Open Science Schooling
OSS is defined by two basic elements: physical separation of the learner from the teacher and the use of unconventional teaching methodologies and information technologies to bridge the separation and provide education and training. This education paradigm offers more freedom in education outside of physical and other barriers such as accessibility, flexibility, affordability, and availability of tutors, classrooms, schools, and educational institutions.
OSS is a popular education trend that focuses on the learners' needs and offers flexible science learning opportunities based on fully exploring the potential of ICT and learning technologies to improve education and training system quality and efficiency. Ultimately, OSS provides people of all ages with the opportunity to acquire new science skills and knowledge to improve their livelihoods
OSS is a form of learning that takes place outside of traditional classrooms, offering alternative and immersive experiences that promote holistic learning in partnership with society. This approach to science education is particularly beneficial for individuals who may be at risk of low academic achievement.
The combination OSS and Climate Change engages students in interesting and important science activities in their community. This is where climate change comes in and opens up a giant door to students’ re-engagement in science.
OSS Climate Change prevention is not only about theory, but about taking urgent action at all levels and learning through this engagement. It allows to work in teams and to identify climate challenges in the community.
Through collaboration with community and climate change resources, the students will be able to work in their designed missions: action-based.
Science education becomes relevant, personal, attractive, emotional and incredible exciting for the students, allowing them to integrate new science images in the forming of their identities.
Teacher’s Role in General
The role of the teacher in Open Science Schooling (OSS) projects will be to support and guide the students rather than to be the communicator of academic material. It is therefore crucial that, with an eye on the students' various prerequisites, the teacher stimulates the students to be active and reflective. This can be done through open and constructive dialogue.
The work with OSS aims to give students more autonomy and influence. But that does not mean that the teacher gets a less important role in the teaching. As a starting point the teacher must always take as a the students’ academic prerequisites and assess what can bring the students forward in their projects and their learning process, and assess how the teacher can scaffold the students' work from their current point of view continuously.
Communication is an essential focal point in this approach to learning. It can be constructive dialogues, where we see four important elements the dialogues between teacher and students:
1. To ask questions
- Asking good questions can be the beginning of what is called exploratory conversations, where the teacher and students can wonder together and explore a topic through conversation
- Opening questions, e.g. "what do you find out?"
- Follow-up questions, e.g. “what do you think, it may be due to?"
- In-depth questions, e.g. “why, how can you explain that?”
- Silence to give students space to reflect
- Interpretive questions e.g. “there may be other explanations: How can it be related?"
2. Having exploratory conversation
3. To train the use of professional concepts
4. To provide feedback
- Feedback can both be about guiding students to the next steps in their work process and noticing how the students have solved the task. It is called formative, respectively and summative feedback.
What should the teacher do in general?
When the teacher facilitates the students' work, it is especially important that the teacher:
- Examines the students' academic and personal prerequisites and is based on this, when the teaching is adapted to the student group, so that all students can have an active, exploratory and reflective role in teaching
- Draws threads between different concepts and subject areas to provide students understanding of the field of science across topics and disciplines
- Stimulates students' reflection through a constructive dialogue based on open-ended questions, feedback, and a focus on training professional language and professional concepts
Short summary
● Compared to students, teachers know a lot about science. However, the teacher must be ready to accept that he/she does not know everything in the field in which the students carry out their investigation. The teacher will more or less act as a knowledge facilitator.
● The teacher should avoid correcting the student with answers, but make questions that will bring the students to think about/act towards a solution. The teacher must guide the student.
● The teacher should provide opportunities for learning on demand.