LUMA News

The latest issue of LUMAT-B contains 18 articles about the chemistry education research carried out at the University of Helsinki.

Chemistry teaching and learning is one of the areas of focus in research in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Helsinki. Research creates a base for supporting the understanding of chemistry and for the development of good-quality chemistry teaching from basic education to higher education and to teacher education. With the use of evidence-based teacher education in chemistry, we support chemistry teaching and its development communally.

In honor of the 15th Anniversary of the Unit of Chemistry Teacher Education in the Department of Chemistry, the special issue is published in the LUMAT-B journal, where the research is presented.

In the articles, the central concepts of topics are described briefly, as the benefits and challenges from the point of view of previous research and the writer’s own research, and as well it is brought out, how teachers are able to exploit information in chemistry teaching. The writers of these articles are PhDs, who have graduated from the unit, and doctoral students.

The articles can be used freely in teaching, teacher training, and research.

LUMAT-B 3/2016 »

Text: Maija Aksela.

Teachers from all corners of the world met on first ever Teachers’ Climate Change Forum in November 26th, 2016 to share their good practices and innovative approaches on climate change education via inspiring video presentations and to learn from each other.

The Teachers’ Climate Change Forum is a virtual forum organized by LUMA Centre Finland. At the forum, teachers interested in climate change education have the opportunity to share their practical experience and learn from each other. Chair for the forum is Director of the LUMA Centre Finland, Professor, PhD Maija Aksela. Other experts for the forum are PhD Sakari Tolppanen and PhD Marianne Juntunen.

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Adult education

Climate.now – new climate change education material for higher education
Laura Riuttanen, Finland

Climate.now is a new online material about climate change. It is aimed at higher education, including all disciplines. Based on the material, teacher can give a 2-5 ECTS course in any university.

Ecoanxiety and climate change – participatory working methods
Panu Pihkala, Finland

The role of psychological and spiritual matters in climate change education. Dealing with climate change education in religious communities and the possible contributions of spiritual dimensions for environmental education (for example, the role of ritual-type activities and silence).

Plantfulness – art educative breathing with plants
Verna Kuntsi, Finland

Plantfulness adress the need of feeling or thinking ecologically. How to do it? People surely know rationally how to make sustainable decisions, but it’s not that easy. They are not simply doing them or changing their lifestyle though it’s needed. Knowing is not enough – we cannot ignore our feelings and thoughs about climat change. It is scary, specially for the kids and youth. I believe that empathy is greatly needed. In Plantfulness we take first step to empathy and relaxation. Before making any other moves or decisions, it’s the best thing to do first. After that the best sustainable desicions are made through empathy.

Teachers’ online climate guide
Pinja Sipari, Finland

Teacher´s Climate Guide is a free and open climate education website for subject teachers working in secondary schools and high schools. It presents climate change separately from the perspective of each subject taught at school and also offers photo material, assignments and general information on climate change and climate education. At the moment the material exists only in Finnish, but it would be great to see it translated in other languages in the near future.

Upper secondary education (16-19 y)

Energy and culture – transmitting climate information through simple graphs and figures
Maria Luisa Roqueta, Spain

Adapting the scientific concepts associated with climate change at a simple level of understanding for students through simple graphs and figures that transmit better the information than the theoretical definitions and capture the student’s attention – in order to make informed decisions and not rely always on experts.

MoM: Matters of Matter – Future Materials in Sustainable Development Education
Annamaria Lisotti, Italy

The role of Materials Research and innovative (either new or revisited) materials in solving the related problems. Innovative materials may be one of the keys to mitigation and resiliency ranging from architecture to energy production, smart cities development, fresh water and food supplies, low consumption and low carbon mobility. In MoM – Matters of Matter project (www.mattersofmatter.eu) secondary students investigate physical and chemical properties of samples, design experimental protocols and implement them finally unleashing their creativity and innovators potential in devising new applications for such wonder materials.

RESEt (Research and Education Svalbard Experience) project focusing mainly on polar and climate system topics
Matteo Cattadori, Italy

RESEt (Research and Education Svalbard Experience) is an ongoing educational project focusing mainly on polar and climate system topics. RESEt project aims at driving a whole class through a set of activities focusing mainly on planning, organizing, funding, making and com- municating an authentic scientific polar expedition at the Svalbard is- lands (Arctic Ocean) in summer 2016.

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Upper comprehensive education (12-15 y)

Call out the sun, get the energy – environmental course
Gordana Hajdukovi, Serbia

The Students Project “Call out the Sun, Get the Energy is realized with the aim to create and develop the research abilities of students by applying research methods (Inquiry Based Science Education-IBSME). The idea of the project itself was to get students through hands-in research work on climate change as well as the factors that affect the constantly increasing temperatures on our planet.

Eco-club – waste as a reason of climate change
Natela Bagatrishvili, Georgia

The video presents the new eco-club at the school in Georgia. It shows many different kinds of activities which protect the environment.

