Copenhagen Nørre
Nissum
Peer S. Daugbjerg
Senior Lecturer, Teacher Education, VIA University College, Nørre
Nissum.
160 km/ 100 mi.
Science Teaching year 1 to 9
(primary school) in Denmark.
Official purpose Primary Science
(Nature/technology) year 1-6.
• The pupils shall achieve knowlegde on important 2009-versionphenomenon and relations and develop ideas, language and concepts on nature and technique, that has value in the everyday life.
• The teaching shall build on the pupils own experiences, observations, investigations and experiments and help
them to develop skills, creativity and ability to cooperate.
The teaching shall maintain and develop the pupils joy of engaging in nature, technique and life conditions and life necessities as well as their desire to ask questions and perform investigations in- and outdoor.
• The teaching shall help the pupils to develop an
understanding of the relation between man and nature in their own and foreign societies as well as their responsibility for the environment as a basis for commitment and action.
The teaching shall create a basis and interest in the pupils for further work with biology, physics/chemistry and
geography.
(own translation)
Science, year 1 to 9
• Four competences
– Investigation/inquiry – Modelling
– Perspectivation – Communication
• Progressive aims
– Year 1-2
– Year 3-4
– Year 5-6
– Year 7-9
Danish/Scandinavian science education
tradition
• Environmental education
• Scientific literacy as bildung
– (dk:dannelse)
– German: Bildung
• Outdoor school
• Inquiry Based Science Education
• Pupil/student centered activities
• Elements of project work
Environmental education
• Action competence (Finn Mogensen, 1998)
– Cognitive competence
• Knowing what and how
– Social competence
• The possibilities of the community
• Conflict management
– Personal competence
• Courage, responsibility, will, …
– Value competence
• Normative arguments
Environmental education
• Year 5 (age 11)
pupils investigating water quality of a pond using a
Macrofauna index.
• Macrofauna index uses the presence animals such as
– Water insects – Crayfish
(Crustaceans) – Snails
(Pictures: Jytte Paarup, 2011)
Progression in
Children’s caring for animals
• Age 2-5 (preschool)
– Sensory
experiences – Identification
• Age 6-11 (year 0-5)
– Sense of
responsibility – Care
• Age 12 + (year 6 +)
– Reality of life
– Global awareness
(Ulla Didriksen, 2003)Scientific
literacy/bildung
• 3 Perspectives (Svein Sjøberg, 1998)
– Products of science: laws and concepts – Processes of science : methods
– Societal institutions of science:
hospitals, universities and techological
industries
Scientific
literacy/bildung
Know your body workshop, year 1 and 2.
(Trine Hyllested, 2000)
Scientific
literacy/bildung
Children (age 5, preschool) working with growth, water cyclus, etc. of trees.
(Ingela Elfström et al, 2012)
Outdoor school
(Arne Jordet, 1998)
• Outdoor school is regular subject matter teaching in nature or the close surroundings.
• The method gives the pupils a chance to use all their senses to acquire personal and concrete
experiences meeting the real world.
• The method creates room for subject matter activities, play, curios search, phantasy, experiences and social
interaction.
Outdoor school
• Not just natural science
• Driven by rangers, outdoor teachers, etc.
(Pictures: Karen Barfod, 2010)
Inquiry Based Science Education
(Rocard et al, 2007)
Inquiry Based Science Education - IBSE
• 4 steps (usually)
– Prediction
– Investigation – New evidence – Conclusion
(Pictures: Peer S. Daugbjerg, 2011)
How to plan and perform teaching?
