Abstract

The lack of interest in young people towards scientific subjects studied at school is increasing, while students usually show curiosity and interest when they are visiting a Science Center or a natural environment.

The project aims to experiment teaching forms, in Mathematics and Science, based on the informal learning, characteristic of out of schools activities and centered on the direct and active students’ involvement. The challenge is to explore ways for integrating the informal learning approach with the formal one, more sequential, structured and directive, typical of the school.

The project would have a wider educational purpose, because best practices in Mathematics and Science teaching are crucial in helping students to acquire knowledge and inquiry procedures which will allow the future citizens to critically evaluate the received information and to make conscious decisions in a world deeply influenced by Science and Technology.

Aims:

• to build, through exchange of experiences among partners, learning environments suitable for motivating students, especially the less gifted ones, and for stimulating and raising their curiosity about the surrounding natural and technological world,

• to take advantage of the comparison between different European school systems, to study and experiment learning approaches based on cooperation, interactivity, creativity, enhancement of different learning styles and rhythms

• to find ways of using the ICT not only as a means of developing knowledge and skills, but mostly to develop motivation and facilitate cooperation.