Session Information
Contribution
The GIMMS project - Gender, Innovation and Mentoring in Mathematics and Science - in lower secondary education and the CrossNet project, Crossing Boundaries in Science Education, are Comenius 2.1 projects of the European Commission. Both projects run from 2006-2009. The projects aim to develop new and interesting ways to teach science and mathematics through working closely with practicing teachers in case study schools and through a process of piloting and disseminating findings through a wider network. The innovative approaches used in this project dovetails with international research findings that promote a pupil-centred constructivist epistemology that also takes account of the socio-cultural milieu. The GIMMS part of the project considers teachers as curriculum makers and seeks to explore models of school-based professional development. The CrossNet part of the project includes teachers as part of the broader policy process. The GIMMS study involves six European teacher education institutions while the CrossNet project involves ten countries. This study aims to explore aspects of science and mathematics teaching in junior cycle in the Republic of Ireland using an approach that involves the teachers with piloting and dissemination through a model of mentoring for co-enquiry and empowerment. The project has a gender awareness strand and invites teachers to become reflective practitioners. The CrossNet aspect of the project connects teachers, through curriculum policy workshops to a number of key national policymakers. The research questions aim to ascertain what aspects of curriculum have the teachers decided to explore, how are they developing innovative practices and to what extent has the project led to better school-based professional collaboration?
Method
This paper calls on a rnage of case study research methods as developed by Yin (1994), Bassey (1999) and Merriam (2001). Reflective journals were kept by the researchers, teachers and pupils in this project and led to a critical interpretation of the data.
Expected Outcomes
Early insights indicate the busyness of the school day for teachers in the Republic of Ireland and the difficulty for teachers to engage in school-based curriculum innovation.
References
Mooney Simmie, Geraldine. Teacher Design Teams (TDTs) - building capacity for innovation, learning and curriculum implementation in the continuing professional development of in-career teachers. Irish Educational Studies, Vol. 26, No. 2, June 2007, pp. 163-176.
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