COSMOS is almost coming to an and. The project, not the universe. In a few weeks the full evaluation report that describes the impact COSMOS has had on students, teachers and schools will be available. This blog provides an insight and a reflection on some key results from the impact the project has had on students.
One secondary school in Sweden chose to work in the COSMOS project with a theme about snuff. The idea was to engage students in learning about the dangers of snuff, a smokeless tobacco product. This initiative aimed to integrate real-world issues into the curriculum, making learning more relevant for students.
It's a familiar sight in every major city: pigeons feeding on waste or being fed in a square. Less well-known are pigeons with deformed legs due to toes being trapped by human hair. Do pigeons belong in the city? What perspectives are there on this issue? What is your opinion? These are just a few questions addressed in this SSI. Also, how has the pigeon adapted to pollution in the city? How can you conduct research on pigeons? With these questions and their own inquiries, 195 students (aged 14-15) from AcademieTien dove in over the past few weeks. They learned how to conduct research: a social science study based on a question about the role of pigeons in the city. They also participate in an ongoing natural science study on pigeon adaptation in the city by Utrecht University. The kick-off for the 7-week project took place at the University Museum Utrecht. A wonderful museum for the curious. Students learned about various research methods by meeting researchers and exploring their inventions from past and present. And in such an interactive way that they start seeing themselves as future researchers.
On the 27th of June, students and teachers from the Alfredo da Silva School Group in Sintra and the Romeu Correia School Group in Almada took part in the final event of the European COSMOS project at the “Pavilhão do Conhecimento” – the biggest science centre in Portugal – a partnership between Ciência Viva and the Instituto de Educação da Universidade de Lisboa! It was a moment to present their projects and to celebrate their achievements!
How can we make our school community healthier? This is the big question Year 3 children at Kanes Hill Primary have been investigating with the support of their teachers, Mr Steve James and Mr Mark Hunt, as part of their participation in the COSMOS project.
Urbanization is a global movement with huge impacts on nature and its resources. In a small country with a rich ecology and biodiversity on the one hand, and rapidly expanding population, on the other hand, urban development versus nature preservation is an especially burning socio-scientific issue (SSI). What will be the fate of nature reserves and the fauna and flora inhabiting them? On the other hand, development with housing, schools, community services and institutions, roads and other infrastructure for local economy is needed. Will people now have to drive long distances to spend a day outside in nature? Development versus nature preservation involves diverse stakeholders with different and often conflicting interests. Who has to gain and what is gained? Who has to lose and what is lost? These are just some of the dilemmas involved in the SSI of 'Development versus Nature Preservation'. It's not surprising that this topic was selected as this year's socio-scientific issue (SSI) by the Lapid elementary school.
SSIBL is a didactic approach to science education that has three distinct phases: asking questions about socio-scientific issues (ASK), conducting research to find answers to those questions (FIND OUT) and moving into action to take steps forward (ACT). Within the COSMOS project, we go one step further and deploy SSIBL as a methodology to engage in open schooling. An important aspect of this is that teachers, pupils and actors from society work together on the socio-scientific issue. They can do so within one or any phase of SSIBL, and a key challenge is therefore to identify and engage with these societal actors.
After the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 Artificial intelligence (AI) became a hot topic in many organisations, not least in schools. When the primary school Vikstaskolan in Sweden joined the Cosmos project AI was of great interest among the teachers and the students. What is AI, is it good? Is it bad? Is it more than ChatGPT? Will people lose their jobs? Can AI help students in their studies? With all these, and many more questions in mind, the teachers decided that working with a project about AI, using the approach presented in the COSMOS project, would be an interesting model to explore during some weeks, both for their students and themselves.
No, biology teacher Manon Ockeloen is showing headlines from a current news feed saying that only half of the students their age are vaccinated against HPV. Is that a problem? For whom, only girls? The Ask-phase of the lesson has started. Before discussing this, students write down their own motivation for their vaccination decision. In addition, they place themselves against 3 statements on the topic on a Likert scale. For example, with safe sex, you don’t need an HPV vaccination. Or HPV vaccination is only useful for girls. At the end of the lesson, students again take a position.
