Hosted by OSOS , contributed by Parente on 16 May 2018
The project has been designed for developing strategies for how teachers’ roles and conditions can support and enable deeper learning for students.
In detail,to study, analyze and understand the phenomena of the physical world in which we live, we will construct models, starting from quantitative measures, capable of making predictions and comparing themselves with measures subsequently carried out (IBSE - Inquire Based Science Education).
The theft of a student's scooter in a dark street initiates the speech in the classroom on public lighting. Crime context is a good start point because the risk of the theft of their scooter is a problem which our students live every day.
So they study and search for their community street lighting's costs (consumption and life light bulbs, etc.) and effectiveness and adequacy (PBL - Project Based Learning). Starting from a real fact of crime, we will then focus on the fundamental concepts for the analysis and execution of the measures and we will compare tools, instruments and protocols already consolidated with the new practices offered by smartphones and apps.
The role of FiatLux...responsibly, on a global and personal scale, is developing a scientific mentality in students who will use to evaluate media and commercial arguments on sustainability too. The study and research of efficient public lighting increseas awareness among students of their role and the impact of thei choices within their community.
Fiatlux... responsibly reflects the policy priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy and addresses major concerns shared by citizens in Europe and elsewhere. A challenge-based approach is the main approach of the activities that bring together resources and knowledge across different fields, technologies and disciplines, including social sciences and the humanities. The study about their community street lighting cover activities from research to market with a new focus on innovation-related activities, such as piloting, demonstration, test-beds, and support for public procurement and market uptake. In detail, a deep focus on Wellbeing and Efficient energy.
Tasks are designed and undertaken by students 14-16 years of age. The results are expected to be an increased awareness of their role and the impact of their choices within their comunity, within the world.
This activity carry out also because today students learn and manage information and communication differently from previous generations. A new pedagogy, the Actor Network Theory, is in fact studying the behavior of people along with objects, and no more than just people or how people use objects. Today, the first contact with new media becomes increasingly precocious and using new technologies in educational activities increases learning opportunities, both for teachers and for learners. The smartphone then becomes an all-rounder tool with which to carry out practical activities of authentic research: BYOD - Bring Your Own Device.
A specific work on the gender gap has not been developed, but the following two guidelines have been adopted:
- Inclusive action. It is the ability to adopt family-friendly policies and practices, capable of supporting both sexes and free from prejudices in attracting and retaining people.
- Empowering environment. A study environment that instead of dictating the rules leaves girls and boys free to be creative and to train, as well as the possibility of studying in a flexible way, increases the chances of advancement for girls.
- the leading of new profitable partnership which together work on and advancing towards collaborative decision-makerand shared reponsibility (Public engagment);
- the breaking down of gender stereotypes through the activities proposed always without any prejudice on gender (Gender Equality);
- the promoting of both innovative problem‐solving and critical thinking; the empowering of both engagement and an entrepreneurial mindset; the promoting of citizen participation in science policy making (Science education);
- the sharing of responsibilities for the impacts of science and the reflecting on people’s ideas (Ethics);
- the promoting of access to both publications and data for opening new horizons (Open access).
Few resources needed to carry out this project. It is hard to create a list of human resources needed, because they will depend on the milieu and the associations/organizations involved. Economic resources it would be necessary for. 1) create an handbook and a decalogue with the findings of the project, in paper format; 2) daily office materials (pen, paper, etc.); 3) smartphone and tablet with Internet as measure instruments and to develop digital materials (documents, researchs, etc.).
The project was developed by Fondazione Idis-Città della Scienza. The Fondazione's activities aim at building a new economy based on knowledge in order to create a greater social cohesion. Our mission is based on the valorisation of territorial resources with a particular attention to the European and Mediterranean contexts. Fondazione Idis supports its local stakeholders (school networks, companies, enterprises, local bodies and associations) which become partners by contributing to test new cultural products and spread their effects through local actions. Foundation Idis - Città della Scienza has always worked in training teaching and new didactic methodologies. In detail, it has been characterized as a foundation specialized in the study and proposal of tools to support the teaching of science and its innovation as well as in training and career guidance and education. The Science Centre of Città della Scienza is the first Italian interactive science museum, a place for experimentation, learning, entertaining; to meeting and to build a constructive dialogue with science and technology.
Feel
The theft of a student's scooter in a dark street initiates the speech in the classroom on public lighting. The students want to conduct a research for their community on street lighting, costs (consumption and life light bulbs, etc.) and effectiveness and adequacy. Good lighting contributes to the sense of safety and therefore of everyone's wellbeing. However, with a view to saving energy, ie saving both environmental and economic resources, it is essential to check if and how much it is necessary to illuminate streets or a public place.