Explore the weather more by designing and building own weather stations
Sladjana Jovic, Serbia

In this lesson, students will design and build some of the instruments that meteorologists use than, make two school Weather Stations and placed them in different school yards so that results of weather parameters date can be follow during three months and be compared.

Micrometeorology and climate change
Dirceu Dias, Brazil

Students have an active role in all processes which involve among other things the installation of a mini weather station, the collection, analysis and processing of data related to time, establish correlations with the local urban time, the water collection rain and analysis, preparation of content on time and climate for placement on social networks and suggested actions for climate change mitigation in schools and in their communities.

The study of sea level rise and increase of the greenhouse effect through analogue modelling
Gonçalo Prereira, Portugal

The first activity explores the problem of sea level rise. A model of a coastal zone with different slopes is presented to the pupils. They develop the experiment analyzing the different effects of sea level rise due to the increase of temperature and the consequent melting of glaciers. In the second activity students explore the different increase in temperature in the earth’s system without and with two levels of greenhouse effect. With this learning situation students are expected to acquire not only scientific knowledge but also inquiry competences.

StarT brings people together to celebrate the joy of learning – we would like to take this opportunity to warmly welcome you into the project. StarT promotes interdisciplinary, project-based and phenomenon-based learning – it puts science and technology into a context that is relevant for students and makes learning exciting and meaningful.

The project has been launched in honour of Finland’s centennial by the LUMA Centre Finland, and its network of cooperation partners. Schools, kindergartens, families and extracurricular activity groups from all around the world are invited to take part in StarT to share the excitement of collaborative learning. The project involves students carrying out science projects, which will be on display at science fair events organized as a part of StarT.

The main objective of StarT is to emphasize the role of the school or kindergarten as a collaborative learning environment. Project work is a wonderful and effective way to learn in a collaborative, interdisciplinary, and phenomenon-based way! The project topics in StarT are free of choice – the only requirement is a connection of some sort to science, mathematics, or technology and to StarT’s themes. They could be small-scale projects or longer learning modules related to, for instance, space, health and environment, designing mobile toys, programming robots, learning about scientific innovations through drama, or perhaps thinking about the function of mathematics in everyday life and art. StarT encourages schools and kindergartens to develop their own model of integrative project-based learning that works best for them!

The StarT five star programme deals with science, technology, art, career, and the future. It focuses around seven central themes, which can give ideas for the project work:

1. Everyday Mathematics
2. Nature and environment
3. Programming and robotics
4. Stars and space
5. This works: Mobile toys
6. Technology around us
7. Well-being (health, food, exercise)

StarT gives student projects and educational models developed by schools and kindergartens the visibility and fame they deserve through science fair events and the media. In the project student projects and innovative ideas are displayed and awarded. Welcome along!

The registration to sign up as a StarT learning community is open on the website from May to December 2016. Projects are to be carried out in schools, kindergartens, extracurricular activity groups and families from September 2016 to February 2017. Each community is free to decide on the exact duration of the project.

From January to February 2017 communities are free to organize their own StarT fairs in their own country, if they wish to, and report these in the Best Practices section of StarT. By the end of February 2017, the schools need to have submitted their top projects and best practices (submitted separately) through the StarT website. Extracurricular activity groups and families apply for nomination with their projects separately through the website. The StarT jury will assess the submitted projects and choose the ones that will make it to the StarT final.

The final – the international StarT gala – will be organized in Finland in May 2017. All participating groups will receive a StarT diploma, and other awards will be decided on by the StarT jury at a later date.

LUMA Centre Finland launches StarT initiative as a part of Finland 100 celebrations.

We kindly ask you to pass on this invitation to other schools in your home country. All are warmly welcome to StarT!

Let’s be in touch! Welcome, once more, to StarT!

More information about StarT »

Best regards,

Professor Maija Aksela
StarT Director
University of Helsinki, Finland / LUMA Centre Finland

LUMA Centre Finland will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Finnish independence by launching an innovative StarT initiative to give concrete tools and practical support for implementing interdisciplinary project work in schools and hobby groups. The aim of StarT is to create a novel operating culture focusing on project work by children and youth to support the Finnish National Curriculum. The most distinguished projects will be presented in regional StarT Festivals and national StarT Gala. Through StarT, every child and youth can be a Star!

StarT is all about building the future through science, technology, research, arts, skills, volition, wellbeing, emotions, and teamwork.

Communality and learning through projects
In StarT model, children and youth, aged 3 to 19, work on bigger or smaller science and technology projects in teams. The goal is to implement project work in kindergartens, schools and hobby groups in close collaboration with e.g. universities and businesses.

Learning material and ideas for projects
LUMA Centre Finland will produce material in Finnish and Swedish (and partly also in English) to support the project work. All material will be freely available on StarT website that is also the hub for spreading good practices and providing online support for instructors. In addition, StarT will offer training in project work for teachers and instructors at all levels of education.

