inGenious: overview of findings and outputs from research, pilot...

ingenious-science.eu

inGenious: overview of findings and outputs from research, pilot testing and internal and external evaluation

General Assembly, Warsaw

24th September 2014

Derek Bell

Campanula Consulting, UK


• to increase young Europeans’ interest in maths, science and technology education [STEM] and careers;

by …

• coordinating, leveraging and building upon existing school/business partnerships in the field of MST [STEM] education across Europe.

InGenious /ECB aims to…


• Organisations – schools, companies, charitable foundations, governments;

• Individuals – students, teachers, employers, employees;

• Society – economy, citizenship, democracy.

Because education industry links

benefit …..


Supporting the development of:

• Subject specific knowledge and skills

• Generic learning skills including:

• literacy and numeracy

• Employability skills including:

• problem-solving, decision making, communication, self-direction, teamwork, building relationships and leadership.

And they fit into the curriculum ….


• How productive are the links?

• Can we make them more effective?

But ….


What have we learnt from inGenious?

So ….


inGenious has….....

• researched school-industry cooperation (theory /practice /needs analysis)

• tested and evaluated existing innovations in STEM education (3 pilot years X 150 schools, 15+ countries in each year)

• created new innovative activities in STEM education and career advice (f2f and online)


And involved over 1500 classrooms across 20

European countries.

Cycles Number of Pilot

schools

2011-2012 170

2012-2013 180

2013- 2014 195

2000+ teachers in 53 f2f and online events


All supported by the inGenious website:

www.ingenious-science.eu ….

Main sections:

• Resources

• Communities

(provides access

to the teacher

community)

• Practices

• News

• Competitions


Research showed students are

interested in STEM….


All pupils who agree or strongly agree with the statement (%) N > 7203 ALL Girls Boys

Lessons in science and technology are among my most favourite

subjects at school55% 48% 64%

I like mathematics more than most other subjects at school 44% 40% 48%

I think school mathematics will have practical use in my daily life 70% 69% 70%

School science and technology will help me with everyday

practical problems63% 60% 66%

Doing well in mathematics, science and technology is important

for my further education and career79% 76% 83%

In my future career I have no need for good knowledge in

mathematics, science or technology27% 28% 25%

And students feel there is practical

value of learning in STEM.…


Learning outside school is

significant…


But interest in STEM jobs dips……


Also with primary school children

(<11yrs) ….'I would like to have a job that uses science'; 'I would like to become

an engineer or an inventor'

% of pupils who Agree a Lot or

Agree a Little with the statements

No of

overall

respons

es

All

studentsGirls Boys

Science job 1578 64% 66% 61%

Engineer/Inventor 1584 55% 43% 67%

Science job AND

Engineer/Inventor1570 42% 36% 48%

Engineer/Inventor but NOT

Science job1570 13% 8% 18%

* primary pupil baseline questionnaire (Pilots 2 and 3)


Analysis of practices identified four

groups…..

I. Putting at schools disposal resources

to promote the improvement of

scientific or technological knowledge

potentially related to the company

(materials, ambassadors, courses,

etc.)

II. Establishing personal communication

of STEM professionals with students

III.Giving accessibility of the company

premises to schools

IV.Engaging STEM professionals with

students’ work

Percentage of practices belonging to the

different kinds of initiatives.

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

I II III IV

28.7 30.0 26.7 25.3

%


MOTIVATIONAL

OBSTACLES

Different interests, motivations and expectations of

the parties involved

STRUCTURAL

OBSTACLES

Limited availability of resources, support and

infrastructures / geographical limitations

PROCEDURAL

OBSTACLES

Management difficulties of school-industry

cooperation (communication between partners,

regulations, etc.)

CULTURAL

OBSTACLES

Different realities of the worlds of industry and

school & negative stereotypes

And barriers to establishing and

maintaining initiatives include….


Procedural

Obstacles

Structural

Obstacles

Motivational

Obstacles

Cultural

Obstacles

Of these the most common were…..


And shortcomings of typical S-I collaborations…

Objectives

To enthuse/motivate

Target

group

Mainly SECONDARY and HIGH school pupils

Imple-

mentation

One-off project; school-based, a few hours long

Evaluation

Is often neglected and/or focused on numbers and satisfaction

Liking science is not enough!

