Background

For the past ten years, a significant international decrease has been noticed in the number of Science students. This has been interpreted as students' disaffection from scientific studies. The proposals to renovate science education support more active approaches assigning autonomy and responsibility to students in their construction of knowledge. New curricula based on the scientific investigation and on the regulatory convergence of the disciplines are available in different countries.

Objectives

This theme deals with the continuities and ruptures in teaching and learning which are based on the investigation in Mathematics and Science in a french teaching context. These continuities and these ruptures have been questioned longitudinally, from nursery to secondary school. Furthermore, they have been questioned transversely, from one discipline to another, either in a co-disciplinary context or within one discipline if its concepts and methods are mobilized by another. These continuities and these ruptures have also been questioned from the perspective of the tools used, like the link between material and real objects, and their various representations, including computer representations.

Team

Gilles Aldon,  Karine Bécu-Robinault,   Réjane Monod-Ansaldi,   Michèle Prieur and   Sophie Soury-Lavergne. 

Current Actions

Disciplines and co-disciplinarity (2011-2013)

From disciplinary or co-disciplinary teaching sequences, which are usual or constructed in collaboration with researchers, the point is to analyse the structures of the activities given to students, the organisation of interactions in class, the representation systems that are used, the challenges of modelling in the design and creation of protocols and in data processing.

Experimental Research Approch for the Learning of Mathematics - DREAM (2010-14)

This action is intended to produce resources for an education based on the experimental dimension of Mathematics and the uses of ICT. The research issues aim at constructing knowledge and skills. The transition from primary school to secondary school is particularly explored.

Science Plan in Côte d'Or. Development of scientific culture and equal opportunity (2011-2014)

This action, partnered with Alain Savary Center, leans towards the design of resources to support Science education and the development of scientific culture in socially vulnerable territories, for the sake of continuity from nursery school to secondary school (école du Socle).

Completed Actions

• Investigation approaches in scientific and technologic education : disciplinary convergences and peculiarities