Creativity in Early Years Science Education Erasmus Project

Project Title

Creativity in Early Years Science Education

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; Pedagogy and didactics; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Creativity and innovation are recognised as important in European education policy in the last years, and their strengthening in and through education as one of the main objectives of the EU strategic framework for education and training 2020. Creativity holds a strong position in early childhood and primary education, while it appears to be under greater pressure in the more formal educational environment of secondary education. It is therefore necessary to exploit, support and sustain the creative potential that is found in young children.
Science education on the other hand features also highly in European education policy. Major EU reports urge countries to ensure that science education engages students before the age of 14 with science and scientific phenomena, through extended investigative work and ‘hands-on’ experimentation. The adoption of inquiry-based activities in science education is viewed as the only way forward (Rocard et al., 2007), as it is widely accepted that effective science education based on inquiry can lead to wonderment, and is fuelled by curiosity.
Schools in Europe today would benefit considerably from acknowledging and fostering the link between science education, and creativity. Science education could (and should) be more creative. In the teaching and learning of science, a more creative approach based on curiosity and inquiry would be beneficial, involving, for instance, a move away from the pedagogy of the ‘correct answers’, which makes pupils believe that it is wrong to be wrong, and become progressively less willing and able to take risk and to unlock their creativity. Further, in a more creativity oriented science education, new modes of interactions within the classroom could be developed to stimulate self-expression – which, if nurtured, could manifest itself subsequently in later years in terms of an ability to create and innovate. Such a major shift towards more creativity in science education, though, both in terms of fostering creativity in science and teaching science creatively, would require a profound change in educational practices and cultures, demanding the development not only of new curricula, but most importantly of appropriate teacher training and professional development.
The CEYS project was a timely response to the aforementioned needs, at the European level, aiming at the development of a teacher professional development course and accompanying materials to be used to promote the adoption of creative approaches in teaching science in preschool and early primary education, in the frame of inquiry-based educational environments.
The CEYS project brought together a consortium of five distinguished partners from four countries across Europe. More specifically, the project brought together three internationally recognised universities (AUC, UCL-IOE, OU), a science education centre in a leading science research institute (INFLPR), and a distinguished educational research department operating within a school (EA) and thus providing close interaction with teachers, students and classrooms.
CEYS project main activities include the adaptation, implementation, validation and dissemination of a new training framework (including an appropriate curriculum, training modules that include good in-school practices, as well as a variety of supporting material) that support the training of teachers to use creativity and inquiry-based approaches in the teaching of science. CEYS outcomes include:
the Training Course “Creativity through Early Years Science Education” with 20 modules and a “Training Guide and Scenarios of Use”
32 Curriculum Materials, which record and illustrate the learning journeys of selected teachers and the children in their classes, in developing creative, inquiry-based approaches to learning and teaching in early years science. They are intended for use both in the CEYS training course modules and by individual teachers as examples of opening up practice over time to foster inquiry and creativity in varied contexts.
A Curriculum Development Guide aimed at schools and teacher training providers about the methodology used and lessons learned from the co-designing process of the CEYS Curriculum Materials in the context of continuous professional development in the field of early years science education.
An E-twining Tool Kit, translated in the four languages of participating countries, available to those interested to develop common project proposals targeting the development of creativity in early years education, through the inquiry-based approach.
CEYS will enhance teacher education practices and therefore early years and primary teachers’ capacity to teach science effectively using inquiry-based approaches and focusing on the development of children’s creativity. This will in turn have a positive impact also on young children’s other transversal competences, such as ‘learning to learn’ and higher order thinking skills.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 409695 Eur

Project Coordinator

ELLINOGERMANIKI AGOGI SCHOLI PANAGEA SAVVA AE & Country: EL

Project Partners

• THE OPEN UNIVERSITY
• INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU FIZICA LASERILOR PLASMEI SI RADIATIEI
• UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
• ARTEVELDEHOGESCHOOL