The first roadmap provides a practical guide for teachers aiming to involve students in COSMOS-based activities. It highlights the essential components of Socio-Scientific Inquiry-Based Learning (SSIBL), Communities of Practice (CoP), and real-world socio-scientific issues (SSIs). This guide intends to empower educators to design engaging, community-integrated activities, ensuring students actively participate in inquiry-based learning relevant for their local context. For a teacher wanting to engage students in activities based on the COSMOS approach, the following sequence of sections provides a comprehensive guide to planning, implementing, and refining student-centred, community-connected activities:
Begin with "What COSMOS Approach Offers" to understand its foundational goals of integrating science education with real-world socio-scientific issues (SSIs) and community partnerships. This section establishes the theoretical basis, which is critical for framing activities that connect students with their local communities.
The “SSIBL Approach” is central to COSMOS, detailing how students can address SSIs through inquiry. This section introduces the SSIBL model stages: "Ask", "Find Out", and "Act", which guide students in researching and addressing real-world issues. Teachers should review this to design and implement activities that encourage students to engage deeply with topics like sustainability, public health, or environmental conservation. A special attention should be given to the subsection “How to overcome possible difficulties during SSIBL implementation”.
In this section teachers can learn how to collaborate with local experts and stakeholders to enrich student projects. This collaboration not only brings practical expertise into the classroom but also strengthens community ties, making projects more impactful and relevant. A special attention should be given to the subsection “How to overcome the weaknesses, obstacles and difficulties in CoP functioning”.
The integration of SSIBL and CoP can transform learning into a dynamic, community-engaged process that not only enhances educational outcomes but also fosters a sense of agency and responsibility among students. This section provides useful information on how teachers can accomplish this integration.
Promoting the sustainability of the COSMOS approach in schools involves fostering an environment where open schooling and Socio-Scientific Inquiry-Based Learning (SSIBL) are embedded into school culture, curriculum, and community partnerships. This section provides insights and actionable steps for teachers to ensure the COSMOS approach remains effective and impactful.