Ask students what they think or known; talk about their past experience; think about words used, topics involved; do experiments with poor materials, laboratory instruments and smartphone; solve unforessen situation; read their textbooK and in-depth articles; meet experts, politician and citizenship etc. to link starting point and ending point together.
The use of digital devices (smartphone e tablet) allows students to learn independently, anywhere, in direct interaction with the virtual environment and the game, finding and sharing expert content, using technology to transform abstract notions into concrete experiences, and in a group through shared activities.
The challange is to re-think science teaching to fit both modern world and students needs. The NUFFIELD report, 2008
Imagine
This PBL “FiatLux ... responsibly” is divided into three macro-areas that will both be explored and sometimes intersect and overlap:
- first part dedicated to the human perception of the environmental stimuli;
- the second part devoted to the study and measure of some Physical quantities related to the Optics, Eletrical circuits and Energy by mature instruments and new techonology as app in smartphone e tablet;
- the last part developing an approach that anticipates and assesses potential implications and societal expectations (RRI) with the aim to foster the design of inclusive and sustainable society.
The combination of these three steps helps students to develop critical thinking and creativity too. So the students, together their teacher and all actors of this PBL, imagine and design the architecture of their own project.
The picture on the right is the screnshoot of a smartphone that is using the LightMeter app to measure the distance between the observer and the lamp street base. The Lightmeter app can be dodownloaded for free on all digiatl devices.
For incorporating in the accelerator "Fita lux... responsibly" the Respnsible research and Innovation agendas is necessary to do a transversal work, to the scholastic disciplines involved, for better knowing of the RRI principles. Some lessons, meetings, lectures must be kept on how Ethics and research integrity, Gender equality and diversity, Open access are principles necessary for an ethical acceptability, sustainability and societal desiderability.
A possible schematic summary of the PBL "FiatLux... responsibly! is given below.
|
Activity 1 Introducing the PBL - Reading of the article on the theft of a student's scooter and discussion in class on the safety in public places and their lighting. |
| Activity 2 Retrieving information and initial planning activities - Meeting of students with the teacher of mathematics and science, technology to define the main parameters of the work to be done. First division of the duties and identification of the actors to be involved. |
| Activity 3 Introducing and sharing the PBL to citizenship - Participatory (students, teachers, parents, stake holders, electricity company, shop sellers, ecc.) planning of the research on street lighting: costs (consumption and life light bulbs, etc.) and effectiveness and adequacy. Good lighting contributes to the sense of safety but it’s necessary have a view to saving energy, ie saving both environmental and economic resources. |
| Activity 4 Guided visit - Guided visit to the museum of the human body Corporea with focus on vision: physical stimuli and human perception. |
| Activity 5 - Actvity in a museum laboratory - Educational activity in the Città della Scienza laboratory to learn together (students and teachers) the use of smartphone sensors for measurements of physical quantities. |
| Activity 6 - Meeting betwen students and teachers about PBL state of the art - Meeting of students with the teachers (mathematics and science, technology and art) about the work to be done after the first input and the share of the duties. |
| Activity 7 - Meeting with an expert of the Electricity company - Meeting with a representative of the local Electricity company to collect information necessary for the development of the research on street lighting (types of light bulbs used, height of street lamps in different streets, lamp holders, light bulbspower supply, ecc.). |
| Activity 8 - Skpe call with an expert of a Bulb company - A conference call (via Skype) with a contact person of a Bulb company. |
| Activity 9 Measure outdoor - Measures, taken in different city streets, of illuminance (illuminamento, lux) and distance (m) from the bulb of the street lamp. |
| Activity 10 Measure outdoor - Measures, taken in the center and in suburban areas of the city, of illuminance (illuminamento, lux) and distance (m) from the bulb of the street lamp. |
| Activity 11 Meeting with a researcher or professor - For sale there are many different light bulbs for attack, shape and technology. The different technology is due to the different physical phenomena: emission of light by a diode, emission of light from a filament crossed by current, ecc. Theoretical discussion and practical demonstrations in a laboratory room. |
| Activity 12 Data elaboration by different instruments - Some experimental data by scientific instruments and digital device (as smartphone) are compared. |
| Activity 13 Data elaboration and theoretical deductions and writing of the report - Analysis of collected data and their representation and interpretation. Discussion about results. Drafting of the report and preparation of their presentation in public. Drafting of a decalogue and articles for the local media and press. |
| Activity 14 Dissemination findings and outputs - Presentation (to a public of parents, teachers, students, policy-makers, shopkeepers, university professors and researchers, journalists etc.) of the results of the FiatLux...responsibly! research between the need to well being (that every citizen has) and a sustainable development. |
Create
During the PBL “FiatLux ... responsibly” students the students will design and implement a large number of different types of activities.
