The COSMOS project aims to contribute to the discourse and practice of open schooling by offering several developments in the conceptual understanding and implementation of open schooling for science education in schools. Several core elements comprise the COSMOS approach to open schooling:
In this section we articulate these three main elements of the COSMOS approach and clarify the relations among them. Other deliverables of the COSMOS project provide further resources for applying the COSMOS open schooling approach in schools supported by evidence-based insights and recommendations (i.e., theoretical framework, TPD handbook, roadmaps and policy briefs).
These three elements of the COSMOS approach to open schooling, and their integration in practice, offer a holistic vision of science education that facilitates student motivation to learn science, the skills and competences to engage in meaningful inquiry and address authentic social-scientific issues. Applying this vision entails a whole school approach that implicates not only school pedagogy but also school curriculum and organization. Thus, the aim of COSMOS is not only restricted to science education (when perceived from a limited disciplinary perspective) but focused on the development of engaged citizens, who apply scientific, inquiry-based, thinking as a mode of citizenship that is characterized by heightened awareness to the community and social issues, a dedication to the betterment of society and the necessary values, knowledge and competences to both realize themselves and contribute to the society.
This comprehensive vision, however, is not detached from practice and is complemented by three principles of implementation: multiplicity, graduality and adaptivity. Multiplicity refers to the multiple dimensions of openness – as will be discussed below in the discussion of the ecological model of school openness. There are a variety of ways (dimensions) in which openness can be applied, either in terms of school organization, school pedagogy or its relations with the community.
While all these aspects of openness are associated with applying open schooling, the ecological model of school openness that we developed assumes that there are different ways to open the school to the community and each school applying the COSMOS approach will or can decide to put an emphasis on different dimensions of openness. Graduality entails that opening schools and school learning to the community is a gradual process that should be seen as a movement along a continuum from ‘inward’ (schools are mostly directed to processes inside the organization) to ‘outward’ (schools engage in deep collaborations with community stakeholders). As such, each school will decide the extent to which it moves outward on each of the openness dimensions and opens itself to the community. Moreover, the precise understanding of what it means to move outward on each of the dimensions may be influenced by the specific school attributes in a specific context; many different (internal and external) factors may be involved in the way a school moves on the open schooling continuum. This leads us to the last principle, adaptivity. By this we mean that applying the COSMOS approach is not a one-size-fits-all organizational change reform. The COSMOS approach is context-sensitive and is especially sensitive to the specific needs and attributes of each school. This may concern the professional attributes of teachers, the various attributes of the students, the school culture, and finally the different characteristics and rules of the national and school curriculum.
We claim that the combination of the various elements of the COSMOS approach provides a rich and holistic framework for applying open schooling in a way that complements the specific motivations and needs of educational teams. More specifically, given the community-oriented approach of COSMOS the themes of curricular co-design, collaboration, and mutual engagement are built into the very understanding and implementation of the COSMOS open schooling approach. The above three principles of implementation (multiplicity, graduality, adaptivity) ensure that applying COSMOS is not only viable – suitable to the specific school context and its organizational culture – but also sustainable, that is, it ensures an ongoing commitment to open schools to the community.
The COSMOS (Creating Organizational Structures for Meaningful Science Education through Open Schooling for All) approach embodies transformative potential in science education by nurturing partnerships between schools and communities, promoting socio-scientific inquiry, and empowering schools to engage with real-world socio-environmental issues. It incorporates socio-scientific inquiry-based learning (SSIBL) within Communities of Practice (CoP) to structure science learning around socio-scientific issues (SSI), thereby expanding educational practices to include community-based problem-solving.
A key aspect of COSMOS is “community integration and real-world relevance”. Through an open schooling model, science education intersects with community interests and challenges, creating a dynamic learning environment where students address local socio-scientific issues, such as environmental sustainability and health. Schools collaborate closely with local stakeholders—including government agencies, healthcare providers, and environmental organizations—to co-develop learning units, allowing students to see the direct impact and relevance of their studies.
COSMOS also focuses on “empowering teachers as change agents”. Teacher professional development (TPD) is central to this, equipping educators to lead students through SSIBL frameworks within CoPs. Teachers become facilitators of inquiry-based learning, fostering skills in critical thinking, collaboration, and social responsibility. Through structured TPD, teachers improve their reflective practices and gain tools to nurture these community-oriented, inquiry-based models in their classrooms. For example, TPD models in different countries allow adaptation to diverse cultural and educational settings, highlighting COSMOS' flexibility and potential for broad impact.
“Sustainability and scalability through community ownership” are integral to COSMOS. Designed for sustainability, it embeds educational practices within the local community fabric, creating a replicable model for other schools. The CORPOS (Core Organizational Structures for Promoting Open Schooling) framework within COSMOS helps institutionalize collaboration among schools, local organizations, and educational authorities. By involving stakeholders directly in the education process, COSMOS fosters shared responsibility and ownership of educational outcomes, essential for long-term sustainability.
“Adaptability across diverse educational contexts” is another strength of COSMOS. The approach accommodates specific community needs and priorities, tailoring implementations to urban and rural environments, primary and secondary schools, and varied socio-cultural contexts. This adaptability underscores the relevance of COSMOS across a wide range of schools and communities, showcasing its capacity for cross-contextual applications.
COSMOS additionally emphasizes “addressing global and local socio-scientific issues”. It encourages student engagement with both local and global challenges, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and public health, through SSIBL-based learning. Students are not only informed about these issues but also empowered to take action, instilling a sense of agency. This alignment with global challenges underscores COSMOS as an innovative model that contributes significantly to students' global competencies.
In summary, the COSMOS approach stands out as a powerful educational model that integrates science learning with community engagement, supports teacher empowerment, and addresses socio-scientific issues from local to global scales through adaptable, community-driven partnerships. This model presents a meaningful framework for fostering community-inclusive, inquiry-driven science education across diverse educational contexts.