Abstract:

Within the frame of ACARISS project (Italian acronym for: Increasing the knowledge on Environment and Risks of Pollution involving Schools with Experimental activities, funded by Tuscan Region), scientific partners (Institute of Biometeorology of CNR and Polo Sant’Anna Valdera) and psychologists of the University of Florence have developed scientific didactic modules for pupils of the secondary schools aiming to increase their knowledge on environment using a more attractive way than the usual frontal lesson.
The modules are structured according the 5E Model (Bybee et al., 2006) of Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) and the thematics ranged from meteorology, carbon cycle, greenhouse effect, simulation models and climate change.

Each module took about 6-8 hours for developing the five steps which are listed below:

-Engagement of pupils on a specific environmental issue,
-Exploration of the problem,
-Explanation of the observed phenomenon,
-Elaboration of the concepts,
-Evaluation of what was learned.

The used IBL model was actually a guided approach in which teachers and scientists have been assisting students during the development of the whole module.
As the approach was new for most of the schools, in the first year, ACARISS aimed to get the point of view of the teachers. A questionnaire with open and multiple choice questions was developed and submitted to the teachers. The questionnaire aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of this methodology and identify the difficulties met in the application of each step of the module.
Teachers’ suggestions and answers have been used for the module revision in order to improve the module application in the real school context. Preliminary results of the questionnaires seem promising. The introduction of experimentation in science teaching with the presence of scientists is considered a valuable factor for making teaching more attractive.

Keywords:

Carbon science, climate change, Inquiry Based Learning, science teaching, 5E model.