Need to emphasize the other factors

Focus on Secondary school may be too late: Need to address

both, primary and secondary levels

Educational choices are not static

Need long-term relationship for long-term impact

Evaluation is important and needs to focus on intended

objectives (industry and school objectives should be aligned

BUT…

BUT…

BUT…

BUT…


Factors influencing young people’s

career choice in STEM*......

A. Students’ engagement in

learning STEM subjects in

school

B. Information about careers and

job opportunities

C. Self-efficacy beliefs i.e.

awareness of how one’s own

knowledge, skills and personality

traits fit requirements for STEM

careers

D. Social perception of the STEM

careers and personal science

capital**

A

DC

B

* Raquel Rios, Anna Artigas, Roser Pintó,

CRECIM – Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (inGenious partner)

**Archer, L., DeWitt, J. and Willis, B. (2013), Adolescent boys' science aspirations:

Masculinity, capital, and power. J. Res. Sci. Teach.. do: 10.1002/tea.21122


I. Putting at schools disposal

resources to promote the

improvement of scientific or

technological knowledge potentially

related to the company (materials,

ambassadors, courses, etc.)

II. Establishing personal

communication of STEM

professionals with students

III. Giving accessibility of the company

premises to schools


students’ work

Contextualise, enrich

teaching & learning of

STEM subjects

School Factor

Linking practices to factors….

• material as support for schools in

implementing educational programmes

(serious games, teaching & learning

material, etc.)

• material for giving career information

(web portals, exhibition, etc.)

• science ambassadors.

• support to STEM Centres

• teacher courses, workshops, etc.












premises to schools


students’ work

and ….. Career Counselling Factor Psychological Factor

Achievable Role

Models to make

STEM careers

“thinkable”

• Talks /chats with STEM

professionals (job/academic

background, industrial applications,

etc.)

• Debates moderated by STEM

experts where students discuss

about a STEM-related topic

• Courses given by STEM

professionals about industrial topics

in the frame of the school curriculum












premises to schools


students’ work

and….

Broad range of

STEM profiles and

industrial reality

• School visits to company facilities

(with the possibility of including some

activities there)

• Classes performed by teachers

within a company facilities relating

students’ curriculum with the

company’s work

Career Counselling Factor Psychological Factor












premises to schools


students’ work

School FactorCareer counselling Factor

Psychological Factor

and…

Role Playing to

promote awareness

of own capabilities

• Research project or study in

collaboration with industrial

professionals

• Students’ Internship in industry

• Technological challenge to be

surmounted by students












premises to schools


students’ work

Family & Environment Factor

and last but not least…..

Possibility of

improving social

image of STEM-

related careers

• Involvement of parents and wider

family

• Role models and mentors


Overall practices show increasing

degrees of interaction…..

Degree of interaction/communicationbetween

students and STEM professionals

Helping to

contextualise

and enrich

teaching &

learning of

STEM subjects

Introducing Role

Models and

industrial reality

to make STEM

careers

“thinkable”

Engaging students

in real industry-

related tasks i.e. playing the role

of STEM

professionals to rise

self-efficacy beliefs

*inGenious: Result of the analysis of School-Industry collaboration


inGenious developed ….

With the support of partners,

teachers and policy makers, it

currently contains:

• 158 practices

• 71 policies


and…


inGenious has also enabled….

sharing of classroom practices developed by industry

partners:

Classroom activities, learning resources, e-practices and e-chats with STEM

industry experts

networking and professional development

opportunities for teachers:

Face-to-face events with industry partners and colleagues

Teacher summer schools; Teacher Academies; Teacher workshops

Online: Teacher communities of practice; chats; Online CPD courses;

databases of resources; STEM ambassadors database.


