Title of the Module: Teaching and Learning in Science University of Helsinki Jari Lavonen & Veijo Meisalo Department of Applied Sciences of Education, University of Helsinki, Finland EuSTD-WEB

2 Overview of the e-module The module gives an overview of teaching and learning in science, focusing on creative problem solving, reading and writing and “doing science” (practical work), and moreover, to ICT use and safety aspects in school science. The module helps a teacher to become familiar in how different teaching methods help her students to reach the learning objectives of science.

EuSTD-WEB 3 Version in English Number of sessions: 5: 1) Teaching and Learning in Science, 2) Learning through Experiments; 3) Problem Solving Processes, 4) ICT in School Science, 5) Learning through Reading and Writing

EuSTD-WEB 4 Links Moodle address: crie.dte.ua.pt/moodle/course/view.php?id=233http://cc- crie.dte.ua.pt/moodle/course/view.php?id=233 Final version available at the web-page: Version for international use: Version in Finnish in a non-Moodle format:

EuSTD-WEB 5 Piloting Period: May 2008 – August 2008 Performed at: University of Helsinki, Department of Applied Sciences of Education Participants: 55 pre-service teachers of secondary school physics and chemistry. Three of them were interviewed using the questionnaire form agreed together

EuSTD-WEB 6 Results: General The most important positive aspect in the possibility to take this kind of a virtual/e-learning course was the flexibility in timing of the studies, while one of the students mentioned also the goal-setting of the course (fitting well her own goals). The students mentioned as features to be improved that tutor feedback was much slower than during standard courses and that evaluation criteria should be presented more clearly. There was also an indication that this kind of a good course had been worth marketing more actively to students

EuSTD-WEB 7 Results: Assignments Student opinion was that the assignments were clearly formulated, professionally useful, and interesting thus enhancing motivation. The course materials included plenty of useful information, perhaps even too much. There was much professionally valuable content. There should perhaps be more room for student creativity. There might also be some overlap with assignments the students had done for other university departments earlier.

EuSTD-WEB 8 Results: Social interaction These students were satisfied of the level of scaffolding, guidance and support available. Co-operation with other students did run smoothly, the co- operative group was very supporting; this type of learning made the assignments interesting and motivating. The students emphasised the benefits of co-operative group work and identified as such both gaining autonomous study skills in information search and learning in depth. There could have been a possibility for wider face-to-face feedback by the end of the course..

EuSTD-WEB 9 Results: Timing A challenge to give clear-cut deadlines in timing although the most positive aspect of the course was flexibilty in timing.

EuSTD-WEB 10 Results: Introduction to assigments Some students had wanted to have more detailed formal instructions for the assignments (while some wanted more room for creativity).

EuSTD-WEB 11 Results: Summary Evaluating the professional value of the course they indicated that they had gained much in professional knowledge and skills, some students using even expressions like ‘enormously’ and emphasising both autonomous learning and co-operative skills. They felt that they had learned about student preconceptions and how to observe their pupils’ viewpoints. In summary, the students had very positive attitudes thinking that they had benefited much taking this course..

EuSTD-WEB 12 Future work The course will be tested in the context of a pre-service teacher education course during the autum term A report will be prepared with reference to the project during spring The project will be presented in the annual symposium of didactical research in Finland.

EuSTD-WEB 13 Dissemination All the course materials will be available through the new in-service centre, LUMO (Web-site: ). This centre will organise also in-service training for science teachers in Finland Institutional Web-sites: University of Helsinki : Department of Applied Sciences of Education: The Research Centre for Mathematics and Science Education:

EuSTD-WEB 14 Publications A. Lavonen, J. & Krzywacki-Vainio, H. (2008) Research- based approach in pedagogical studies within Finnish Science Teacher Education: student teachers’ experiences and evaluation. In B. Cavas (Eds.), Proceedings of the XIII IOSTE Symposium on The Use of Science and Technology Education for Peace and Sustainable Development September 21-26, 2008, Kuşadası / Turkey. Izmir: Dokuz Eylul University, 89 – 95. Krzywacki-Vainio, H. & Lavonen, J. (2008) Physics Teacher Education Programme in Finland: teacher knowledge as an analytical approach. Comparative and International Education Review (In press)