Learning Environments
Methodology and learning environments
The CoReflect project is based on the idea of several collaborating learning communities, all working towards the same goal of developing empirically tested and evidence-based interactive curricula for supporting inquiry learning. The learning communities can be distinguished both at the local/national level and at the European level. At the local level, Local Working Groups (LWG) were created, consisting, at least, of university researchers, practitioners/teachers, educational authority representatives and scientists functioning at the local/national level. These Local Working Groups are currently in the process of developing digital, web-based inquiry learning environments to facilitate students working on science-related, project-based investigations.
LWGs selected topics for their learning environments to be designed on the STOCHASMOS platform based on several criteria. Topics should:
• Afford authentic inquiries of multi-modal, rich scientific data.
• Afford more open-ended, problem-based learning around a socio-scientific topic.
• Demonstrate evidence that they appeal to the participating teachers and students.
• Be part of a coherent framework in the context of educational policy at the level of a local educational authority or a national system.
• Target children at some age range in compulsory education (ages 10 to 16), and their teachers.
• Be developed based on some form of a partnership that crosses the University-school divide and be based on research evidence.
• Have an explicit pedagogical philosophy that encompasses constructivist and collaborative learning and promotes reflective inquiry based teaching practices.
• Include an extensive inquiry learning activity that will allow students to become engaged, develop their own plan of action, and sustain problem solving over an extended number of hours.
The developed learning environments address socio-scientific issues. Seven learning environments have been developed in English and in the local language of each partner.
| Learning Environment topic | Developed by: | Grade level | Lanugages of availability |
Biotechnology –GMOs (Biology) | Cyprus University of Technology | 11th grade | English, Greek |
Global warming (Environmental Science) | University of Cyprus | 11th grade | English, Greek |
Nicotine addiction (Biology) | Ben Gurion University of the Negev | 10th grade | English, Arabic, Hebrew |
| Sustainability (Environmental science) | Twente University | 6th grade | English, Dutch |
Extraterrestrial life (Science, Astronomy) | Kristianstad University | 9th grade | English, Swedish |
| Water pollution (Chemistry, Biology) | Leibniz University of Hannover | 9-10th grade | English, German |
| Fog control (Natural Sciences) | University of Thessaly | 5th grade | English, Greek |
At the first Knowledge Sharing Workshop that was conducted at the Twente University in Enschede, in the Netherlands, the members of the consortium spent several days exchanging ideas, building on prior knowledge and skills, and reaching a consensus on instructional design models, research questions, methodology, and productive channels of communication.
Before the Workshop, LWGs have been paired up in order for them to have structured opportunities to exchange ideas at the Knowledge Sharing Workshop about the development of their respective learning environment with another partner. There are eight partners participating in the CoReflect project. However, the contribution of the Association for Science Education will mostly focus on dissemination efforts. Therefore, three cLWGs were formed as follows:
cLWG | Members |
| 1 | Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) and Ben Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) |
| 2 | The University of Twente (TU) and University of Thessaly (UTH) |
| 3 | Leibniz University of Hannover (LUH), Kristianstad University (HKr) and University of |
These collaborative design and research teams, which we call collaborating Local Working Groups (cLWGs), continue their collaboration, serving as peer reviewers of the learning environments of the LWG, and collaborating to translate and adapt the learning environments into their national languages. As a result, each cLWG will enact the same curriculum in two different contexts (national, cultural, and linguistic contexts), will collect and exchange research data, and will, respectively, revise their learning environments.