Teachers were very positive about

practices….TEACHERS’ feedback

The practice fully achieved its expected learning

outcomes94%

Pupils enjoyed the practice 97%Pupils showed that they improved their

understanding of STEM89%

Pupils learnt how STEM subjects relate to

everyday life93%

I would like to do more of this type of practice

with my pupils94%

I plan to use this practice in my future teaching 95%(% of teachers who Strongly Agree/Agree with the statement)

“Pupils are developing imagination and logic

and associated ICT courses with classical

teaching”(Croatian teacher, Pilot 2)


Students slightly less so…

Students’ feedback on practicesALL

pupilsGirls Boys

improved knowledge and understanding 71% 69% 73%

learned new things about jobs 65% 62% 68%learned about practical applications and

real life use72% 71% 74%

learned about personal and professional

qualities of people who work in STEM65% 62% 68%

I enjoyed the practice 83% 82% 84%I would like to do more of this type of

practice81% 79% 82%

(% of students who Strongly Agree/Agree with the statement)

‘Working in the field of science is

interesting’(post-16, female student, Estonia)


inGenious has had an impact….

Estimated number of unique

participants

Number of schools > 300

Teachers > 350

Classes > 1500

Pupils > 20000


Furthermore ….

96% reported impact on

teachers’ knowledge, skills and

classroom practice, especially

in teaching about real-life

applications and STEM

careers.


as teachers said…..

‘Overall I became more aware of how to make connection

of Science and Technology learning to Industry. I tried to

connect Science/Technology and Society even before my

participation in the project InGenious. However, with this

project (implementation of practical, on-line chat,

Communities of practice ...) I learned a lot more about the

opportunities for school-industry connection’ (Portuguese

teacher, Pilot year 1)

There is a positive change in my way of

thinking about the teaching of science, since I

started to participate in the project. And I want

to thank inGenious for that.’ (Israeli teacher, pilot year 3)


There was also an impact on

students in secondary school…


and in primary…


In addition inGenious has (among other things)…

Defined some theoretical baselines for establishing, designing, implementing and maintaining school-industry partnership activities

Provided concrete opportunities for Industry & Education collaboration

Developed a set of STEM ‘model’ practices, which have been tested in schools

Established & reinforced ‘Communities of practice’

36


And…

Created the inGenious ‘brand’

Raised the level of STEM-awareness amongst students

Helped teachers recognise that collaboration with industry partners is a catalyst for change

Enhanced intercultural approaches in education and industry at a European level

37


And produced…..

“The inGenious Code, giving useful information for companies and/or schools not yet engaged in partnerships, but willing to do so, on what to expect / how to understand each other. Even for “seasoned” partners, this is a good reference” (Teacher)

38


Looking ahead inGenious might

consider…

Exploring connections between STEM model practices &

the content of school curricula

Emphasising pedagogical issues in STEM - not just content

Growing links with and between National STEM Platforms

Enhancing productive links with creative arts curricula (e.g.

STEAM)

Promoting connections with other EU initiatives (for

example, mentoring & volunteering)

39


Whatever is done needs to be....

Strategic Tactical Operational

Institutionalise and

integrate school-

industry cooperation

Establish and

facilitate

multi-stakeholder

networks

Improve the

process of

collaboration

- change school

programme/

curriculum

- add to initial and

continuous teacher

training

e.g. career advise services,

Vocational training

programmes, national

STEM platforms

- establish

frameworks for

cooperation

- coordinate levels

(national,

regional, local)

e.g. Incentivise teachers

and Head teachers to

participate

- formalise goals, and

milestones

- Set up evaluation

process

- Ensure

dissemination

e.g. guideline docs

Evaluation tools

Databases of resources


Key messages include…..

Interest and enjoyment of STEM subjects are

necessary pre-conditions for STEM career motivation

of students, but learning of STEM careers and real-life

applications of knowledge are crucial for raising

student aspirations towards STEM careers, especially

among girls.

To provide high quality learning of STEM subjects and

careers schools need external support from industry

and business as part of long-term collaborations.

This support has to include not only learning activities

and resources, but opportunities for professional

learning and networking for teachers and industry

experts.


In short…

ECB-inGenious has become a successful European

platform that brought schools and industry stakeholders

together and created opportunities for networking,

professional learning, understanding of each others

needs, sharing of good practice and facilitation of

school-industry collaboration.

This is only the beginning:

actions now need to be taken

to promote an inGenious legacy

(sustainability activities ,

inGenious2…)

BUT….

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