• Know your pupils
• Know your subject matter
• Hands on AND minds on
• Create room for communication
• Remember to evaluate
How to live and work as a science teacher
• Pay attention to your own motivation and commitment for teaching and teaching science
• Share with colleagues
• White water Kayaking the everyday in the classroom
– According to Wolf-Michael Roth (2002)
• Supertankering your fundamental core
values and ideas of school and everyday life
– Rephrased after Knud E. Løgstrup (1981)
Science teacher
training
Teacher Education
- primary and lower secondary school
10/13/22 18
1791 - 2001 independent Teacher Colleges 2001 - 2006 Centres for Higher Education
– A voluntary merge of welfare profession educations into subregional centres
From 2006 University Colleges (UC)
– A forced merge of all higher educations
besides university educations into 8 regional
UC’s
Who enters teacher education in DK
• 65-69% Female
• 5 % Emigrants
• 70% has parents with tertiary graduation
• Average age at start: 25
• 87 % has high school degree as admittence
• 69 % has prior occupational experience
• Start is in average 5 years after high school graduation
• 4 % has a University degree (master)
• 11% has 2-4 years of higher education
• 10% has a vocational education
Academic year
Intake 4 year bachelor program
‘Intake’
2 year
qualification program
2008-09 2.658 488 2009-10 3.289 613 2010-11 3.627 743 2011-12 3.698 734 2012-13 3.895 641 2013-14 3.068 457 2014-15 2.913 333
Education in Denmark 21
Teacher Education – 4 year bachelor program (subjects)
Citizenship (“CIT.”) 10 ECTS
Pedagogy and the professional teacher (“LG”) 50 ECTS Danish grade 1-6, Danish grade 4-10,
Math grade 1-6 or Math grade 4-10 40 ECTS Artwork, Biology, English, French.
Physics/Chemistry, Geography, History, P.E., Christianity/Religion, Music,
Science/Technology, Social sciences, German.
(2 choices) 80-100 ECTS
Practice teaching 30 ECTS
Bachelor project 10-20 ECTS
Teacher education (structure)
Education in Denmark 22
Teacher education purpose clause
10/13/22 23
• The purpose of the education is, that the student through the education acquires the knowledge
and the skills, that is the prerequisite for acting as knowledgable, pedagogical and didactical
competent teacher in the danish ‘folkeskole’
according til the purpose clause of the ‘folkeskole’
law §1.
The pedagogical aims of the Danish
Folkeskole
(1) The Folkeskole is, in cooperation with the parents, to provide students with the knowledge and skills that will prepare them for further education and training and instil in them the desire to learn more; familiarise them with Danish culture and history; give them an understanding of other
countries and cultures; contribute to their understanding of the interrelationship between human beings and the environment; and promote the well-rounded development of the individual student.
(2) The Folkeskole is to endeavour to develop the working methods and create a framework that provides opportunities for experience, in-depth study and allows for initiative so that students develop awareness and imagination and a confidence in their own possibilities and backgrounds such that they are able to commit themselves and are willing to take action.
The Folkeskole is to prepare the students to be able to participate, demonstrate mutual
responsibility and understand their rights and duties in a free and democratic society. The daily activities of the school must, therefore, be conducted in a spirit of intellectual freedom, equality and democracy.
10/13/22 24
30 60 60 12 0 30 60 60 15
0 60 60 60 18
0
Assessment of science education
• In year 8
– A national online assessment test
• Drawn by lot between biology, geography and physics/chemistry
• In year 9
– A national online assessment exam
• Drawn by lot between biology, geography and physics/chemistry
– A compulsary projectbased, integrated
oral exam based on biology, geography
and physics/chemistry
Four science subjects
• Nature/technology (year 1-6)
• Biology (year 7-9)
• Geography (year 7-9)
• Physics/Chemistry (year 7-9[10])
Competence areas - condensed version
1:
– Science didatics in relation to pupils learning and
‘bildung’ in science/technology
– Science didatics in relation to students learning in biology, geography and physics/chemistry
2:
– Science/technology teaching in a comeptence perspective
– Science perspectives in relation to biology and geography
– Science perspectives in relation to physics/chemistry education
3:
– Biology, geography and physics/chemistry in integrated collaboration
4:
– Teaching in science core areas
