DCU News
News at DCU
 Eilish McLoughlin, (Director CASTeL), Joe Greene (Intel), Brian MacCraith, Anne Looney (CEO NCCA), Odilla Finlayson (SAILS Co-O
Improving science learning in secondary schools

Improving science learning in secondary schools

A DCU-led project has released results from a pan-European FP7 funded project which show that learning science through inquiry can result in better understanding of science subjects, and has launched a website developed to assist schools and teachers roll out the inquiry approach in schools throughout the country.

The Strategies for Assessment of Inquiry Learning in Science (SAILS), a four-year European project led by DCU’s Centre for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Teaching & Learning (CASTeL), aims to support second-level teachers in adopting inquiry-based science education in their classrooms and increasing their confidence in the assessment of inquiry skills and competencies.  Inquiry skills are what learners use to make sense of the world around them, helping students develop deep conceptual understanding, encouraging engagement with science and allowing them to acquire problem-solving and lifelong learning skills in order to make informed and reasoned decisions.

DCU's Dr Odilla Finlayson, SAILS Project Co-ordinator explained,

“Inquiry in the science classroom provides opportunities for students to diagnose problems, critique experiments, plan investigations, research conjectures, search for information, debate with peers and form coherent arguments.  SAILS presents trialled strategies for assessing inquiry skills and competencies and provides illustrative examples of classroom-based assessment practices applied across the sciences.  We have developed and provided professional development programmes for second level science teachers, both in-service and pre-service, that support teachers’ understanding of how inquiry approaches can be facilitated and assessed in the classroom.  With time and support, teachers can develop their confidence and competence in this type of learning in the classroom.”

The SAILS project website launched today features a vast array of teaching and assessment resources, including frameworks for inquiry and assessment, teacher education programme and inquiry and assessment units.  These resources and materials are freely available to science teachers interested in building their competence in assessing inquiry skills in the classroom.  Over 2,500 teachers have been involved in SAILS workshops and activities throughout the last four years, resulting in over 30,000 students in 12 countries (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, Turkey and the UK) benefiting from the programme.

Dr Anne Looney, CEO, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment welcomed the outcomes of the project,

“The outcomes of this project are important for the new junior cycle science course. That course aims to develop students’ understanding of the natural world, but it has a particular focus on the student as inquirer, gathering and evaluating evidence, and developing the skills of working scientifically  The website developed by the SAILS team will be a great support to teachers working with the new course from next September”.

About SAILS

The SAILS consortium consists of thirteen partner organisations, including universities, SMEs and a multi-national organisation, from across twelve European countries. The aim of this project is to support teachers in adopting an inquiry approach in teaching science at second level (students aged 12-18 years) across Europe. This will be achieved by utilising existing resources and models for teacher education in Inquiry Based Science Education, both pre-service and in-service.  www.sails-project.eu

About CASTeL

CASTeL, the Centre for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Teaching and Learning is multidisciplinary research team focused on enhancing STEM education at all educational levels, supported by evidence-based research and contributing to international good practice.  CASTeL members, comprising of scientists, mathematicians and educationalists from DCU’s Institute of Education, lead and participate in formal and informal STEM education projects, nationally and internationally, which are focussed on innovative approaches to teaching, learning and assessment.