Good Practices (GPs)

Good practice teaching approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) were singled out for quality and innovation, and shared throughout Europe. Test and control groups of students were defined and subjected to the same pre and post-questionnaires. Success stories after GP implementation were also recorded. SPICE involved:

• 24 materials developers
• 16 educational systems
• 15 countries
• ~ 40 testing teachers
• ~ 2000 students

The Good Practices developed

24 GPs were generated for the project. The full list can be found here and the questionnaires here.

Results

• Students taught with the new methodologies and tools understood, integrated and remembered the topic better.
• The GPs are effective for teachers (not too time-consuming in preparation/teaching; motivating and adaptable for other topics) and the students (they enjoy the topic, see and research skills, autonomous work)

• SPICE provides valuable data to support the criteria for teachers’ GPs in Europe using innovative teaching methods within the concept of inquiry-based learning.
  

Why were students motivated by or liked the GPs

• They had to build up real experiments and create little films and presentations about their observations;
• They worked in teams and also learned how to communicate about a common topic;
• The GPs contained many different tasks and concrete results to take out of the school and into the home and everyday surroundings.

Success stories from teachers

• “When I participated in this project and chose the GPs I wanted to test I knew that I had found useful authentic material that would challenge not only the students” Teacher from Poland
• “Since my participation in SPICE I feel more confident to apply innovative practices with my students. Teachers should not be afraid to try out new methods, as this will allow them to grow in their teaching abilities” Teacher from Spain
• “Other teachers from the school were interested in adopting certain GPs. I notices certain interest and curiosity in several colleagues looking with smiles on their faces at our experiments and I hope to involve them in further projects. And many parents expressed their appreciation during teacher-parent meetins!” Italian Teacher