Kew to be involved in the new INQUIRE education project

Kew is delighted to be a partner in INQUIRE, a pan-European project which aims to reinvigorate inquiry-based science education.

10 Jun 2011

Like this
Tweet
Close Thanks for liking this page. Tell us why by adding a comment at the bottom.

3 likes
0 comments

Schoolchildren studying a plant specimen

Inquiry-based science education engages children in the process of scientific inquiry.

About INQUIRE

Kew is delighted to be a partner in INQUIRE, a newly funded European Union project which aims to reinvigorate inquiry-based science education in formal and informal education systems, in particular for Learning Outside the Classroom sites throughout Europe.

Designed to reflect how students actually learn, inquiry-based science education also engages them in the process of scientific inquiry. Increasingly it is seen as key to developing their scientific literacy, enhancing their understanding of scientific concepts and heightening their appreciation of how science works.

Organisations involved

Coordinated by Innsbruck University Botanic Garden with support from Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BCI), INQUIRE will involve 17 partners in 11 countries. A one-year training course will be developed for Learning Outside the Classroom educators in inquiry-based learning methods, research methodology and assessment techniques. Through training, ongoing mentoring and promotion of best practice, the project will aim to roll this course out to as many providers as possible and embed this pedagogy within European education systems.

A focus on biodiversity and climate change

The subject content of the course will focus on the major global issues of the 21st century — biodiversity loss and climate change — and will build on already published teaching resources as well as on newly created resources.

Botanic gardens and other Learning Outside the Classroom educators institutions are wonderful learning sites for children and adults alike. Engaging these sites in offering teacher training courses in inquiry-based science education techniques will be an effective way to motivate teachers to implement inquiry-based learning in classrooms.

For Kew, this project offers a key development in the delivery of our Breathing Planet Programme. The first meeting of the project was held at Wakehurst in early May 2011, and over 40 partner members attended.