Innovation in science education : La

main à la pâte case study

David Jasmin, david.jasmin@inrp.fr, La main à la pâte,

France

OECD-Germany Workshop, Bad Honnef, , 17-18 November

2008
 French Context
Primary education
• 61 000 primary schools
• 350 000 classes
• Kindergarten: 99.5% of the 3 – 6 years old
• Elementary: 100 % of the 6 – 11 years old

Primary school teachers

• Polyvalent teachers (same teacher for all
subjects)
• Recruited at levels high school +0 (1960s) to
high school +5 (1993)
• 80 % literary

Primary educational system

• Top-down and pyramidal system
• National curriculum but local diversity
• Focus on reading/ writing/ counting

In 1995 < 3% classes practicing science (Often

biology, Frontal pedagogy..)

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 A brief history of La main à la pâte (2)
1995 – 1996
• Georges Charpak : Inquiry based science education
(IBSE) small scale experimentation in 344 classes
1998
• Launch of the La main à la pâte Website
2000
• The experimentation has expanded to over 5 000 classes
• The Ministry launch an official Plan for science teaching
• Creation of La main à la pâte pilot centers
• development of international partnerships
2002
• New official Curriculum inspired by La main à la pâte
2003-2008
• National resources for teachers and trainers ( guides/ DVD..)
2006 : launch of an experimental program (Integrated science and
technology teaching for grade 6 – 7 and the European project :
POLLEN
2007
• > 30 % teachers teach science with an active pedagogy
• National K 5 pupils assessment in Science ( results in 2008)

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 From innovation to generalization…

Main problem : quality and substainability

Scale-up strategy
 Tools ( science note book, high quality resources …)
 Teacher training
 Use of Internet and other media
Involving teachers in innovative projects
 Implication of the scientific community
 Creation of pilot centers with a systemic approach
 Partnership with institutions and no-conventional actors
 International cooperation

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 Teacher training :
put teachers in children’s role

2 aspects :
• teaching practice
• scientific concepts
Involve trainers & scientists
To train teachers as children will be taught
Embody theorical approach in a active practice of science for a sustainable and internal
change of teaching
Involve in resource productions (class sequences, books, Websites...)

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 Internet a powerful tool

200 000 visitors / month

10.000 registered people
> 200 teachers free
activities
Scientists and trainers
network..
www.lamap.fr

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 Innovative projects

Beginning with shadows,

angles & parallels

Connect schools at different

latitudes (> 10 countries)

Determine Earth’s radius,

dispersion of data

Integrate Math, Astronomy,

Measure, Geography,
History, Writing

Publication of a book +
CDROM (2002) : for
teachers & parents

Other projects : Living with the Sun, European discoveries, Marco Polo…

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 Involvement of scientists in primary education
(ASTEP) www.astep.fr
Supporting in class
Supporting collaborative
projects
Supporting through
sponsorship

ASTEP Supporting resources

production
Supporting teacher
training
Supporting from a distance

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 Creation of pilot centers : a systemic approach

resource centres
Website and training
forum

Thematic projects Teacher resources

support by
Evaluation scientisits
Material kits
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 International networking

Collaboration with > 30 countries and 3 regional areas

through the network of Academy of sciences

Example : La main à la pâte in Europe

POLLEN European project (2006-2009 ), coordinated

by La main à la pâte – 12 countries, 1500 teachers and
30000 pupils at the present time.

Recent report from a group of European experts :

Science education now : a renewed pedagogy for the
future of Europe (May 2007) – Pollen and Sinus
Transfer as reference projects.

French Presidency of the European Union :

international conference on science education – Paris,
October 8-9, 2008.

Next Project ? Fibonnacci : science City twinning…

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 Partenership and scale-up strategy

Académie des sciences

Ministry of INRP
education Ecole normale supérieure

Global strategy Scientific

community

• Internet Site
• Resources Centers
• Pilot Centers/seed city
Curricula • Resources publication

Teachers training 350 000 classes

(IUFM/university) (61 000 schools)

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 Key elements for successful scaling-up

Content : inquiry based pedagogy/ interdisciplinary/

new tools..
Organization : local model / teacher oriented /
systemic approach/ local partners..
Politic : role of the Academy of science /
partnership with ministry of education/ and
prestigious scientific institutions / international
cooperation
Communication : focused on teachers/ media
coverage through well-know scientists/ activities
opened to parents..

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 Conclusion

In 10 years : science in 3%  > 30% classes in

primary school + a new experimentation in junior
high schools

Teacher training and coaching is the main issue for

generalization

Positive feedback from teachers, society and higher

education

For an effective impulsion and coordination,

Academy of sciences, Ministry of Education and local
authorities have to work hand in hand
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Appendix
 General philosophy of La main à la pâte

Science as an inquiry, as an investigation

Something pupils do, not something that

is done for them

Teacher helps pupils to built their own

knowledge

Emphasis is put on
• Interrogation
• Action
• Experimentation
• collective reconstruction
• not on learning statements to be
memorized!

Pupils get a deeper understanding when

they try to present in an oral or written
(science notebook) way their conclusion
and to confront the with experimental
results

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 The 10 principles of La main à la pâte

Children observe & experiment on real, close objects/phenomena.

