1. Kefallinia, 5-6 July 2004 Symposium on Advanced Technologies in Education The Role of the Research Center in Science Inquiry and the Transfer of Knowledge. George K. Fanourakis N.C.S.R. ‘Demokritos’

2. Kefallinia, 5-6 July 2004 Symposium on Advanced Technologies in Education What is science ? Scientific knowledge: the collective product of individual contributions of scientists, purified and extended by mutual criticism and intellectual cooperation. Science: the collection of disciplines which produce scientific knowledge Scientists: A really peculiar bunch of people educated and trained to a certain attitude to nature. They strive to produce sensible knowledge and obtain consensus with all fellow scientists.

3. Kefallinia, 5-6 July 2004 Symposium on Advanced Technologies in Education Entities established and supported by the society to advance the sciences by producing new scientific knowledge. Scientific Research Centers Since it is widely believed that science does good CERN Magnetic tomography with spin polarized 3 He

4. Kefallinia, 5-6 July 2004 Symposium on Advanced Technologies in Education Schematic encapsulation of organic contaminants in the nanocavities of dendrimers. Analysis of black painting of pithos Some more benefits to society

5. Kefallinia, 5-6 July 2004 Symposium on Advanced Technologies in Education New Scientific Knowledge The Research Centers continuously: Produce new knowledge  understand nature Develop and Advance Technology The high levels of new knowledge  higher education The basic levels of the new knowledge must flow to the secondary education system The new knowledge  global consensus  established knowledge

6. Kefallinia, 5-6 July 2004 Symposium on Advanced Technologies in Education The importance of secondary education Secondary education produces the future citizen The future citizen must be properly shaped such as to: understand the world around (laws of nature) able to cope with the technological progress able to have an educated opinion as policy maker How is this done ? Is it done ? NO, or too little The knowledge gap between scientists and normal people will widen  the few possessing the knowledge and the many who do not Will we have the comeback of Egyptian priesthood ? The new knowledge must be transferred at the secondary level

7. Kefallinia, 5-6 July 2004 Symposium on Advanced Technologies in Education Is there a knowledge gap ? There is enormous scientific and technological progress in the last century  the amount of knowledge doubles every 5 years The emerging citizen is left behind, suspicious of every new technology which claims to benefit society. Or … any competent technocrat can easily cheat him. The Research centers spend more and more time and effort to ‘outreach’ activities to try to explain to the people their work and its importance. The secondary education textbooks are not up to date. The teachers are not trained to cope with the teaching of the new knowledge

8. Kefallinia, 5-6 July 2004 Symposium on Advanced Technologies in Education Assume wise leaders ! Obviously the cooperation of the producers of the new knowledge is required Emphasis on teaching of what is considered important Training of the teachers at specific time intervals

9. Kefallinia, 5-6 July 2004 Symposium on Advanced Technologies in Education Research methodology in Secondary Education Back in 1988 my group at INP made the following observation: A student ready to learn (‘acquire new knowledge’) is similar to the scientist trying to acquire new knowledge. One acquires efficiently new knowledge the other does not The students do it by studying their books, helped by the teacher The scientists do it by active research designing and conducting experiments and analyzing their data, communicating and discussing the results

10. Kefallinia, 5-6 July 2004 Symposium on Advanced Technologies in Education Experimentation in schools – ΣΕΠΠΕ programs We had the opportunity to implement and test this idea in Greek high schools in two different projects 1. Devise instrumentation and design experiments for students which use the research methodology to obtain learning 2. Use a real telescope connect it to the internet and design experiments which use the research methodology for teaching

11. Kefallinia, 5-6 July 2004 Symposium on Advanced Technologies in Education Scattering table Two examples A new role for the Research Institutes Producers of educational technology

12. Kefallinia, 5-6 July 2004 Symposium on Advanced Technologies in Education Searching for gravitational microlensing A new role for the Research Institutes Producers of educational technology Two examples

13. Kefallinia, 5-6 July 2004 Symposium on Advanced Technologies in Education Learning is a dynamical process The neuro and cognitive sciences are actually able to ‘see’ a living brain as it learns and showed that learning does not occur with the traditional mechanistic way. The brain does not function serially but processes the various kinds of information in parallel. Learning is not accumulation of information but the mechanism of construction of concepts through processing multiple representations of knowledge. The brain is not a hard disk to store information but a ‘plastic’ neural network which learns better when in the learning process the body and all the senses participate.

14. Kefallinia, 5-6 July 2004 Symposium on Advanced Technologies in Education Tele-Education / Tele-Research Large Scientific Instruments in schools

15. Kefallinia, 5-6 July 2004 Symposium on Advanced Technologies in Education Research Institutions: what for ?? Create New Scientific Knowledge Apply Scientific Knowledge to benefit society Train young scientists in the Scientific Way Transfer results and techniques of Applied Science to Industry Transfer the new knowledge to Educational Institutions There is also something very important that the research institutes can do for the secondary education Devise methods to improve learning