and a sustainable action at European level. In the long term, benefits will accrue to educational institutions in their work towards social inclusion and Science Capital. The use of innovative and concrete resources and methodologies will enrich their practice and empower them in their mission towards a society founded on scientific citizenship, equity and democracy.
“Tinkering EU: Building Science Capital for ALL” uses the innovative pedagogy of ‘Tinkering’ in activities and resources aiming to develop the 21st century skills and the Science Capital of disadvantaged youth and contribute to the development of inclusive science learning in schools. Tinkering is an innovative pedagogy pioneered by the Exploratorium of San Francisco. It supports the construction of knowledge through building personally meaningful artifacts. It designs opportunities for people to “think with their hands” to construct meaning and understanding and develop skills useful for a lifetime. Research shows that Tinkering holds key benefits for learning, especially for those who say “they are not good at science”, or young people with educational or integration difficulties. Science Capital draws from the work of Pierre Bourdieu and encapsulates the various influences that a young person’s life experiences can have on their science identity and participation in science-related activities, that is, the repertoire of knowledge, attitudes, actions, relations with science. Science Capital offers a different way to look at science learning and is a powerful tool to develop active citizenship, employability and social inclusion. The project emerges from: - the demands of contemporary societal challenges for citizens equipped with 21st century skills and competences, therefore the urging need for approaches and resources capable of building the knowledge and skills necessary to stand up to these demands. - the increasing need to foster learners from vulnerable groups and disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, thus the need for action towards social inclusion and equity that fights xenophobia and economic disparity. - the increasing importance of science as a tool for active citizenship. - the difficulty of schools, despite the efforts, to build a positive relationship between youth and science, especially those from disadvantaged communities. The project takes into account that science museums and schools together can play a key role in the development of 21st C. skills, Science Capital and social justice fostering science literacy amongst all individuals. In the project, museum and education institutions cooperated with the aim to: - develop young people's 21st C. skills and Science Capital. - improve school practice through an innovative pedagogy (Tinkering) and a new science education approach (Science Capital). - encourage exchange of expertise and practice between formal and informal learning institutions. - create a Europe-wide community of practice. Tinkering EU addressed teachers of primary and junior high schools and students of 8 to 14 years. It reached 195 teachers and 3450 students for a total of 3645 participants through: - the development of a methodology on the role of Tinkering for Science Capital. - the design of Tinkering activities. - training workshops for teachers and museum staff building knowledge and skills in Tinkering and Science Capital. - the organization of multiplier events for schools, some of them participating for the first time to similar initiatives. - an evaluation and self-reflection process for participating teachers. - dissemination actions at local, national and European level. Results a) Tinkering activities experienced by 3450 students, tested by 16 teacher ambassadors and evaluated by 179 more teachers. b) A methodological framework on using Tinkering to develop the Science Capital of young people. c) Training events for teachers and museum staff. d) Multiplier events for the wide implementation of the activities across disadvantaged schools. e) Evaluation tools that can be used to foster a self-reflection approach to teaching and learning. f) A website with resources and activities available to everybody and a dissemination reaching about 1000 more formal and about 500 informal education professionals, both inside and outside the consortium. The results from teachers’ evaluation of the Tinkering experience of the students indicated that impact was in terms of an experience highly beneficial for students developing broad-ranging skills and knowledge in STEM, and of support to students with lower science capital because of the way Tinkering deeply values their existing skills, interests and talents, provides multiple pathways for success and boosts motivation and confidence. The project also impacted on teachers supporting them to reflect on their practice as a way to see how they could utilise more learner-centred pedagogies into teaching and how to initiate different ways to approach science teaching. Long-term benefits regard the work of educational institutions towards social inclusion and Science Capital. The use of innovative and concrete resources and methodologies helped enrich practice and strengthen their mission towards a society founded on scientific citizenship, equity and democracy.