Children argue and reason, share ideas, build knowledge.

Teacher proposes activities organized in sequences, leaving ample space for children
autonomy.

Spend a minimum of 2 hours/week on same theme, for several weeks. Ensure continuity
over the 5-6 years of elementary school.

Have children keep their Experiment Notebook with their own words.

Aim to an appropriation of scientific concepts/procedures along with a language (oral &

written) acquisition.

Associate family & neighborhood.

Scientific partners to accompany the action.

Involve the trainers : learning by doing.

Create Internet resources & exchanges : www.inrp.fr/lamap

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 La main à la pâte partners

INRP

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 Discussion list exchanges

Message 1 :
Hello,
I am a teacher in grade 5 and we just started to study objects animated by the
wind. Here are some of them : a windmill, the kind of mills you can find in
funfairs, weathercocks, preferably " solid " ; kites that would be attached to big
sticks in order to float, non-stuffed scarecrows… You can also use your
imagination.
Pupils also found for me plans in revision books, like Hatier, Hachette…
Good luck for your " planting "
Agnès

Message 2 :
Hello,
I would advise you to go have a quick look on the website from the Paul Bert
school in SENS.
A complete work on " air, wind " has been carried out by these colleagues (NB :
an article in the excellent magazine Moniteur92 (consulting address below) about
the website)
Cordially
Michel
Le journal des nouvelles technologies à l'école
http://www.crdp.ac-versailles.fr/cddp92/monit92/default.htm

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 Questions to scientists

Question
Within the framework of manipulations about water, we made steam by heating water with
6-year olds.
During the elaboration of the account, the children were willing to write: "the steam escapes
and disappears in the air". The last remark bothers me in the way that after holding a glass
over the steam, the children saw that there was condensation… What else can we say but "
the steam disappears in the air " ?

Jean Basdevant, researcher at the Ecole Polytechnique answers the question by e-mail
within 48 hours...
Hello,
The children are always right. The steam disappears effectively; that is to say we don't see
it any longer, it no longer "appears". The steam is a gaz composed with water that mixes to
the air and that we don't see (like we don't see perfume we can smell in the air, though it
has a color in the bottle). Water, thus mixed with air, can reappear as tiny drops, like in
clouds or condensing over a glass, if the conditions help, for example if it is cold.
Have a look at your kettle. The "steam" that comes out of it is visible. It condenses in
droplets of water at its contact with the air around that is colder when it is dense, but then it
gets diluted and… it disappears.
It can also reappear by condensation on the windows or on the ceiling. Carry out the
experiment to leave your glass near the steam for a long time. After some time, the steam
will not condense on it any longer, because it will have heated up.
I think there is confusion between " steam " that come out from steam-machines that you
can see because it is condensed water, and real water steam that is water in a gaseous
state like butane.

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 Questions to trainers

Question
What experiments can I carry out about salt marshes with 3 to 5 year olds ?

Answer from Elisabeth Plé , trainer at the IUFM from Reims, center of Troyes, by e-mail
within 48 hours...
You can make yourself a small salt marsh by putting sea water (since you live in La
Rochelle) to evaporate. You will then look for ideal conditions for the evaporation to work.
Of course, in kindergarten, it is not possible to consider a separation of factors, but you
can try to find a solution to " spread out " water under the sun, like in a salt marsh. For
example, you can put the water under the sun in plates or iron biscuit box tops. The
operation takes a long time.
You can also try to find with the children other ways to heat water. For them, the sun
takes the water away , " drinks it " ; the representation of the sun as a source of heat is
not immediate. It is an obstacle to know about when you want to carry out this type of
work. When you get over it, you can heat the sea water in a sauce pan and get the white
powder that appears, miraculously for the children.
It is also interesting to " make " sea water and to get back the salt you put in it. You work
on the (visible) disappearance of the salt by adding water, and then the reappearance by
evaporation (in the saucepan).
The progression. If the children from your class in La Rochelle are not very familiar with
salt marshes, it might as well be interesting to carry out researches in class, to become a
salt producer, and then to go visit the salt marsh. The children will then ask questions to a
specialist with " producer questions ". They have a better view of the small-scale and
industrial making process.

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 Scientific patronage
Example : Integrated science and technology teaching
(grade 6 - 7)
• 30 junior high schools officially engaged in 5 French
counties regions
• For each region : a science academician patronage
• In each secondary school, a single teacher (biology-
geology, physics-chemistry or technology) for each group
of pupils
3.5 to 4.5 hours of « Science and technology » per week
TEACHING RESSOURCES: http://science-techno-
college.net/
Progressive guidelines and teaching materials proposed by
the Académie des sciences (available online):
• - “What is the world made of ? ” Mater and materials (grade
6)
• - “How does the world work? ” Energy and energies (grade 5)
Resource book written by professional scientists

David Jasmin, Innovation in science education, OECD-

 Inquiry based science in the World
Quebec Belgium Serbia Afghanistan China
Mexico   Vietnam
Haiti   Romania
    S. Korea
Morocco  Slovaquia Sri Lanka       Malaysia
    Algeria

Associated countries
Hands­on
La main à la pâte
Colombia
Direct    Brazil Senegal Lebanon Madagascar
collaborations     Chile   Gabon   Egypt   Mauritius

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