DESIRE: Disseminating Educational Science Innovation & Research in Europe
DESIRE aims to improve the dissemination and exploitation of research results and teaching practices from Lifelong Learning Programme projects and national Ministries of Education.
The objective is to develop a set of best practice criteria and new models for dissemination and mainstreaming of innovative tools in science and maths teaching as well as in STEM education research.
Specifically, DESIRE will:
• establish and test a mechanism to better diffuse and exploit results from existing innovative science education approaches and research results supported by the EU's Lifelong Learning Programme and by Ministries of Education of European countries
• provide a platform through existing national and EU portals for science education
• identify barriers and facilitators to promoting innovative science and maths teaching;
• organise workshops for policy-makers, project managers and other science and math education professionals on how to communicate effectively the results of STEM initiatives;
The project will also create a network of science teachers involved in informal online training and communities of practice. The training will draw on the results of successful Lifelong Learning Programme projects and national initiatives in STEM; selected by the Policy Innovation committee set up by European Schoolnet, the project coordinator.
Basic information
To gain a suitable knowledge base, the consortium will conduct a research study on existing dissemination methods in science education projects.
The research results will then be discussed by teachers and other relevant stakeholders (policy makers, researchers, science communicators) in online communities of practice with the aim of identifying key success factors in disseminating innovative teaching in science and maths. The conclusion of the discussion will feed into recommendations for teachers, teacher trainers, museum educators, potential LLP project coordinators and policy makers.
The project research activities will therefore:
• provide evidence-based rationale for choice of dissemination and outreach methods, with a special attention on pan-European and international context;
• help project designers and policy makers better carry out dissemination and outreach of their own activities
• stimulate further development of a body of research knowledge in the field
Teachers can participate in workshops explaining the results of the project, which are to be organised as part of a larger science education/science communication event both at national and international level (conference, summer academy, policy event etc.).
The workshop participants will also have the chance to discuss and share their experience in science teaching practice with other stakeholders such as science communicators, policy makers or science centres guides.