Enthusiastic StarT ambassadors help in implementation
LUMA Centre Finland will train Finnish pre-service science teachers and engineers as well as other volunteers to be StarT ambassadors, who will help the kindergartens, schools and hobby groups to launch project work and acquire StarT operating culture.

Combining science and arts in learning
Through combining science and arts it is possible to implement communal activities such as science theatre. The aim is that the projects will combine science subjects, mathematics, and technology in creative ways with other disciplines and forms of art, such as music, visual arts, drama, and physical exercise.

Every child can be a Star!
StarT is a four-step model. The possibility to move on to the next level motivates the children or youth in their project work. Each participant gets recognition for their work at StarT Days, held at their kindergarten, school or hobby group, where all projects are presented. The projects that are voted the best will move on to regional StarT Festivals, where the participants’ peers can cheer the team. The best teams will be awarded at the national StarT Gala.

More information on StarT coming soon at LUMA.fi and in LUMA newsletter.

LUMA Centre Finland launches StarT initiative as a part of Finland 100 celebrations.

The collaborative partners will be announced later.

The aim is to implement StarT to be part of Finnish education culture.

Text: Jenni Vartiainen. Translation: Elisa Lautala.

Sustainable Energy in Education is an international massive open online course for STEM teachers. The course, organized by LUMA Centre Finland, is an excellent introduction to current themes in sustainable energy and offers ideas and material on integrating the topic in STEM education.

Global challenges and their impacts on ecosystems, biodiversity and human lives have become a part of our daily lives through media coverage and even personal experiences.

Sustainable energy refers to producing and using energy in a way that supports sustainable development. Therefore, sustainable energy is not only renewable, it also supports social and economical sustainability

Inventing new sustainable solutions to worldwide climate and energy challenges requires a better understanding of these interconnected issues. What are our current options? How could we develop better technologies to counter negative human impact on the planet?

Enabling a sustainable future for young generations is a major concern. The theme integrates smoothly into several STEM subjects and it could be beneficial to discuss the theme with students.

Join the MOOC on Sustainable Energy in Education

Sustainable Energy in Education is an international English-language MOOC organized by the LUMA Centre Finland. The course is organized free of charge and it is aimed at secondary school teachers, teacher students, teacher educators and other education experts who are interested in the topic.

Starting on January 18th 2016, the course delivers a concrete look into the processes, technologies and development of sustainable energy solutions. It also offers practical pedagogical ideas, materials and resources for integrating the theme in STEM education.

The course materials include contributions and materials from Finnish researchers, experts and other professionals involved in sustainable energy and STEM education research.

Participants have until June 5th, 2016 to study the materials and to work on the required assignments. The estimated time required for completing the course is 30 hours.

Director of the course is Professor, Dr. Maija Aksela, University of Helsinki, Finland.

You are warmly welcome to the course!

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Course dates: January 18th – June 5th, 2016

The detailed schedule will be published on the course platform at latest on January 18th.

Create account at mooc.helsinki.fi and enrol yourself to the course. Please register at latest on January 31st.

Finnish STEM teacher education pulls its ranks together in a new discussion forum which aims to strengthen collaboration between universities’ teacher training units and to promote the development of STEM teacher education. A recent special issue of the LUMAT journal gives insights into current trends of STEM teacher education in Finland and casts a look into future targets.

Teacher educators shape the future. They have a key role in training and educating motivated teachers who will put their skills and knowledge to use in schools. Although teaching as a profession is still valued highly in Finland, it is important to make sure we will have enough enthusiastic STEM teacher students and skilled teachers also in the future.

Strengthening STEM teacher education and teachers’ continued professional development is one of the goals of LUMA Centre Finland.

Finnish STEM teacher education is based on research, which is an important tool for developing new teaching innovations. Significant advantages could also be achieved through meaningful collaboration between different departments at universities and teachers training schools.

In 2014 these aspirations took a step forward when a national forum for STEM teacher educators was established. The initiative – set up to improve and invigorate STEM teacher education – includes STEM teacher educators from universities and institutes around Finland, and extends connections to policy makers as well.

Emphasis was first put into creating connections and increasing co-operation between teacher educators and education researchers. Their aim is to meet biannually to discuss timely issues on education and research, and to find ways to drive STEM teacher education forward.

For example the directions and demands of the ongoing curriculum reform in basic education are taken into account in planning and developing STEM teacher education. These include a stronger emphasis on inquiry-based learning, the use of technology, integration of subjects and the use to non-formal learning environments, to mention a few.

Innovations and news from STEM teacher education forum were gathered to a special issue of the LUMAT (Research and Practice in Math, Science and Technology Education) journal, which highlights the enthusiasm and creativity of Finnish STEM teacher educators.

Published on October 29^th 2015, the issue provides a thorough overview of the current trends in STEM teacher training in Finland and some interesting outlooks into future pedagogical innovations.

It includes 13 general articles, three research articles and two perspective article.

The editors of the journal hope to encourage wider discussion about STEM teacher education and to advance its progress in Finland.

LUMAT 6/2015