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Relevant initiatives

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RELEVANT INITIATIVES FORM

Title of Initiative / Project
Biosphere project
Name of Organiser
Instituto Nacional de Tecnologías Educativas y de Formación del Profesorado (INTEF)
Start and ending date of the Initiative
2008
Level
National
Was the initiative carried out in the framework of a funded project?
No
Type of deliverables
Teaching Methodology, Video, Didactical resource
Thematic area
Biology, Science
Language of the deliverable
Spanish
Target Group
Teachers, Students
Description of the initiative
The Biosphere Project is a website that develops the Natural Sciences (Biology and Geology) Curriculum for Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO)and Bachillerato as a resource and interactive multimedia learning teaching support . His didactic design allows to use a variety of activities, specially interactive activities and research activities.
It is structured in three main groups: teachers, students and public area. It has also two collaborative spaces: a wiki and a blog.
The teacher has support material available as learning experiences, classroom projects, pedagogical innovations, tutorials and a directory of Internet resources.
The students have at their disposal more than fifty units that include: introduction, initial activity, content, activities, conceptual map, fundamental ideas, self-evaluation and interesting links.
The public area show information about the current organization of studies in biology and geology and high schools, and also academic and professional higher education outputs. It includes also remarkable interviews with researchers and educational activities for family outings as natural parks, museums ...
The objectives of this project are:
- Using ICT as an attractive, innovative and interactive methodological resource to promote student motivation to the contents being taught.
- To improve the acquisition and consolidation of the curriculum of the subject.
- To promote and encourage teamwork.
- To take advantage of the opportunities offered by Internet for instant information search and give students tools for further processing.
- To establish a work pace appropriate for each student as a way of dealing with diversity and to encourage their self esteem.
- Fostering learning autonomy.
Teaching units take advantage of ICTs and development activities are simple, realistic and versatile, and ultimately, useful for teaching practice in the classroom. This methodology promotes motivation, exercise and evaluation of students in their knowledge of Natural Sciences (Biology and Geology), which increases performance and academic achievement of students.
More Information
This initiative is very useful and complete. It allows free access to teachers, students and the general public offering training that fits the curriculum of Natural Sciences and Biology and Geology in Secondary Education and Baccalaureate.
For each of the courses of Secondary Education (1st to 4th ESO) and Baccalaureate (1st to 2nd year) the web provides a list of teaching units that carry associated multiple interactive activities, animations, images, videos, applications, experiences, protocols of laboratory practices, web links ... All the units are of great quality and are a great resource for strengthening the curriculum.
Link to the website of teachers and students:
http://recursostic.educacion.es/ciencias/biosfera/web/profesor/unidades.htm

On the public page a list of contents and curriculum concepts is developed in each of the units, as well as the evaluation criteria for each unit.
Besides the web provide the academic and professional opportunities to which the students have access, interviews with scientists, other instructional resources and include leisure activities...
Link to the website:
http://recursostic.educacion.es/ciencias/biosfera/web/publico/asignatura.htm
Teachers’ Opinion
The website provides support and delves in the contents developed in classes, furthermore the web provides a large number of varied interactive activities such as questionnaires, partnership activities, crosswords, word searches, research activities of individual or groups...
Such activities promote student motivation, help them to build their own knowledge and to acquire the program objectives, enable to reinforce those contents that have been less clear and allow them to develop skills, attitudes and procedures.
Students’ Opinion
We like to use this website because videos and animations make us better understand what is explained in class. The activities that have to be performed are fun and can be redone if there are some mistakes.

Comments on this Relevant initiatives

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Date: 2015.03.12

Posted by Irena Šuchterova (Slovakia)

• Why is the project (selected initiative) important?
• Will an initiative/project provide outputs that can help to overcome lack of students´ motivation to study science?
• Do you plan to test given outputs (with your students)?

Teacher:
• supports multimedia education; is available for schools, teachers, students and the general public; students have their own pace of work, teamwork
• yes, ICT is an attractive way of teaching; individual work of students and their self-esteem are being increased
• yes

Student - Erika Antalova
Videos and animations are an appropriate way for us to improve the understanding of the subject matter. The idea of natural phenomena are enhanced better by watching videos, they are difficult to understand only from teacher´s explanation.

Date: 2015.02.16

Posted by Baiba (Latvia)

The teamwork is encouraged , but , what is more, interactive animation is simply wonderful. It loks so inviting !The children will love it !

News

Dissemination Seminar in Florence

31 October 2015 The seminar has been held in ITIS “A. Meucci” one of the schools involved within Goerudio project activities. Its main aim was to promote the results of the project toward a broad sample of stakeholders even overcrossing the number of people directly involved in the production of project outcomes. This purpose has been totally achieved especially thanks to the participation of students and teachers coming from different schools or from other classes instead of those ones directly involved within the project activities.