In detail, with
- -Municipality | Meeting for participatory research planning.
- -Scientific museum | Participatory research planning and some guidedo tours to the exhibition areas and educational activities in laboratory related to the topics.
- -University – Physics department | Meeting with some researchers from the local university who will show to the students the research center and explain and show them the physics of the lamps, of electric circuits.
- -Bulb company | Talk with an expert about physics, technology and business in a company.
- -Electrical company | For requesting data.
- -Parents | Meeting for participatory research planning.
- -Schools | Meeting for participatory research planning.
- -Shopkeeper | Meeting for participatory research planning.
- -Media | Post, article about their findings on street lighting, costs (consumption and life light bulbs, etc.) and effectiveness and adequacy.
Further in their classroom, the students and teachers will conduct a deeper study (about practical and theoretical aspects) of the topics involved. So the students will write a report that share with all community decisors and they will also write a short decalogue which will distribute as flyers to the whole citizenship.
The learning objectives of this proposal can be divided into two categories: GENERAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES and LEARNING OBJECTIVES RELATED TO DISCIPLINARY TOPIC.
GENERAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES | Knowing how to support one's own thesis and how to listen and critically evaluate the arguments of others. • Acquire the habit to reason with logical rigor, to identify problems and to identify possible solutions. • Analyze a phenomenon or a problem by identifying the significant elements, the relationships, the superfluous data, the missing ones and being able to connect the premises and consequences. • Perform simple steps with clear awareness of the operations performed and the tools used. • Learn to describe, even by means of schemes, the equipment and procedures used. • Develop team work skills. • Acquire flexibility in dealing with unforeseen situations of a conceptual and / or technical nature. • Develop operational skills related to the use of digital tools and devices such as smartphones and tablets. • Knowing how to distinguish between objective and subjective, facts and hypotheses. • Develop an approach that anticipates and assesses potential implications and societal expectations (Responsible Research and Innovation) with the aim to foster the design of inclusive and sustainable society.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES RELATED TO DISCIPLINARY TOPIC | Know how to use a measuring instrument by reading its characteristics • Operate with different data collected in repeated determinations of the same physical quantity • Introduce the concept of uncertainty •To learn some methods of elaboration of experimental data aimed at estimating the parameters (mean, error ...) with which it is possible to represent the set of information contained in the data • Building the fundamental physical concepts of Optics in a formally correct way, connecting them with everyday experience. • Collect, sort and represent the data obtained, evaluating orders of magnitude and approximations, highlighting the uncertainty associated with the measure. • Examine data and derive significant information from tables, charts and other documentation. • Draw simple theoretical deductions and compare them with the experimental results.
Share
It's necessary a deep involvment of the local community for sharing the project results through all types of communications possible.
Presentations (to a public of parents, teachers, students, policy-makers, shopkeepers, university professors and researchers, journalists etc.) of the results of the FiatLux...responsibly! research between the need to well being (that every citizen has) and a sustainable development.
The students will write a report and a short decalogue about their finding about street lighting, costs (consumption and life light bulbs, etc.) and effectiveness and adequacy.
The report (about 10 pages, less or more) will be given to the head teacher, the Scholastic Office, the Province, the Municipality, the Bulb company, etc.
The dacalogue, which easier to distribute, will be a flyer (paper and not) will be distribuited to the citizens and used for post, short article, etc.
See the site https://www.rri-tools.eu/-/communicating_evidence_tools on how write an effective Communicating Research for Evidence-Based Policy Making.
-Media | Communication of research results to the community via web, tv, print media, etc.
-Schools, Parents, Municipality, Companies, Universities, Shopkeeper, Museums | Meeting, Exhibiton, Speech, Scientific Café, etc. for sharing results.
Fiat Lux... responsibility!, as already mentioned in the title, is a project focused on RRI principles and embracing the RRI holistic approach and includes some activities (as meeting between students and researcher centres, parents, municipality, companies) that facilitate and contribute to the use of research evidence by policy makers, practitioners and other development actors. The decalogue, a guide on comunicating research for evidence-based policy making, offers practical advice on how to build a functional communications interface between researchers and policy makers.