Tinkering as an inclusive approach for building STEM identity and supporting students facing disadvantage or with low science capital
Rooske Franse
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Considerations from a reflective practice experience with teachers
From 2017 to 2020, the Erasmus+ -funded project ‘Tinkering EU: Building Science Capital for All’ has
brought together science education practitioners from across the informal and formal education sectors to explore the potential benefits of using Tinkering pedagogy with young people facing economic, social and cultural disadvantage with the aim of strengthening their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) identity and helping them to build transferable 21st century skills.
The project emerged from the following challenges facing contemporary global society:
1. Creating education systems that support active citizenship;
2. How to build scientific literacy for all citizens;
3. How to increase and widen participation in STEM learning.
To respond to the above challenges, especially for those facing disadvantage, this project has aimed to help support school practice by adopting new approaches to STEM education that favour student-centred teaching and learning pedagogies. This project has responded to the above needs by investing in Tinkering as a powerful way to develop a learner-centred culture both in and out of school and to develop 21st century skills which support active citizenship, employability, and social inclusion.
This document summarises the impact of the project through the description of the work carried out over three years which brought together museum educators and teachers to develop their practice and explore how Tinkering pedagogy could be used to develop more engaging, inclusive and equitable STEM learning experiences for learners facing educational, social, cultural or economic disadvantage.
This publication is a product of “Tinkering: Building Science Capital for ALL” (2017-1-IT02-KA201-036513), funded with support from the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
Authors:
Emily Harris, Researcher, University of Cambridge
Mark Winterbottom, Senior Lecturer in Science Education, University of Cambridge
Maria Xanthtoudaki, Director of Education, National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci
This work is being made possible through the support, commitment, energy, enthusiasm, ideas and action of the partners of the Tinkering Project and through the valuable cooperation and enthusiasm of the teachers who participated to the reflective practice experience in each country.
A special acknowledgement goes to the Tinkering Studio of the Exploratorium of San Francisco,
expert advisor to this project, for their collaboration and support.
The photos included in this document are from the activities carried out in collaboration
between the partner institutions and the schools. In particular the photos show activities
at MUST; NEMO Science Museum (credits @Digidaan) and NOESIS
Image credits
Icon image: Tinkering as een inclusive approach - NEMO Science Museum