The overall and most significant innovation of Science4Girls is that it is the first practice-based project in the EU to systematically use climate change engagement to allow young female students to create fundamentally new images of science, allowing them to reconcile science learning and a life in science with the development of female identities.
This innovation is underpinned by the methodological application of open science schooling – the key Commission approach to the highly needed innovation of science education inschools. OSS will allow female students to leave traditional, rather theoretical science instruction and work with real-life science and real world community concerns. Through collaboration with the relevant local communities the girls will be able to work in climate change learning missions designed by them, and to the extent possible fulfil the goals established by themselves defined in the learning missions.
In a nutshell, the overall innovation is operationalized into 3 factors of learning innovation: grounding science learning on female values, OSS and mission-based climate change engagement. The combination of these 3 factors will be extremely powerful and is expected to offer the female students fundamentally different images of science and what science does, including the opportunity to create their own voice about what science should be in times of imminent climate challenges.
Continue reading: Presentation of the project