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The NSRC extends its work internationally through the National Academies and the InterAcademy Panel (IAP). The IAP is a global network of 90 science academies designed to help its members develop the tools they need to participate in science policy discussions taking place beyond university classrooms and research laboratories. The IAP is a significant force in the global effort to reform science education. In addition, the NSRC's STC and STC/MS curricula is available in Spanish and Swedish, and may be translated into other languages.The NSRC has worked with the following international groups: International AcademiesThe NSRC’s Science and Technology for Children (STC) was featured at a workshop held in Santiago, organized by the Chilean Academy of Sciences to share experiences in improving the level of science education and processes needed to introduce inquiry-centered science education to the Chilean public schools. After this introduction to the NSRC, the Chilean Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Education, and University of Chile Faculty of Medicine launched an innovative program, “Inquiry Based Science Education for Children of Elementary Schools,” to improve the quality of science education in the country. The program has been implemented in six schools and will be expanded to twenty-four schools in 2004. The program includes two STC units—Properties of Matter and Food Chemistry for grades 6 and 7—with five new units to be introduced in grades 1 through 4 and in grade 8 during 2004. Materials supporting these units have been assembled in Chile from prototypes donated by the NSRC. Each school maintains its own small materials center. Early indications of the success of the program are positive including:
The China Association of Science and Technology, the NSRC, and the National Academy of Sciences are exploring ways to use the NSRC reform model and its exemplary science curricula to improve science learning and teaching in China. Sally Goetz Shuler led a delegation, including other NSRC staff and National Academies officials, to China in February 2004 to begin planning for the implementation of this initiative through the NSRC’s LASER program. In June 2003 the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) in Alexandria, in cooperation with the NSRC, organized “Science and Mathematics Education in the 21st Century.” The conference discussed the experiences of science education development programs worldwide.Bruce Alberts, president of The National Academy of Sciences, and Sally Goetz Shuler, executive director of the NSRC, participated in the conference along with thirty other speakers from around the world. Sally Goetz Shuler, executive director of the NSRC, and Bruce Alberts, president of the National Academy of Sciences, worked in partnership with the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) to organize the Asian Regional Seminar on Science Education. The seminar, part of the IAP Science Education Program, focused on issues related to science teaching and learning at schools. The purpose of the seminar, held in New Delhi, was to share experiences in science teaching and learning, methodological and experimental models, curriculum development, testing and evaluation, science talent search, and popularization of science. A delegation of senior education officials from Mexico visited the NSRC to learn about improving science education in Mexico , and to explore opportunities for collaboration between Mexico and the NSRC. The NSRC staff also organized a field trip to Montgomery County,Maryland, school for the delegation where they observed students and teachers engaged in inquiry-based science lessons and visited the materials center. Namibia has launched, a pilot project for the implementation of inquiry science education for grades 4-7, with assistance from the NSRC and U.S.government agencies. To initiate the project, a team of six education leaders from Namibia and three Peace Corps staffers attended the National LASER K–8 Science Education Strategic Planning Institute in Washington in June 2003. Working with their Peace Corps colleagues, the Namibia team developed a strategic plan that calls for training teacher leaders in selected science units and using science kits in some classrooms around the country. The NSRC will share its expertise in implementing systemic science curriculum reform, assist in training on inquiry-based teaching, and provide science kits that can be adapted for use in Namibia. After two years, the Namibia Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture will evaluate the success of the pilot and consider its expansion into more schools. The pilot is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The Peace Corps is considering using the concept in other developing nations. The A total of 42,000 students and 2,100 teachers in grades K-6 in 34 municipalities and four independent schools throughout Swedenare now participating in this program. The participating municipalities and academies (The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences) are planning to reorganize the project into two divisions starting in 2004. More about the InterAcademy Panel (IAP), www.interacademies.net More information about The French IAP, at www.inrp.fr More information about The National Academies, at www.nas.edu |
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